OK- I've got several questions now to ask a Dexter dealer, will maybe do that tomorrow and report back. So- is using the #10's, with the 10" brakes, an absolute mistake and disaster waiting to happen? I mean, after all, there's 4 of 'em... Has anyone done this and ended up happy with it??
I have no problem with my #10's for my 4500 to 5000# Tradewind. For a heavier trailer I'm not as sure. Last summer #11 axles were not available for axles rated under #3500. The last I heard you can order various down trail angles from Dexter but they will only weld on shock mounts for the 22 1/2 degree. The Carlton MO Dexter plant is closed.
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Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain- WoZ
I just ordered my Dexter's from Trailer World yesterday. The 3500# are only offered with 10'' brakes and they come in 0', 22.5' 0r 45' down angle. The 45' is too much and the dealer felt they would be far to hard on the trailer (and too tall). I went with the 22.5' which will still be a couple of inches of lift from the old dead axles. I felt like the 10' brakes would be just fine with there being 2 axles and 4 wheel disk brakes on the tow vehicle. Trailer World did the measuring from my old axles but I will be installing them myself, hopefully weekend after next. I believe the total bill for both complete axles was $760.00. I hope this helps.
Lumatic- that is good to know, as I want to keep my shocks. Your tradewind is double axle? what is the GVR? what capacity axles did you get? I think Overlanders weigh in between 4500 and 5000# too, so it's interesting to hear of your experience with the # 10's. Did you get your Dexters in Albuquerque? If so, where? And it looks like 63Silver has opted to use the #10's on his 28' Ambassador- this is getting interesting! Thanks- tim
62-Lander: do these high-profile reverse mounting plates show up on the Dexter info pages? . . . How much more with the 33-degree angle, if Dexter will do that? . . . Anyway- good info to ponder, thanks!
If you want something on your axle custom made, speak to a dealer or, if you cannot learn much there, call Dexter Engineering and discuss it with them. In the past, Dexter would down-rate a 40000 lb. axle to not less than 3,500 lbs.
The high profile (1" higher) brackets are shown in the catalog. You must request them to be reverse-mounted when you order the axles. I also like the longer ( ~3') electric brake wires in a loom.
Tphan, since you have a 1972 trailer, you might not need to follow my advice as I put a Dexter under my 1964 trailer. Things changed in 1969 with the new Airstream trailers, and I am not familiar with them at all. My remarks are targeted at 1968 and earlier Airstreams only.
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Fred Coldwell, WBCCI #1510, AIR #2675
Denver, Colorado - WBCCI Unit 24
Charter Associate Member FCU
Airstream Life "Old Aluminum Adventures"
OK- I've got several questions now to ask a Dexter dealer, will maybe do that tomorrow and report back. So- is using the #10's, with the 10" brakes, an absolute mistake and disaster waiting to happen? I mean, after all, there's 4 of 'em... Has anyone done this and ended up happy with it??
__________________ AIR 12256 Currently Looking 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 2001 Honda XR650R Currently Looking...for an Avion Truck Camper (or a Classic Argosy MoHo)
Wow, I'm excited now. I had dismissed the idea of Dexters for my AS because someone else posted elsewhere that they had a rough time getting the Dexters to fit and to just buy the Henschens because they were a minimal-heartache option. Dexter is a great name in axles and I know in the flatbed world that they are highly regarded...but there's so many things about airstreams that are "just that way" that I don't argue about, I just buy the original replacement and go on with life. Now, I'll be looking into Dexters for my axle replacments. Too bad the PO just had the brakes redone on my AS before I bought it...doubt I will be able to swap over. To be honest, I'm still not sure I need to change the axles. According to Andy's help document, I need to. But, I have a '74 which was the break point for the bad/good axles. I know my trailer has never sat for extended time (maybe that means the axles got worked more and thus need replaced???) but everyone who has looked at pictures as well as the PO claim that the axles don't need replaced. When connected to my Excursion, the tongue is a bit high (non-adjustable ball height on the hitch). I thought about dropping $150 on a new ball-head that is adjustable, but if the axles are bad and the trailer is riding low, then I don't want to waste the $150. Second, I have a flatbed that I pull as well, and it is just fine at the hitch height of the head I use w/ the airstream. The PO was pulling the AS with a van and his receiver height was 2" lower than my Excursion, so I can see why all seemed good and right with the world...then again, maybe someone swapped out the axles already for the ones that are pre-angled upward???
