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08-23-2012, 04:37 PM
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#1
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Retired.
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Axle condition: it ain't just the angle
I've been noticing over the past several years, people condemning the axles on Airstreams simply because the angle of the trailing arm was at zero degrees. I have repeatedly posted that is not the case, as that is the angle the axles are designed to be when mounted on the trailer, and the trailer in normal working order.
Today, I decided to kill my lunch hour by walking around the lot at the Airstream dealership where I work, and snap a few photos of axles on Airstreams in various stages of their lives to prove my case. The next several posts and photos all show the trailers at rest, empty of personal items.
First one is a 2008 Classic. This is one of the disc brake models, but the trailing arms and spindles are the same as drum brake equipped Airstreams.
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Terry
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08-23-2012, 04:40 PM
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#2
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Next is a 2009 Flying Cloud. Same angle on the trailing arms as the Classic, and the drum brakes are evident:
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Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
Terry
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08-23-2012, 04:42 PM
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#3
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Next is a 1994 Excella 1000. Same thing, zero degrees:
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Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
Terry
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08-23-2012, 04:45 PM
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#4
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Now I walked across the driveway to the new trailers. Here we have an Eddie Bauer model. Surely, this mondo, off-road, go anywhere, 16" tire-equipped trailer has a higher angle on the trailing arms. Uh, nope...
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Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
Terry
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08-23-2012, 04:47 PM
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#5
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Then, there's a little 20' Flying Cloud. Maybe this one has a different starting angle on the trailing arms? Again, no.
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Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
Terry
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08-23-2012, 04:50 PM
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#6
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Rivet Master
1971 25' Tradewind
1993 34' Excella
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Estancia
, New Mexico
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,743
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When I put on brand new Dexters and weighted them the angle was close to zero. I thought I was the only crazy one.
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08-23-2012, 04:51 PM
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#7
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Last, I walked back into the shop, where a 1970 Sovereign is waiting for new axles. I know it needs them, since the trailing arms didn't move when I jacked it up to replace the tires. Getting new tires up into the wheel wells was an adventure.
So, you would think this one would have that dreaded "up angle" on the trailing arms you hear so much about? Again, no. You can see through all the rust and cobwebs, the training arms are in almost exactly the same position as all those new and newer trailers above.
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Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
Terry
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08-23-2012, 04:53 PM
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#8
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So, as you can see, the angle of the trailing arms really doesn't show much of anything. The only real way to tell if the axles have life left in them is to jack up the trailer (properly), and observe how much the tires drop when the load is removed.
I hope this clears things up, and reduces some confusion for anybody wondering about their axles.
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Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
Terry
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08-23-2012, 04:55 PM
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#9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lumatic
When I put on brand new Dexters and weighted them the angle was close to zero. I thought I was the only crazy one.
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No, that is where a 22.5 degree starting angle should be, when the axles are loaded to their rated capacity.
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Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
Terry
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08-23-2012, 04:58 PM
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#10
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3 Rivet Member
Commercial Member
1960 24' Tradewind
Riverside
, United States
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 111
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Careful overlander63 the new Sports starting angle is 10° down, learned that the hard way.
Greg
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Greg Paulsen
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08-23-2012, 05:51 PM
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#11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg@AirLA
Careful overlander63 the new Sports starting angle is 10° down, learned that the hard way.
Greg
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So the trailing arm will be pointing up when the trailer weight is on it? Good to know. There is a 22 Sport on the lot, I'll snap a couple of photos of the trailing arms tomorrow.
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Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
Terry
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08-23-2012, 06:31 PM
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#12
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Rivet Master
1960 28' Ambassador
Vintage Kin Owner
1998 25' Safari
Avonton
, Ontario
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,331
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My 67 Safari had a definite down angle to the trailing arms, unfortunatly it was frozen solid in that angle.No movement at all.
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Doug & Terry
VAC - TAC ON-1
60 Ambassador Int.
1950 Spartan
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08-23-2012, 06:33 PM
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#13
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Rivet Master
1991 34' Limited
Wichita
, Kansas
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 817
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overlander63,
This information is a public service to the Airstream community. I appreciate your efforts very much!!! In my opinion, if any killing was done during your lunch hour, it was certainly justifiable homicide. You'll beat the rap with nothing showing on your record except the appreciation of others.
Thanks,
Steve
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08-23-2012, 07:27 PM
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#14
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Site Team
1974 31' Sovereign
Ottawa
, ON
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 11,219
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This is a very interesting thread, Terry, thanks much for posting it.
I must confess that I am not at all familiar with the various parts of the axle. In all the photos, I can see most prominently, a large "donut"-like thing, that I am imagining is the support for the trailing arm. I say that because if the arm was parallel to the ground, then it would not appear in the photos, and such is the case in every photo.
Can you confirm that I have the right understanding of what you are showing us? If I don't, I would appreciate your corrections.
Thanks again, Terry!
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“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ...John Wayne...........................
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08-23-2012, 07:47 PM
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#15
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Rivet Master
1971 25' Tradewind
1993 34' Excella
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Estancia
, New Mexico
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aage
i must confess that i am not at all familiar with the various parts of the axle. In all the photos, i can see most prominently, a large "donut"-like thing
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wheel
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Sail on silver girl. Sail on by. Your time has come to shine.
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08-23-2012, 07:48 PM
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#16
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Site Team
1974 31' Sovereign
Ottawa
, ON
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 11,219
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aaaah.
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“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ...John Wayne...........................
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08-23-2012, 08:03 PM
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#17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aage
This is a very interesting thread, Terry, thanks much for posting it.
I must confess that I am not at all familiar with the various parts of the axle. In all the photos, I can see most prominently, a large "donut"-like thing, that I am imagining is the support for the trailing arm. I say that because if the arm was parallel to the ground, then it would not appear in the photos, and such is the case in every photo.
Can you confirm that I have the right understanding of what you are showing us? If I don't, I would appreciate your corrections.
Thanks again, Terry!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lumatic
wheel
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aage
aaaah.
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That reminds me of one of the flying tips I read. It seems that big, fan-looking thing spinning in front of the pilot is there only to keep him cool. If you don't believe me, turn it off sometime, and watch him start sweating...
I did get a couple of photos swapped, the '94 and 2009 are in the wrong posts. All I can say is they all look alike...
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Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
Terry
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08-23-2012, 08:18 PM
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#18
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Rivet Master
1986 32' Excella
Currently Looking...
Canton
, Georgia
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,342
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Fascinating thread!
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08-23-2012, 08:27 PM
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#19
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Tenkara Fly Angler
1975 31' Sovereign
Currently Looking...
Vernon
, Texas
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 317
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Very interesting thread...
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1975 Sovereign
"The Silver Bullet"
2013 F350 Super Duty 6.7 Liter Diesel
WBCCI #8578
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08-23-2012, 08:28 PM
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#20
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Rivet Master
1974 Argosy 20
2014 20' Flying Cloud
Kooskia
, Idaho
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 4,591
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I had Luke in Fort Collins replace the axle on my Argosy 20' 2 years ago. The rig was weighed prior to his ordering it, and I know it is the proper Dexter axle for my trailer. After the installation, the arm was and still is horizontal, not tilted down or up. So, I also agree that angle of the arm is not telling all. BTW, the new axle was a great improvement in ride, lack of things being tossed around inside, no more rivets popping and so on. And I can much more easily get the new 16" wheels and tires on and off.
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