Attach Fender To Torsion Axle?

[Galen]

Hi Folks. I am finally back to working on my trailer project after a long delay and have some questions.

Main Questions:
Has anyone ever attached their fender mount directly to a torsion axle, instead of the trailer body? It could then move with the wheel and be more compact since it would not need as much clearence. Looking at my Dexter axle I believe I would have to attach it directly to the spindle. Could I weld mounts to the spindle without hurting it? Or would a U-bolt bracket be strong enough to keep a lightweight fender from rotating on it?

The reason I am considering this is because my trailer design is unusual in that the door and the fender are very close. So making the fender smaller and lower by having it move with the wheel (hence no need for much extra clearence) would be a benefit.

I started considering this option because I don't see any fenders for sale for 13" wheels that are deep enough (they would need to be 9" or 10" deep to prevent a gap between the fender and body). So no matter what it appears I will need to either make my own fenders or modify existing ones. The gap is not a big deal, but if I have to make them then I like this idea of creating a floating fender that moves with the wheel and would wrap around both sides more and be faired.

Secondary Question:
Anyone know of a source for fenders for 13" wheels that are about 28"x10"x13"?

P.S. Thanks for your help. It feels great to be back to working on the project. I started welding up the frame yesterday.

[Galen]

I found another thread discussing this:

http://tnttt.com/viewto ... unted+axle

It made me realize how strong the fender and mount would have to be, and I am quickly rethinking that idea. It would really flail around over even the smallest bumps.

So now I am back to looking for fenders that are a better fit. Maybe I will explore motorcycle fenders?

[Yota Bill]

that's not necessarily true, though it is definitely something to be considered. I have seen off-road trucks use them (rock crawlers that are also street legal, which is why they need fenders) and it is very common for them to be used on rough terrain forklifts Google images: JCB 531-70, its a good example)
That particular machine has a steel plate that is bolted to the axle at the knuckle (kingpin, the point at which it pivots to steer, this makes the fender turn with the tire) and has two pieces of steel tubing welded to that plate that go up and then bend 90* to go over the tread of the tire, and then the fender sits on those two pieces of tube and is bolted to each with 4 bolts. Very simple setup, and it works fine. It needs to be ridgid, but allow for some flex at the same time, which does mean you cant get ht clearance beteen the fender and the tire all that close.
Think about making the mounting points rubber mounted, and the actual frame that holds the fender prtty strong and as ridgid as possible. You dont want the steel to flex, just the rubber. Also, make sure the rubber mount is something you can find easily enough if they need to be replaced in the future, like the rubber mounts that are used on stud-type shock absorbers.

[Moho]

I started considering this option because I don't see any fenders for sale for 13" wheels that are deep enough (they would need to be 9" or 10" deep to prevent a gap between the fender and body). So no matter what it appears I will need to either make my own fenders or modify existing ones. The gap is not a big deal, but if I have to make them then I like this idea of creating a floating fender that moves with the wheel and would wrap around both sides more and be faired.

Secondary Question:
Anyone know of a source for fenders for 13" wheels that are about 28"x10"x13"?

I found a couple and bookmarked them as I need the same size fender for my project which is a converted popup frame. Jeep style is the only kind I can find with the 10" + width for 13" tires. If I were to use either of these there would need to be modifications to the height for my taste and also modification to make the weld on style work.

http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Fenders/Redline/J101733AT.html

http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Fenders/Redline/J101936.html

[CliffinGA]

Galen on my small tear when I bought it with its 12" tires it had the fenders mounted to the axle. I decided to go with 14" wheels and a bigger fender and when I started taking them off how thick the bvracing was, 1/4" to 3/8" thick. It worked for them on the smaller liter fender for the 12" tire but the bigger fenders for 13" -15" wheels would have to be a lot strong.

Moho check for flea market, thats where I got my whhels w/tires and fenders:

Old


Black objects in front left is fender right is fan shaped steel plate welded to fender and axle



Cliff

[angib]

The Locost build-your-own replica of a Lotus 7 sports car uses front fenders that are fixed to the wheel hub and cracking of these parts isn't unknown. Here is a thread discussing them, with photos: http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=79913

Welding near the spindle would require removing the hub if you didn't want to 'cook' the grease seal.

If the mounting area is so tight, I think it might be easier to make the fender movable - hinge it at the rear and fit a clip at the front so that you can lift it up to open the door.

[Galen]

Thanks everyone. Although it looks possible to attach the fender to the axle, I am still going to avoid it. I recall going down the freeway and watching a trailer pass me, and it's wheels were just flying up and down over bumps. The small benefits that I was thinking this would provide me are not worth the added weight and potential problems of a failure that could be caused by creating a flying fender.

Although I have to admit, after looking at those locost pictures, there are some nice examples that make it look very feasible (although it does appear that cracking parts area a real problem for them).

I have considered a folding fender, but I think really it is not going to be necessary. I will just go with a slightly smaller fender than is standard, and give it enough clearance over the wheel for the big bumps.

By the way, for anyone who is looking for a wider fender for a 13" wheel, I had this idea. Buy three fenders, and cut two pieces out of the third fender and weld them on to each of the other fenders to make them wider. It would require some good welding and cutting skills to make it look seamless, but it would still be easier than making fenders from scratch. You see them doing this kind of thing all the time on the custom motorcycle shows on TV.