New Henschen/Axis Axle installation

[Colin H]

I have been supplying Axis axles to Airstreamers since 2005 and will continue to do so. If you check the Summer issue of Airstream Life (page 53) you'll see that I put a pair of Axis axles on Project "Vintage Thunder", back when I was affilliated with GSM. Axis axles were also installed on Project "Vintage Lightning" for Matthew McConaughey a couple of years later.

With the recent acquisition of the Henschen brand, my business, Colin Hyde Trailer Restorations can now also supply both Axis and Henschen axles, specifically tuned to suit any Airstream application. I have also installed Axis torsion axles on earlier "Leaf spring" type suspended Airstream's.

You'll see my ad in the Spring 2011 issue of Airstream Life.
Thanks,
Colin

[Lance M]

Ahh! Clarity! Thanks Colin! I'll be calling you soon.

[Foiled Again]

I have a friend restoring a Vintage Airstream here in Eastern Virginia. He's done more than one in the past and has always used Colin Hyde to supply Axis - and now Henschen replacements. His next restoration might be my first vintage..... am I going over to the dark side? Is there a disturbance in the force?

Inland's prices may be competitive on the West Coast, but here, not so much.

Colin Hyde has even put a half page ad in Airstream Life advertising Axis Axles for Airstreams. It will be out in the next issue.

Anyway, Colin Hyde is the new "Airstream Axle Guy" for Axis.
His email is colinhydeairstream@gmail.com
His Phone Number is 518-578-7772

Paula

[SilverHoot]

Thank-you Colin, I now know that there is not a monopoly on Henschen/Axis axles as there was with Henschen. Good to know!

[HiHoAgRV]

Great lookin job...wow that big-o-34'er is waaayyy up in the air now!

[TouringDan]

Craig

Great job and your documentation will help all of us. Thanks!

Did you consider going with disc brakes at all? I need to replace the axles on my 66 TW and I believe that I would like to go with disc brakes, unless there is a good reason not to go this route.

All Forum Members

As a side question, if Airstream is building such a high quality trailer, why do their new trailers all not have disc brakes and led lights?

Dan

[dznf0g]

Cost, I believe.

[TouringDan]

I can accept cost as a reason. Does Airstream then offer disc brakes and led lights as an option on all trailers?

Dan

[PINKBIKE]

Would that not be a question for your local airstream dealer?

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by TouringDan

...As a side question, if Airstream is building such a high quality trailer, why do their new trailers all not have disc brakes and led lights?

Dan

hi dan

they are using led clearance lights now and some led area lighting.

it's not a SIMPLE switchover (for them) and they aren't a high volume producer.

also, older style fixtures are NOT really designed for led bulbs, even as diy'rs might think so.

a/s did offer hydraulic disc brakes, first in the 70s and then in again from 2005-10...

in late 04 this was listed as an "option" for classics,

mid year (jan/05) they made disc brakes standard on the classics and bumped all prices accordingly.

classic sales/production slowed a BUNCH and the models available were trimmed from 8 to 3 or so.

disc brakes were d/cd but the original price bump remained

while they are no longer offered on the factory production line, disc brakes are STILL available...

the factory service center will install them as an upgrade and qualified dealer/service shops will too.

while many folks with the 05-08 bits had actuator failures (search using the term actibrake) mine have been trouble free...

clearly there are advantages to discs when compared to drums.

the maintenance issues are different.

there are dozens of threads here on 1. installation, 2. maintenance, 3. trouble shooting and so on...

for many folks the COST issue goes beyond just the disc brake bits...

since many may have to buy NEW wheels as well.

disc brakes on a vintage stream are a great upgrade,

several renovators do offer this and have posted threads on this customization.
__________

good to see the post from COLIN,

it's great to read that a reliable honest vendor/renovation shop is supplying axles and without drama.

cheers
2air'

[Aviator]

Dan,

I did consider converting to disc brakes. The cost, however, was prohibitive for six wheels. Also, with my trailer loaded on the light side (if a 34' can ever be light ) I think the six drums give me plenty of stopping power. If the trailer were three feet shorter (31'er) with two axles, I most likely would have made the change.

Cheers,

Craig

[JimW]

Here's an idea that probably is impossible, but how about mounting disks on the front and back axles and leaving the drums on the middle axle. Many cars, including my '07 Taurus have a combination disk and drum set-up. (No wonder the Camry outsold the late model Taurus')

In fact, it might work super with the Chevy/GMC built-in brake controller that needs the brake magnet resistance to work properly.Just an idea.

My '97 30' Limited has the drum brakes which seem adequate as we drove thousands of mountain miles this fall. Wish we had an exhaust brake which would have been better for the situation.

JIM

[Dwight]

You might try using a brake proportioning valve with that setup, but I would just get disc for all 3 axles and be done with it and not try and mix the brakes around....

[Aage]

Originally Posted by 2airishuman

good to see the post from COLIN,

it's great to read that a reliable honest vendor/renovation shop is supplying axles and without drama.

cheers
2air'

And as well, it's quite convenient for the Airstreamers that live in the North East.

Colin's only a pleasant three-hour drive from me here in Ottawa, six hours from Toronto, or a mere hour and a half from Montréal.

[goransons]

Nice to know there are more localized vendors. Just wish I could read an axle thread on here without individuals making cheap shots.

[Aviator]

Part of the cost of switching to disc brakes is the introduction of hydraulics to the system. The drum setup is purely electric. For me it was an all or nothing decision. The idea of mixing hydraulic disc breaks, electric drum breaks (or converting them to hydraulic as well), and adding in a proportioning system makes for more complexity than I want to handle. From my experience, the more complicated the system, the more opportunity for component/system failure. Six big electric drums provide sufficient stopping force for my needs, as well as simplicity/reliability.

With that said, I will restate my comment form an earlier post in this thread. If I were loaded closer to the max weight of my trailer, still pulling with my 2009 F150, and decided to tow up into high country like the Colorado Rockies, then I would much more likely have made the conversion to discs.

It's all about the safety margin of your equipment. Just because something has a stated limit, that doesn't mean you are ALWAYS safe operating right at it. You never know when an event will push you over. I also don't like standing right on the edge of a cliff. I can see just fine from several feet back.

[pmclemore]

Thanks so much for the axle thread, Aviator. Your descriptions and pictures give me confidence that I will use if (when) I need new ones for my '98.

Pat

[Aviator]

Thanks, Pat. Had it not been for this Forum and all of the information found here, I never would have been willing to tackle lifting the trailer and changing the axles. For that matter, I think I would still have water leaks and a great deal of frustration by this point, or an even emptier wallet!

[Steve Bryant]

Craig and Carol,
I want to thank you for doing this thread as it's a good primer for me as I prepare to do a triple axle swap in my 34' Airstream!


Steve

[Rhino33]

Thank you so much for the information. My husband and I just picked up our tandem axles for our 1980 31' International (Thanks to Andy and his team at Inland RV for their help!). "Betty" sat for about 10 years in a storage unit due to the illness of her previous owners. I'll be sure to document in photos our progress. Borrowing Dad's impact wrench and will try to bribe some of our sibs to help (beer and pizza usually do it!). Thanks to all of you for your contributions!