I purchased my AS a few months back. I replaced the brakes and repacked the bearings. At that time I thought that was all that needed to be done to make my axles like new again. How can i tell if new axles are needed?
J more likely than not 39 yr old axles will need to be replaced. One quick and easy method is to look for 2 to 3 " clearance between the top of your rims and the bottom of your shell. Inland Andy will probably answer with the exact angle the axle should be set at. He has exact replacement axles in stock. They will bolt right on with no fuss. I ordered a pair from him and they should be here in the morning. If you don't have aluminum rims you can order them with disc brakes to increase braking capability. Some mods will have to be done for the disc brake setup. Plenty of people have done it. I hope this helps you with your decision.
Another test is to jack up each side of the trailer and see how much the tires drop as the trailer lifts. If they do not drop they are frozen in place and the trailer will be taking a beating going down the road. My 75 has the original axles and they are still in pretty good shape. I have a few inches of tire showing at the top and they drop several inches when the trailer is raised.
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Richard Wally Byam Airstream Club 7513
I purchased my AS a few months back. I replaced the brakes and repacked the bearings. At that time I thought that was all that needed to be done to make my axles like new again. How can i tell if new axles are needed?
You can easily learn how to check your axles out yourself, by reading the article in the Airstream Central section of this Forums, called Dura-torque axle.
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