Axles

[tracypowell]

Has anyone tried making there own axels ?dont have 3000 dollars for new ones.

[J. Morgan]

The torsion axles used on Airstreams are not really conductive to rebuilding, repair or reconfiguration.

You should be able to replace your axles for less than 3k if you shop, and certainly if you can get away buying bare axles and using your old brakes and backing plates.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by tracypowell

Has anyone tried making there own axels ?dont have 3000 dollars for new ones.

The metal parts could probably be made.

But, the rubber rods must be deformed and then frozen to minus 260 degrees, then very quickly placed on the shaft and then inserted into the square tube.

As previously suggested bare axles cost less than one third of your guesstimate.

You can even get them with no freight charges.

Andy

[Belegedhel]

I bought a single axle, complete with new electric brakes and drums from one of the recommended suppliers you see referenced in every axle discussion here on the forums for about $750 delivered, maybe 2 years ago.

I have read threads where folks do their own measuring, etc., and put an order into a company that builds boat trailers and the like, and had some "made" from scratch. As I recall, the poster had the benefit of being within driving distance to said trailer company, and even then, I believe they saved only a couple hundred dollars per axle. Try doing a search for the "typical" axle brands like Dexter, Axis, Henschen, and you might find some direction.

So, yes, apparently there are cheaper alternatives to buying axles from the Airstream specific suppliers, but the money you save may not be worth the headache and risk (of you missing a measurement and the axle not working at the end of the experiment).

Also, if you think axles are expensive, hold onto your hat--there is nothing cheap about any replacement part for these trailers!

Good luck!

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by tracypowell

Has anyone tried making there own axels ?dont have 3000 dollars for new ones.

A pair of axles does not cost $3K. There is only one manufacturer that produces axles for your trailer that does not require any drilling, cutting or welding. They are made by Axis.
Colin

[J. Morgan]

Tracy, there are two people who have posted on this thread who can get you new axles for much less than the 3K you mentioned.

[J. Morgan]

I broke a lot of "rules" building my trailer to get what I wanted while saving money to stretch my budget, but I decided the best action in getting the right axles is to deal with people who know what fits and know what works.

There are a lot of things regarding the placement of Airstream axles that have to be just right, there just isn't any wiggle room for variance.

I suppose a crafty person could adapt some kind of real torsion bar to these axles, but even using used parts it would be expensive and very cumbersome..... And a real world "test" with your trailer hanging in the balance ...

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

I broke a lot of "rules" building my trailer to get what I wanted while saving money to stretch my budget, but I decided the best action in getting the right axles is to deal with people who know what fits and know what works.

There are a lot of things regarding the placement of Airstream axles that have to be just right, there just isn't any wiggle room for variance.

I suppose a crafty person could adapt some kind of real torsion bar to these axles, but even using used parts it would be expensive and very cumbersome..... And a real world "test" with your trailer hanging in the balance ...

The real problem is who has liquid nitrogen at home to freeze the deformed rubber rods?

And then, how does someone deform a round rubber rod into a triangle?

Some things in life are just impossible to duplicate at home.

Andy

[J. Morgan]

Agreed, I read your article on how these axles are assembled, it ain't going to happen outside of a factory using the rubber rods.

I can see a creative mechanically minded person, with a very well equipped shop spending countless hours building a setup made with metal torsion rods...... Lol, but why?

It isn't like the replacement axles are priced that high. They are actually very reasonably priced for being such a niche part, very much in line with their "generically" specced counterparts....

Yea, I have looked....

[Action]

Originally Posted by Colin H

A pair of axles does not cost $3K. There is only one manufacturer that produces axles for your trailer that does not require any drilling, cutting or welding. They are made by Axis.
Colin

It might cost close to $3000 including labor for two axles and any related parts.

>>>>>>>>>>>Action

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by Action

It might cost close to $3000 including labor for two axles and any related parts.

>>>>>>>>>>>Action

It costs less than half that to ship a complete pair of axles & brakes to most places in the country, so I highly doubt that the installation will come close to the other half. It certainly will depend on the hourly rate of the shop you choose. As these axles do not require any sort of modification, the install time should be pretty low.
Colin

[tracypowell]

Thanks everybody the reson I asked is because my father owns a large machine shop and we make axels for a lot of different things I told him airstream axels are not anything like what we make

[NevadaGeo]

Originally Posted by tracypowell

Thanks everybody the reson I asked is because my father owns a large machine shop and we make axels for a lot of different things I told him airstream axels are not anything like what we make

What kind of axles does your shop make? Just curious.

[MattB]

Tracy, having just ordered a single axle from Colin, I can tell you that with the shop rate that I am using, and the fact that my 1955 trailer needs more work done to the frame in order to make the new axle work, where as your 1975 has the advantage of already being set up essentially as plug and play, I am still only being charged one shop hour for labor, about $810 from start to finish, and I purchased the 6K axle, derated to 4500lbs.

If you have a shop, they shouldn't need to charge you any labor. They might be able to make a leaf spring axle, and that would probably be acceptable from a safety standpoint, albeit with more work to modify your frame to accept that type of axle. It is however, already set up for the torsion axle, which gives a superior ride, and is less likely to have problems simply due to fewer parts and simpler design. YMMV.

[J. Morgan]

A leaf spring setup would be possible, but I doubt it could be done at current ride height without a serious drop axle and a lot if frame work to make room for the drop axle. And then it would still cost more than just buying the right axle....

[camper]

For the expert in airstream vintage or latemodel axles

contact:

Colin Hyde in Plattville,N.Y.
WBCCI/VAC 1936/ TCT / TAC | www.colinhydetrailerrestorations.com The Vintage Airstream Podcast | Vintage Trailer Restoration

[featherbedder]

Originally Posted by tracypowell

Thanks everybody the reson I asked is because my father owns a large machine shop and we make axels for a lot of different things I told him airstream axels are not anything like what we make

Owning machine shop should have enough savvy to change out axles, as axles from Colin Hyde are simple bolt up w/no mods for year of your AS. I changed mine by my self w/no help at 78 yrs. old and I'm not a mechanic just do what I want to do. complete axles deliv. to bus address I believe were well under $2000.00 from Colin Just remember if doing work your self install shocks on axle before putting axles up to frame, don't ask me how I no this, and only make mistake one time.