pros and cons of flipping a HF axle

[LDK]

We flipped ours...but after we were done, requiring us to remount our fenders. We did it for a couple reasons...when you followed it down the road...or walked up behind it, the axle really stood out...looked goofy! Being able to sit in the door with our feet on the ground was also huge; you can really tell the difference, it is much easier to get in and out. We tow with a CRV, the lower profile looks better. We never bottom out on railroad tracks or anything. We do have to go slow out the driveway or the hitch will drag a little. We're very happy with it!

Thanks for your input. I just went through your build thread and that is one very fine camper you have.

[Jerry Bleeg]

I built a 5 x 10 on a HF frame and did not flip the axle. I did drop the sides down about 3" to cover the frame and I built out over the wheels, which meant I had to box in wheel wells. My ground clearance is right at 15" and I do have a spare mounted underneath under the kitchen area just behind the axle.

I know what you mean about the 4" wide tears looking a little high and funny. A skirt may help bring down the height somewhat, but flipping the axles might be the first thing to try to achieve a cleaner look. You can always change it back, just leave yourself the option of remounting your fenders.

[LDK]

I posted this thread awhile back and now I may go on ahead and flip the axle on my camper. When I say flip I mean to put it on top of the leaf springs. The way it's set up now its just really too tall and the axle really shows. It would make it look so much better for the profile to be lower. If I did that I could maybe put bigger wheels on it to help with clearance. Question, Is it possible to use bigger wheels on a harbor freight trailer??? Preferably wheels that I could put baby moons on??? My axle hangers are welded to the frame so I'm really committed to the same axle set up. Comments.

[Jerry Bleeg]

I tried to use some Toyota truck rims with something like a 205/75 x 14 rim on my HF frame. Although this is the proper bolt pattern for the HF heavy duty (5 lug) axle hub, the tire would have rubbed on the frame. In short you will have clearance problems unless you widen the axel or use spacers on the axel hubs. Widening the axel would require cutting it in half in the middle and welding a pipe between the two lengths, and it would require remounting the spring seats to a point further inward on the axel tube. Then you run the risk of over leveraging the axel and possibly bending it or worse. I thought long and hard about the modification and decided against it.

By dropping the sides down about 3 inches or adding a skirt you can hide the frame and lower the visual attitude somewhat without any serious mods to the original axel design. This requires building "over" your wheels. Another option would be to change the axel out for a dropped axel of some sort. The problem with doing to many mods on a HF frame is the mod costs can easily approach the costs for a different, or custom frame.

I also thought about changing my axel to go on top of my leaf springs, and last summer when I had it up on jack stands to grease the bearings, I noticed were the axle U-bolt had come up and kissed the axle to frame mounting perch. This is the part that most people notch when going to a axel flip (on top of the leaf spring) set up. So even with the axel in the stock location, you can bottom the suspension out over a bump or pothole.

Warning: those HF frames really don't have much suspension travel, and if you build heavy and do the axel flip, you run a pretty good chance of bottoming the axle onto the frame.

Sorry, I just re-read your question. You asked "what time is it" and I've told you how to build a clock. . . . I do that. Watch out for clearance problems with bigger tires and rims.

[LDK]

I tried to use some Toyota truck rims with something like a 205/75 x 14 rim on my HF frame. Although this is the proper bolt pattern for the HF heavy duty (5 lug) axle hub, the tire would have rubbed on the frame. In short you will have clearance problems unless you widen the axel or use spacers on the axel hubs. Widening the axel would require cutting it in half in the middle and welding a pipe between the two lengths, and it would require remounting the spring seats to a point further inward on the axel tube. Then you run the risk of over leveraging the axel and possibly bending it or worse. I thought long and hard about the modification and decided against it.

By dropping the sides down about 3 inches or adding a skirt you can hide the frame and lower the visual attitude somewhat without any serious mods to the original axel design. This requires building "over" your wheels. Another option would be to change the axel out for a dropped axel of some sort. The problem with doing to many mods on a HF frame is the mod costs can easily approach the costs for a different, or custom frame.

I also thought about changing my axel to go on top of my leaf springs, and last summer when I had it up on jack stands to grease the bearings, I noticed were the axle U-bolt had come up and kissed the axle to frame mounting perch. This is the part that most people notch when going to a axel flip (on top of the leaf spring) set up. So even with the axel in the stock location, you can bottom the suspension out over a bump or pothole.

Warning: those HF frames really don't have much suspension travel, and if you build heavy and do the axel flip, you run a pretty good chance of bottoming the axle onto the frame.

Sorry, I just re-read your question. You asked "what time is it" and I've told you how to build a clock. . . . I do that. Watch out for clearance problems with bigger tires and rims.

Thanks for your input. I just wonder if I could find a longer axle to avoid clearance issues. I would also have to notch out the axle hangers to allow for up and down travel. or maybe a different axle and hub set up used on the HF springs.

[wagondude]

The reason the toyota wheels rubbed was because the had the wrong off set. Larger trailer wheels (with zero off set) will clear the frame just fine. Stores like Tractor Supply, Northern Tool and other farm/industrial supply houses will have standard width axles on the shelf. You would just need to weld on spring perches.