edessex
Part of things
Posts: 514
Club RR Member Number: 42
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What axle for trailer?edessex
@edessex
Club Retro Rides Member 42
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I've got an old trailer, and the axle is a bit past it. It's also one of those self contained spring ones, which I don't like.
I want to replace it with a slightly heavier duty axle with leaf springs.
So I'm thinking of a car or small van axle, but ideally an un-driven one. I'm struggling to figure out which ones might be suitable!
It has to be quite cheap, so that's several vintage car axles out of the equation.
Ideally it needs to cope with 1000kg.
Any ideas people?
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fad
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,781
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May 13, 2017 11:22:31 GMT
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Moggy minor?
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93fxdl
Posted a lot
Enter your message here...
Posts: 1,991
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May 13, 2017 11:29:28 GMT
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Shame you you don't fancy a self contained unit, the rear beam from various Peugeot models should be easy to adapt, common and cheap, Ttfn Glenn
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fad
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,781
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May 13, 2017 12:00:09 GMT
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To be fair trailer suspension is a bit different, you need sag as well as upward travel on any suspension so your wheel will drop into bumps as well as up and over them, and because a trailer is often empty it will bounce around all over the place unladen on car suspension. You need springs with really strong progression from almost no resistance sharply increasing though travel, ones that are soft enough extended to still give downward sag on an unladen trailer. You may struggle finding that on cars. Mind you, using leaves and ditching a couple from the pack and leaving some unclamped so they pick up and give resistance as your trailer wright increases might work?
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May 13, 2017 12:19:26 GMT
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what's wrong with the trailer axles? low profile easy to package take up sod all space and available in loads of different weight rating.
anything car based will make it too tall imo.
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edessex
Part of things
Posts: 514
Club RR Member Number: 42
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What axle for trailer?edessex
@edessex
Club Retro Rides Member 42
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May 13, 2017 15:38:43 GMT
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Everything I have gets used hard, and these trailer suspension units only look like they are designed for on road use. They look like if a spring snaps then the trailer base sits on the wheel, if I snap a leaf spring I can bodge it to get back.
I should say the current trailer is an over the wheel type, flat load bed.
As far as use goes, I only have a Cat-B licence, I tow light loads regularly.
95% of my loads are sub-750kg.
My main tow vehicle can tow 1000kg, which my licence also allows.
Unfortunately I have a few unusual towing jobs, these are not on the road so the licence is not an issue. The one that damaged the trailer was towing 1000kg over rough ground, it's fractured an axle mounting, and put a slight bend in the axle tube.
Upon further inspection I discovered the MAM of the trailer was less than I thought, so this damage is not a surprise.
I'm currently pondering these options:
1) Retain the current trailer for road use, have around a 650kg payload. Buy/make a second for off-road heavy use
a) Replace axle with a vehicle axle. b) Replace axle with a new trailer axle.
2) Buy a heavier duty trailer, down plate to 1000kg. Have a 550-600kg road legal payload, original payload of around 2000kg so should be able to cope with 1000kg on rough ground.
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fad
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,781
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May 13, 2017 17:32:02 GMT
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Offroad towing is likely to cause issues on road suspension because of the above I would have thought? Not an expert so I dunno...
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edessex
Part of things
Posts: 514
Club RR Member Number: 42
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What axle for trailer?edessex
@edessex
Club Retro Rides Member 42
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May 13, 2017 17:37:39 GMT
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That's why I was thinking leaf springs, a bit more 'agricultural'...
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May 13, 2017 17:42:54 GMT
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get a pickup truck?
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edessex
Part of things
Posts: 514
Club RR Member Number: 42
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What axle for trailer?edessex
@edessex
Club Retro Rides Member 42
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May 13, 2017 17:50:18 GMT
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I've got one, but it's parked up at the moment, also got a van with a 1400kg payload, but neither tick as many boxes as the car and trailer.
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fad
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,781
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May 13, 2017 18:38:32 GMT
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Trouble is the bouncy bouncy offroad you will get from unloaded springs.try it?
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edessex
Part of things
Posts: 514
Club RR Member Number: 42
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What axle for trailer?edessex
@edessex
Club Retro Rides Member 42
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May 13, 2017 19:16:33 GMT
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It goes bouncy bouncy offroad on the current trailer suspension anyway! Lol
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May 13, 2017 20:59:42 GMT
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Stick a picture up of the trailer and axle you have and it might help jog peoples memory. Mk3 escort van rear axles used to be popular for trailer building. If it's possible cost wise I think you would be better with a heavier duty trailer, downplate if you want but it's the actual weight that matters when you get stopped. There's actually something official in writing somewhere about this should you wish to confirm.
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edessex
Part of things
Posts: 514
Club RR Member Number: 42
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What axle for trailer?edessex
@edessex
Club Retro Rides Member 42
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May 13, 2017 21:03:33 GMT
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Looks like they changed the wording last month, now it's done by MAM. Before it was actual weight.
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May 13, 2017 21:54:07 GMT
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It wasn't but some operatives were choosing to interpret it that way, if I recall correctly there was a test case recently which they lost (obviously). One of the big trailer manufacturers Ifor Williams or Brian James had the letter available on their website from either VOSA/ DVSA stating it was on actual and not plated weight.
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,710
Club RR Member Number: 34
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What axle for trailer?Dez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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May 13, 2017 22:03:15 GMT
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Escort van back axles are excellent for this. They have a built in 4"ish drop so don't sit too high, and can be dropped further by flipping the axle on top of the springs. Tough single leaf springs with an override leaf. Cheap and easy for wheels and you can hook the handbrake cables up to a linkage if you want brakes. The springs are also 4' apart, perfect width for a small box trailer as it means you can carry a full sheet of something (providing you make it 8' long of course) I'm yet to find anything better, apart from having a pickup truck that is.
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Last Edit: May 13, 2017 22:06:58 GMT by Dez
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edessex
Part of things
Posts: 514
Club RR Member Number: 42
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What axle for trailer?edessex
@edessex
Club Retro Rides Member 42
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May 13, 2017 22:14:56 GMT
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Would you know the axle weight for the escort van?
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edessex
Part of things
Posts: 514
Club RR Member Number: 42
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What axle for trailer?edessex
@edessex
Club Retro Rides Member 42
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May 13, 2017 22:18:05 GMT
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It wasn't but some operatives were choosing to interpret it that way, if I recall correctly there was a test case recently which they lost (obviously). One of the big trailer manufacturers Ifor Williams or Brian James had the letter available on their website from either VOSA/ DVSA stating it was on actual and not plated weight. The DVLA site used to have 3 categories: Pre-1997 - automatically B+E 1997 to 2015 (or 2013, can never remember) 2015 (or 2013) to present. The last two categories said the same, but with the latter one stating MAM. Now there are only two categories on there: Before 1997 After 1997
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