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Old 04-02-2018, 06:36 PM   #1
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Name: Steve
Trailer: Scamp
Colorado
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Axle replacement shop in Colorado?

It's time to replace the axle on my Scamp 13. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good shop in Colorado that does axle replacements?
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Old 04-02-2018, 07:30 PM   #2
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It's time to replace the axle on my Scamp 13. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good shop in Colorado that does axle replacements?
No idea since I live in CA, but I have been wondering about axles and everything underneath lately. How do you know it's time to replace your axle? What year is your Scamp? How heavily has it been used? Enlighten me on this topic! Thank you!
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Old 04-03-2018, 09:24 AM   #3
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Colorado
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Knob Hill Welding,
612 Juanita St
Colorado Springs CO
719 471 3964
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Old 04-03-2018, 09:47 AM   #4
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Over time … the rubber torsion "springs" in the axle will deteriorate.
That allows the trailer to sag, lose ground clearance. The rubber loses resiliency, the ability to bounce back. The tires can rub in the wheel wells.
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Old 04-03-2018, 10:10 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa M. View Post
No idea since I live in CA, but I have been wondering about axles and everything underneath lately. How do you know it's time to replace your axle? What year is your Scamp? How heavily has it been used? Enlighten me on this topic! Thank you!
Inside tire wear indicates a worn-out axle.

Because they don't get used a lot, trailer axles can sometimes age out before they wear out (just like trailer tires). The rubber inside the axle hardens over time and as Wayne says, loses resiliency. Clues include excessive bouncing, cabinets popping open, cushions on the floor... The test is pretty simple. Raise one side of the trailer by jacking on the frame just behind the wheel (never on the axle itself). The wheel should drop down several inches as the trailer rises and the rubber suspension relaxes. If you want you can measure the distance between the hub and the top of the wheel well arch before and after jacking. Little or no movement indicates an aged out axle.

Torsion axles will also tend to sag over time, giving the trailers a "low rider" look, but that does not necessarily indicate the axle is bad (unless it gets to the point something is rubbing). Scamp recommends storing the trailer up on jack stands to help preserve the factory ride height. Something to consider after you replace the axle.

Normal lifespan of a rubber torsion axle is considered to be around 15-20 years, but it's common for many to remain in service well beyond that, with gradually decreasing ride quality. As long as nothing is rubbing with a few inches of clearance in the wheel wells, it's safe to pull, but it's hard on the shell and everything in it to continue running on an axle that has lost its resiliency.

Here's a good video showing how rubber torsion axles work.
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Old 04-03-2018, 10:11 PM   #6
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Name: Steve
Trailer: Scamp
Colorado
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Originally Posted by Lisa M. View Post
No idea since I live in CA, but I have been wondering about axles and everything underneath lately. How do you know it's time to replace your axle? What year is your Scamp? How heavily has it been used? Enlighten me on this topic! Thank you!
My Scamp is 18 years old with about 25,000 miles on it.

The first sign of trouble is, it sits visibly lower than when it was new (when I get a new axle, I will measure the height of the frame above ground so I can track it in the future). According to other threads here, Scamp normally uses axles with a "down angle" of 22.5 degrees. My axle is now sitting at about 5 degrees down.

Like Jon said, I jacked up my trailer and measured how much the wheel dropped. It only sagged one inch. That is the main sign I am using to decide that now is the time for a new axle.

Also, my wife thinks it bounces more than it used to, meaning the axle is not absorbing the bumps.

I did email Scamp, and they said "By your description, it sounds like the suspension is about gone. An axle without brakes is $310. 5 Lug with brakes is $735. We charge by the hour for labor, installations usually run about $200."

Btw, I have brakes and five lugs, so this won't be cheap.
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Old 04-03-2018, 10:12 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by ehoepner View Post
Knob Hill Welding,
612 Juanita St
Colorado Springs CO
719 471 3964
Thanks! That's about 110 miles from me. I'm hoping for closer, but I can get down to the Springs if I need to.

