Oddball spring spacing

erikgreen

erikgreen

Captain
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
3,105
Hey -

Do any of you guys know if the axle manufacturers will make up an axle with odd spring spacing?

I have two axles on my trailer that are underslung, and I have drop axles on them. I have no ground clearance, and I'm going to switch to non-drop versions, but for the ones on there I had to cut/grind off the old spring shoes and weld on new ones.

My springs are at just a tiny bit less than the standard 72" or whatever spacing.. if I didn't move those shoes they wouldn't go on.

So I'm wondering if there's anywhere I could order from that would make new axles to order. Otherwise I suppose I could get axles without shoes, and put 'em on myself?

Erik
 
Silvertip

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,762
Re: Oddball spring spacing

Champion Trailer will custom build an axle for you and they are reasonable as well. Why do you want to eliminate the drop axle? Is it road clearance you are concerned about or some other issue. Road clearance is not a problem as the axle never gets any lower than it is (unless you had a flat tire). Eliminating the 4-inch drop means the boat rides four inches higher and the water needs to be that much deeper to launch and retrieve. If you have a new axle built, they will add the spring perches or you can order them separately and weld them on yourself.
 
tashasdaddy

tashasdaddy

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Messages
51,019
Re: Oddball spring spacing

just order a complete under carriage from etrailerpart.com . ordered this morning, suppose to ship this afternoon, be here Friday. the were by far the cheapest online, and locally. give them a call, they were great to work with.
 
erikgreen

erikgreen

Captain
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
3,105
Re: Oddball spring spacing

I'll have a look, TD.

Right now the undercarriage is about 4 inches from the ground. Big rocks whang off the metal as I drive... it's scary.

Erik
 
bassboy1

bassboy1

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jun 23, 2006
Messages
1,884
Re: Oddball spring spacing

Dump your 13 inch wheels in favor of some 15s. (I have a trailer with underslung springs on a 4 inch drop axle, with 13 inch tires, that has the same 4 inches of ground clearance under the undercarriage, so I am guessing that is what you have)

Your bearings won't mind the swap, they are of a higher capacity, and if you ever need the lower setup for a bad launch, all you have to do is swap your wheels.
 
erikgreen

erikgreen

Captain
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
3,105
Re: Oddball spring spacing

Actually my tires are ST245/75R14s... they're pretty big already. I did investigate going bigger, but I'd only gain an inch or two.

They're on a six inch drop axle now, so I'm going to eliminate that. I put the drop axles on last summer when I re-did the trailer. Big mistake. Live and learn, I guess.

Erik
 
bassboy1

bassboy1

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jun 23, 2006
Messages
1,884
Re: Oddball spring spacing

erikgreen said:
Actually my tires are ST245/75R14s...

They're on a six inch drop axle now,
Click to expand...
Oh, that is where my calculations went awry. I mistakenly assumed the drop was the standard 4 inch.
 
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