Axles on a mid '70s 26' Argosy

[hopakco]

I'm about to purchase a mid 70s Argosey. It is quite clean inside and out. There are dates chalked on the axles, 11/99 and only light surface rust. There seems to be plenty of angle on the tortion arms. Can I assume they are good since they are less than 10 yrs old?

[overlander63]

Welcome to the forums. Without going into all the legalese, and "if this is that, and these are those" statements, you can reasonably expect 9 year old axles to be roadworthy.

[jayray5]

Go for it.

[azflycaster]

Unless the trailer has been sitting in one place since 1999, they should be fine. In the mid 70's (74 or 75) the rubber was improved in the axles.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

Unless the trailer has been sitting in one place since 1999, they should be fine. In the mid 70's (74 or 75) the rubber was improved in the axles.

'74 was supposed to be the first year for the "new improved" rubber. They'll still go bad, just not as fast.

[azflycaster]

Originally Posted by overlander63

'74 was supposed to be the first year for the "new improved" rubber. They'll still go bad, just not as fast.

Thanks for the reminder...

[hopakco]

It did look like one axle tube might be bent slightly in the middle (maybe hit a rock?). I will look more closely tomorrow.

[azflycaster]

The tubes are supposed to be bent in the middle. It's an alignment thing.

[hopakco]

Good news- whod'a guessed.

[hopakco]

So the axles are less than 10ys old but my guess is that the trailer has been sitting most of that time. How would this effect the rubber and what are my chances of making a 1300 mile trip without mishap? ( Planning on new tires).

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by hopakco

So the axles are less than 10ys old but my guess is that the trailer has been sitting most of that time. How would this effect the rubber and what are my chances of making a 1300 mile trip without mishap? ( Planning on new tires).

Rubber, must be exercised to stay flexible.

If it is not used for years, be it in a torsion axle, or a floor mat, the rubber will solidify.

Once the rubber becomes hard, it no longer performs as it was designed to do.

When the rubber solidifies in a torsion axle, it's similiar to putting solid fork lift tires on the trailer.

At this point, some axles are being replaced because of lack of use, in the 2000 and up trailers.

Jack up one side of the trailer and see how much the tire drops.

They should drop 3 to 3 1/2 inches, if the rubber is good.

Andy

[hopakco]

Andy, thanks; Somewhere else I think you said there was a right and wrong way to jack up the trailer and not to use the axle?
The trailer has been moved a couple of times but has mostly sat for 7 years.

[Not Done]

If you have two axles you can run one tire onto a couple of 2x6's. This will provide the 3-inch difference you'll need for the 3" drop test. No jack required.

[hopakco]

need to jack it.

[3Ms75Argosy]

Hi, the safe place to jack it is on the re-inforced axle mounting spot between the axles ON the frame rail.

Just fyi... we've done many trips up and down the coast with our 26 ft Argosy.... bad axles and all. Just now am I starting to note the damage (loose rivets) in the interior.

While not ideal, you do have time to take a vacation prior to axle replacement.
Have fun!
Marc