Replacing Axle on 13' Boler American

[Roy in TO]

I'm going to replace the torsion axle on my 13' Boler American. The original has a 13" rim with 4 bolt pattern. (I can see the axle tag, but have not slithered under the trailer to read it yet.)

I have yet to see a new axle to match the original. Most the new axles seem to be 5 bolt with 14" rim. Do they still make the originals?

Will switching from a 13" 4 to a 14" 5 cause any problems other than figuring out the correct tire profile or aspect ratio?

What angle was the leading arm originally designed at?

Any advantage to using a 2" lift if I will be primarily towing with a 4x4 Ranger. I recall reading somewhere that some people feel there is as much if not more air dam from under the trailer as over the trailer when towed with high vehicles.

If I change the lift, do I need to alter the arm angle?

Anything else I have not considered and should?

Roy

[Pete Dumbleton]

You can order a new axle with either 4 or 5 lugs on the hub; likely the newer ones come with 5 because the load capacity of the 5 lug wheel is slightly higher than that of the 4.

Same is true of automotive hubs; more lugs usually translates to greater load capacity.

[Don Meyer]

I ordered a new axle yesterday for my 13' Scamp. I changed to a 5x4 1/2" wheel pattern & ordered the axle w/trailing arms vs. the factory installed leading arms. It was originally 22.5 degree down, I ordered a 0 degree arm.

Pictures of installation to follow.

Don Meyer

[James Hutt]

Hello Roy:
I had the axle replaced on my 1975 13 foot Boler last year. The shop that did it also replaced the spindles and added two inches to the lift. I stayed with the 22.5 degree forward angle on the torsion arms with a new Dexter axle installed.
The two inch lift was a great boon when traversing rough ground and I would recommend this change.
I have put over 12000 miles on the trailer since then and took it over some of the roughest roads in Mexico last winter with no problems.
The new axle included grease fittings that allow for lubricating the bearings without taking the wheels apart.

Regards,
Jim