Other suggestions still welcome.
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Old 04-03-2018, 10:26 PM   #8
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Btw, I have brakes and five lugs, so this won't be cheap.
$935 divided by 18 years is $52 a year, or a dollar a week.
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Old 04-03-2018, 10:38 PM   #9
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Thanks! That's about 110 miles from me. I'm hoping for closer, but I can get down to the Springs if I need to.

Other suggestions still welcome.
Thank you everyone for the information. I don't know that the trailer rides lower than it used to, but it seems like the inside is more of a wreck than it used to be when I get to a campsite! My Casita is 20 years old so it could be time.

Steve, loved hearing you refer to Colorado Springs as "The Springs". Haven't heard that term since I lived in CO 25 years ago. We used to live in the hills above Del Norte, which I doubt you've ever heard of, a fair piece from the Springs.
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Old 04-04-2018, 12:16 AM   #10
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It's time to replace the axle on my Scamp 13. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good shop in Colorado that does axle replacements?
In Colorado Springs
Hickman Trailer phone 719-227-9959 2290 Hancock Expy
They've been around forever. We've used them for stuff and they know their business.

In Penrose there is a True Value store also called Fontana Co Inc with a trailer shop. Phone 719-784-0123 635 Shoop Dr. It is by the little airport near Florence.
They seem pretty good. We had an axle repair by them once.
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Old 04-05-2018, 08:52 PM   #11
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Name: Steve
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Originally Posted by Lisa M. View Post
Thank you everyone for the information. I don't know that the trailer rides lower than it used to, but it seems like the inside is more of a wreck than it used to be when I get to a campsite! My Casita is 20 years old so it could be time.

Steve, loved hearing you refer to Colorado Springs as "The Springs". Haven't heard that term since I lived in CO 25 years ago. We used to live in the hills above Del Norte, which I doubt you've ever heard of, a fair piece from the Springs.
Del Norte? We've eaten at Boogie's twice. It's a good lunch stop after coming over Wolf Creek Pass.

I think a lot of travelers have heard of Del Norte, since it's on the way to/from such places as Durango and Great Sand Dunes.
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Old 04-15-2018, 08:32 PM   #12
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Name: Jennifer
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We are using Nathan's RV in Fort Collins, which has been recommended to us; we will let you know how it turns out. They did unprompted search for a better deal on the axle itself for us.
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Old 04-16-2018, 05:33 AM   #13
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Trailer: Was A-Liner now 13f Scamp
Missouri
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proves up

zennifer this just proves up my policy your diligent searching resolved your cost problem.

I don't think your former guy really didn't want to do the work for some reason may have been his real lack of knowledge of trailers like yours.

good luck in your replacement

bob
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Old 04-16-2018, 05:35 AM   #14
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Missouri
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steve can any of those suspension parts be replaced? just curious I am not an axle guy!


bob
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Old 04-16-2018, 05:39 AM   #15
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what do you think

we live on gravel bumpy we do this for 11/2m then we hit bumpy blacktop at the middle of the day everything is scattered in the trailer.

I did some reading on trailer sites most solutions were drop tire pressure from the suggested 50lbs to 40lbs. I did this I don't notice anything but now when I open the door nothing scattered.

I check the tires for heat nothing different I think the manufactures think you are going to run maximum weight on the trailer and I am no where close!

so 3 trips at 40lbs everything good I am staying there.

bob
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Old 04-16-2018, 06:53 AM   #16
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Bob, the short answer is no. When a torsion axle ceases to perform sufficiently in terms of suspension, it must be replaced.
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Old 04-16-2018, 06:55 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by k0wtz View Post
zennifer this just proves up my policy your diligent searching resolved your cost problem.

