Axle Measurements

[Greg@AirLA]

Terry:

Add the 80" hub face to your sheet.

Greg

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Greg@AirLA

Terry:

Add the 80" hub face to your sheet.

Greg

Thanks, Greg. I will.

[Hotpuppy]

I have a 1973 Argosy 24 and my numbers are close to those....
61-3/8 outside bracket to outside bracket. 77.5" hub face to hub face.

While it's nice to think that Airstream was making airplanes to NASA specs, the reality is that people made them and that there is more variation from year to year and unit to unit then you probably expect.

I would second what you have been told.... measure your individual unit. I would extend that to measure it a few times to make sure it's right. Measuring is cheap. Getting the wrong axles is painful.

The bearings suggest it's an 84 spindle for anyone that needs to know and bearing numbers on my trailer were:
oil seal 442251 (National)
and L68149
L44649
for the actual bearings. Races are complimentary and you should be able to cross from the bearings.

As with all things your mileage may vary.

[DKB_SATX]

I had a similar situation to Hotpuppy, on my '75 Argosy the original axles were set narrower than is standard for an Airstream. The inside surface of the sidewalls were VERY closer to the inner face of the wheel well. Top recommended (and I agreed) that we go to a more standard distance between the hub faces, which centered my tires better in the wheel wells.

So, it pays to measure your own axles, but it also pays to know what the nominal dimensions are for an Airstream that matches your trailer's overall width as well.

[Thisisliving]

1976 Airstream Sovereign 31'
Airstream dry weight: 5065#
dry tongue weight: 490#
original axle weight rating: 3200# each
mounting bracket overall width: 61 3/8"
original starting angle: 22.5*
6x5.5
out side reverse orientation brackets
10 x 2 1/4 brakes

This is the same mesurment that I got from my trailer before the post. Its a 1972 Airstream Sovereign 31'

[OilnH2o]

Forgive my confusion having just read this thread (and others).

Part of my confusion is terminology, I think. And, while I understand different years and different models are, well... different, there do seem to be similar measurements, at least in some things. So, Hotpuppy has the following:

Originally Posted by Hotpuppy

I have a 1973 Argosy 24 and my numbers are close to those....
61-3/8 outside bracket to outside bracket. 77.5" hub face to hub face...

Thisisliving has something similar, but leaves out the "outside bracket" measurement.

Greg@AirLA says "don't forget to add" an 80" hubface dimension, and that squares with a number of others (including in other axle threads) where 80 or 80-and-an-eighth seem similar.

SO... without trying to add fuel to the fire... Let me try to find out just how these measurements should be taken. See pictures below...

One picture is for the "outside bracket" measurement (wording used by Dexter) while the other is the hub face-to-face measurement. The outside bracket picture illustrates what I think Andy was talking about (and what he called a "plate" but it all just got confusing). Measuring outside of the bracket that is welded to the frame and to which the axle is attached with bolts is, on my '76 Overlander, is 61 3/4 inches, but measuring between them is about 61 3/8 inches, or about 3/8 of an inch difference. Intuitively, I think the manufacturer would want the inner measurement... but?

The hub face picture shows what I think is my other concern - measured from the part of the hub shown, where the studs go - from that point to the other hub at the other end, on my axle is 80 1/4 inches - similar to that 80 inch measurement Greg mentions, and that others say is "80 1/8 inches" in other threads. Yet, the measurement from the edge of the broader, flat "face" of my hub to the other hub is the same as Hotpuppy says, 77 1/2 inches.

All of these differences are within an eighth of an inch here or 3/8ths there... yet are pretty critical to this whole process. Yet, try as I might reading all these axle threads, I'm still confused! Any comments?

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Thisisliving

1976 Airstream Sovereign 31'
Airstream dry weight: 5065#
dry tongue weight: 490#
original axle weight rating: 3200# each
mounting bracket overall width: 61 3/8"
original starting angle: 22.5*
6x5.5
out side reverse orientation brackets
10 x 2 1/4 brakes

This is the same mesurment that I got from my trailer before the post. Its a 1972 Airstream Sovereign 31'

Ten inch non-self adjusting brakes on a 31 foot trailer, is just a little more than dragging one's foot to stop.

Andy

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by OilnH2o

Forgive my confusion having just read this thread (and others).

Part of my confusion is terminology, I think. And, while I understand different years and different models are, well... different, there do seem to be similar measurements, at least in some things. So, Hotpuppy has the following:

Any comments?

Some of the Argosy axle dimensions are different than those on Airstreams.

Andy

[Lance M]

The "outside bracket to bracket" measurement is the axle bracket. The one with the blue dot in your picture. 61 3/8"
The hub face is the surface that the wheel bolts to. In your picture it is the surface with two arrows pointing to it. 80"

[OilnH2o]

Thanks, Top!*

After all the different possibilities and reported measurements that seemed so close in all the many different threads, I was thinking that was right... but it was just based on the similar measurements. And, while there have been a few sketches, I never saw any pictures. I wanted to make sure before I put in the order.

Thank you!


*(and, thank you, too, for all those years you "worked for a living" - as my E-9 Dad used to say... usually preceded by "Don't call me 'sir,' I worked for...")

[Lance M]

You are very welcome. I think there are pretty good pictures and what to measure in this thread.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f437...ead-74177.html


(Still working for a living)

[Zcashio]

Originally Posted by overlander63

Since the person that would know off the top of his head has chosen to give you a runaround:
1976 Airstream Sovereign 31'
dry weight: 5065#
dry tongue weight: 490#
original axle weight rating: 3200# each
mounting bracket overall width: 61 3/8"
original starting angle: 22.5*

I have a '72 31ft sovereign, and needing to replace axles. The PO I bought it from had replaced brake drums on each axle and so I want to make sure I order the correct dimensions. Where did you get that info from? Is there like a directory of Airstreams?? Because for some reason I keep getting 80.5" hub face to hub face. Maybe the newer brake drums are a tad wider, or where the bolts protrude out are wider?.. idk, very overwhelmed.

Thanks for the reply.

[TG Twinkie]

Contact Andy at Inland RV. Or Colin Hyde