Lumatic- that is good to know, as I want to keep my shocks. Your tradewind is double axle? what is the GVR? what capacity axles did you get? I think Overlanders weigh in between 4500 and 5000# too, so it's interesting to hear of your experience with the # 10's. Did you get your Dexters in Albuquerque? If so, where? And it looks like 63Silver has opted to use the #10's on his 28' Ambassador- this is getting interesting! Thanks- tim
Yes, my Tradewind is a tandem My specs say it weighs 4200, but I took it to the scales and found it weighed a few hundred pounds more. I got my axles shipped direct from the factory, it was a lot quicker.
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Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain- WoZ
Thanks all. I'm very confident when I order the axles tomorrow that what I'm getting will work well. As a thank you to all here, I will document everything with pictures, measurements, copy of the order ticket, etc. Please feel free to keep this post going as I'm sure this is one of the higher cost upgrades that a person can do and when safety is involved, the more information the better.
Thanks 63Silver
What you are doing is VERY similar to what I am planning to do. Just by removing the sag from the dead axles, I will get several inches of lift. And with how people travel today and the fact that I am going to add gray water tanks, the extra few hundred pounds of axle capacity should be a good match. Thanks again.
Again, some fantastic and quite civil discussion on this thread. Thanks to all who are contributing, and thanks to Barry for being brave enough to "out" himself as a Dexter orderer.
Talked to a Dexter dealer this morning, and he cleared up for me that Dexter axles are not built with a specific weight capacity, but rather a range of compatibility. The #10's are good for between 2,300 and 3,500 lbs. per axle, so 7,000 lbs. max capacity for a tandem set-up, plenty for an Overlander. And, according to figures from InlandRV in a thread posted here by GreatPumpkin, the braking power of four 10" brakes is 7,000 lbs., compared with 12,000 lbs. for 12". The Gross Vehicle Weight (trailer plus stuff in it) for my Overlander is 6,200 lbs., with the trailer itself only weighing around 5,000 lbs. It would seem that #10 axles with 10" brakes would do the job here- as others have attested to. I know InlandRV suggests otherwise, but isn't 12,000 lbs. of stopping power overkill, for twice the money(compared to Henschens)? I think I've made up my mind, unless someone can point out the obvious deficiencies in the arithmetic. I do NOT want smoking, burned out brakes coming down a mountain pass! -tim
Talked to a Dexter dealer this morning, and he cleared up for me that Dexter axles are not built with a specific weight capacity, but rather a range of compatibility. The #10's are good for between 2,300 and 3,500 lbs. per axle, so 7,000 lbs. max capacity for a tandem set-up, plenty for an Overlander. And, according to figures from InlandRV in a thread posted here by GreatPumpkin, the braking power of four 10" brakes is 7,000 lbs., compared with 12,000 lbs. for 12". The Gross Vehicle Weight (trailer plus stuff in it) for my Overlander is 6,200 lbs., with the trailer itself only weighing around 5,000 lbs. It would seem that #10 axles with 10" brakes would do the job here- as others have attested to. I know InlandRV suggests otherwise, but isn't 12,000 lbs. of stopping power overkill, for twice the money(compared to Henschens)? I think I've made up my mind, unless someone can point out the obvious deficiencies in the arithmetic. I do NOT want smoking, burned out brakes coming down a mountain pass! -tim
IMHO, one cannot have too much braking power.
__________________ "I've got aluminum fever, and the only prescription, is more AIRSTREAM!!!"
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