I don't think your former guy really didn't want to do the work for some reason may have been his real lack of knowledge of trailers like yours.

good luck in your replacement

bob
They did the search before getting us the quote, so it wasn’t prompted on our being shocked by how high. We did some phone quotes and it was right in line. The axle was cheaper than from scamp, and it’s a decree.
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Old 04-16-2018, 07:14 AM   #18
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Name: bob
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Missouri
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john interesting i guess each of us has their own perspective of things different ideas. i did a lot of boat tugging in my life and other trailers i have never seen these things on those trailers.


p/o said our axle had been replaced i believe him! when i dropped tire air pressure things changed for the better. i don't know what the axle rating is i don't know what the tire load ratings are. i know with our light trailer and load we are nowhere close to the maximum ratings of both.


all i know is when i made this change things improved for me and our trailer. will this work for someone else i don't know but its worth a shot. now if i was running a 16 same tires and having problems i suppose i would be axle checking and other things.


i am going to continue with my 40lb air pressure and watching for tire wear and other things. i suppose we can put all this to what came first the chicken or the egg!


bob
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Old 08-25-2018, 05:49 PM   #19
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Name: Steve
Trailer: Scamp
Colorado
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Axle replaced by Iron Bear

An update.

I had the axle replaced by Iron Bear Trailer in Denver. Their main business is running gear for trailers of all types. They were able to find & read the original Dexter tag on the old axle, and get all the specs on it with a phone call to Dexter (including the month of manufacture).

They gave the choices of regular vs. Timken bearings, and regular vs. ez-lube type axle. The order took less than a month to arrive, and they were able to schedule me in for the work promptly. I dropped the trailer on a Tuesday, and they were done that Thursday. My trailer has the axle "backwards" and Dexter does not build them that way, so part of the work Iron Bear had to do was swap the brake assemblies between side.

The removal of the old axle and welding on of the new one seems fine. The brakes did not work right at first. There was very strong chattering and vibration. I took it back to them and demonstrated the behavior. They agreed it was a problem and pulled both drums off to double check things. They found nothing out of place, and told me to drive it more and work the brakes a lot. I did that (including a round trip on Trail Ridge Road) and the brakes now are much better, though not perfect.

The other thing I had Iron Bear do was add a breakaway switch. They did it wrong. When I got it home I found the lights did not work inside. The problem was they used an "isolator" (basically a diode) on the breakaway wiring, and they connected the wire for the house power to the isolated side. They fixed that when I brought the trailer back for the brake problem.
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Old 08-25-2018, 06:10 PM   #20
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Name: Jann
Trailer: Casita
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Originally Posted by SteveGP View Post
An update.

I had the axle replaced by Iron Bear Trailer in Denver. Their main business is running gear for trailers of all types. They were able to find & read the original Dexter tag on the old axle, and get all the specs on it with a phone call to Dexter (including the month of manufacture).

They gave the choices of regular vs. Timken bearings, and regular vs. ez-lube type axle. The order took less than a month to arrive, and they were able to schedule me in for the work promptly. I dropped the trailer on a Tuesday, and they were done that Thursday. My trailer has the axle "backwards" and Dexter does not build them that way, so part of the work Iron Bear had to do was swap the brake assemblies between side.

The removal of the old axle and welding on of the new one seems fine. The brakes did not work right at first. There was very strong chattering and vibration. I took it back to them and demonstrated the behavior. They agreed it was a problem and pulled both drums off to double check things. They found nothing out of place, and told me to drive it more and work the brakes a lot. I did that (including a round trip on Trail Ridge Road) and the brakes now are much better, though not perfect.

The other thing I had Iron Bear do was add a breakaway switch. They did it wrong. When I got it home I found the lights did not work inside. The problem was they used an "isolator" (basically a diode) on the breakaway wiring, and they connected the wire for the house power to the isolated side. They fixed that when I brought the trailer back for the brake problem.
Sounds like they got the right axle but brakes should work 100% perfect to start with. If you are still having problems at all take it back or see if someone else can check them. Brake failure or incorrect working of them could cause an accident. Sounds like they may not be that great of a place if you have to go back 2-3 times to get things done right. They should check things out and make them right to start with.
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