Axle Advice

[tesstoaster]

Looking at axle replacement for my '72 Trade Wind. Does anyone have specific experience with the Flexiride axels. Prices seem quite reasonable, but not sure exactly how "custom" the fit is. Supposedly you give the manufacturer the distance between the outside of the frame and they fabricate it (but then they say the measurement in 1" increments, which doesn't seem like a custom fit). Do they in fact need to be mounted to the outside of the frame whereas the OEM is mounted to the inside? And do I need to have a fabricator weld a shock absorber tab to the axle?

Would the 3500lb axles be the correct size for a tandem axle Trade Wind rated at 5800 GVWR?

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by tesstoaster

Looking at axle replacement for my '72 Trade Wind. Does anyone have specific experience with the Flexiride axels. Prices seem quite reasonable, but not sure exactly how "custom" the fit is. Supposedly you give the manufacturer the distance between the outside of the frame and they fabricate it (but then they say the measurement in 1" increments, which doesn't seem like a custom fit). Do they in fact need to be mounted to the outside of the frame whereas the OEM is mounted to the inside? And do I need to have a fabricator weld a shock absorber tab to the axle?

Would the 3500lb axles be the correct size for a tandem axle Trade Wind rated at 5800 GVWR?

There is a lot to consider when ordering new axles. Load rating, bracket design & orientation, whether shock brackets are installed during the assembly process, or even come with the axles at all, torsion angle, type of finish on the components, brake sizing & type, whether the mounting hardware comes with the axles, lug pattern & of course overall dimensions. If any of these items are incorrectly spec'd, you may end up with an unhappy axle replacement experience. First off, your trailer came with 2600 lb load rating on each axle, however if you're planning any upgrades, & most of us do, you're going to want to increase the load rating to some degree. I have installed numerous axles on clients trailers over the years & all of these questions need to be answered before jumping into ordering.
Thanks,
Colin

[Zeppelinium]

It's hard to imagine that you can mount the axle outside the frame. I don't think you'll be able to fit shocks if you do (some say shocks aren't really needed on torsion axles--my Overlander doesn't seem to care that it doesn't have them).

There isn't much spare room, width-wise, inside the wheel well. If you're still running 7.00/15 bias tires, their future availability is in doubt (if you're on the road and need a replacement, good luck). You can go to 225/75 radials, but they are fatter (and fit fine in 70s wheel wells), so that further reduces the amount you can adjust the axle in width.

I've put on two sets of Dexters. Their mounting bracket holes don't align, but it's not a problem to drill new holes. My big grips is they won't equip their under 3500 lb axles with their big spindles and brakes. Otherwise, they're fine--a bit cheaper than the direct replacement Axis axles you can get from Inland RV, but they truly are direct replacements and Inland RV takes care of making sure they slip right in. I do like the idea of the big spindles and brakes on the Axis.

Zep

[M2HB]

The best advice that I can give the OP is to buy an axle designed as a proper replacement for your application. The Flexiride is a good system and the question of "mounting on the outside of the frame" is actually that the axle manufacturer needs to know what the outside dimension of the frame is so that they can weld the brackets to fit that dimension. The standard Flexiride axles have a bracket that can be welded or bolted to the bottom of a frame rail. The other info they need is the weight rating of the axle and the hub face to face measurement and the wheel pattern. They should also have the specs for the degrees to set the arm. For trailers that take a special mounting system, get the proper replacement axle to make your life easier.
NOTE: you can't weld new mounts onto a rubber torsion axle tube once the rubber cartridge has been inserted. You can weld onto the mount that is already there when the axle was manufactured, but heating the rubber up is not a good idea.
Also, I have never seen a Flexiride axle with shock mounts. That doesn't mean that they don't do it, I've just never seen them.