New axle , maybe?

[minowevie]

Hi every one. my name is Evie. and i have a 1980 13' Burro. i have done lots of work on the inside. and now starting on the out side. along the way, i am learning about greasing wheel bearings, and weight bearing tires ,and axles. my tires are over 10 years old. ( 13")and thought i would just grease the bearings, and buy new tires. but because of the wood work, i did on the inside. maybe I should get a stronger axle and tires.
i have been reading tons of post, from way back in the forum. but would like some up date on a better axle. and who to call to do it.
I like doing most things buy myself. but this thing should be buy a pro.
I have been reading about dexter axles.
my question is. how big and what size tire, that can fit , in my burro wheel wheel. not sure i spelled that right.
when i go try, to ask the rv places. they don't know what the heck i am talking about.
hopefully you all do
i don't know how much my trailer weighs. will find out next week.
in advance, thanks for any help you could offer me.
Evie

[Dudley]

Rather than a RV shop, go to a shop that specializes in springs and axles. The axles are custom made to fit so they will know what measurements are needed and can tell you what you have now as far as weight. They can also give you a different axle angle if you need more clearance for a larger tire (Casita sells 2 different axles, standard and high lift). If the axle is bolted mounts then you could replace it yourself but if its welded the its probably a shop job unless you have the equipment ad skills to do it.

[Byron Kinnaman]

In many cities there are places that sell small utility trailers. Since the running gear is the same that would be a good place to go. Talk to them about the need for a new axle or not. If you springs attached to your axle you probably don't need a new one. Rubber torsion axles do wear out. At any rate a utility trailer store can tell you what you need and usually do the work a lot cheaper than a RV shop.

[RogerDat]

Places that "do" trailers are your best bet. Horse people or even local vet might know of some. 4H club. Landscaping outfits etc. People that commonly have to use a trailer and have it worked on will know the places that can assess your axle and wheel well.

I think you might want to find a feed store, gravel pit, or truck weigh station to get a trailer weight if you have really added a lot of material weight with your modifications. Axle that is too heavy duty will hammer your trailer going down the road, too soft and it will want to bounce and sway. So you need to order a new axle in the right weight range for your actual trailer weight (plus gear)

You may well have a torsion axle. This video will explain and show what that type of axle is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaU9xYL3BVw

To be fair spring axle with shocks is more comparable to torsion axle than springs alone.

If you go to Dexter Axle and look in Torflex area you will see there are several critical dimensions. You will probably want an experienced person to take those measurements and order the axle. If the measurements are wrong you want it to be the shops fault/problem not you gave them bad dimensions. Or wrong "down angle". Or wrong weight range, or bracket size or....

IF you have a torsion axle they wear out slowly over time, typically lasting 20 years. You can tell that it is worn out by taking the wheel off and noting the square shaft coming through the arm. It should be close to <> a diamond shape with the front and rear point parallel to the frame. What angle in degrees the arm is at relative to the frame when the diamond shape is pointing front and back is that "down angle" you want your new axle to be. Axles range from 25* up angle to 45* down angle with 22.5 and 10 degrees (I think it is 10) being common. 0* is also seen, that would be arm aligned with frame.

Can also help to measure the arm height from the ground with trailer resting on wheels, then with it off look at the diamond points of the square shaft. How far to you have to move the arm down to get those points parallel with the frame? You can usually pry the arm down with a big screw driver or 2x4 or breaker bar etc.

Quick and dirty check is can your fist fit above the tire between tire and wheel well. Should be about 3 inches, your fist is probably pretty close. Too tight means axle suspension is worn and the trailer settled also the rubber torsion bars in the axle that have degraded to allow that settling will not resist bumps as well in their degraded state.

Hopefully yours will be the more common trailing arm configuration where the arm with the spindle hub is behind the axle. Leading arm involves turning the axle around and possibly a different bracket configuration than normal. Really a job for a pro laying that all out.

If you have 4 bolt rims change them to 5 bolt and get brakes, you have to have the flanges built onto the axle when made, relatively cheap but man trailer brakes make a heck of a difference in stop and go, or steep hills. Well worth it. 4 bolt rims are still fairly common but A) not common with brakes so brake parts will be an order and wait. . whole lot more custom and stylish rims in 13 inch 5 bolt, or 14 inch if they will fit under your trailer.

Tires fitting if you want a size other than stock is another place where a pro or experience is useful. Tire has to fit AND have room to travel, and the arm of a torsion axle the angle can be ordered to help accommodate the wheel choice. Step in height will change with a taller tire. A good trailer person can figure out from the stock tire size and original axle down/up angle the height of your axle spindle, from that you can determine how much you want to change it, and what that will mean to step height or tow vehicle alignment.

BTW - at 13 years old your tires are shot, rubber breaks down from the inside out with age. Call and ask local tire shop if they will work on 13 year old tires and the answer will be a CYA no way. They don't want to be in line to get sued if or when those junkers let go. Many shops won't go past 6 or 7 years of tire age.

[minowevie]

Gosh, thank you for a wealth of information. I have so much more to go on now.
now to find a place to do the work.
I do live close to a outpost, ( truck stop ) that I can pay to weigh my trailer. and as far as my tires, I have no clue , how old they are. they look great, but I have learned that means nothing if they are old.
I can not find a date on them.
I think to be safe, i should just take it to a professional. and have it all checked out. i don't wont to buy new tires, grease the bearings, and the axle might need replacing.
I think i have been very lucky. I drove 9 hours to buy the trailer, and back home, another 9 hours. ( 3 years ago ) then after my husband passed last year, I drove it to june lake loop calif. which is another 6 hours. and back home. the tires looked new, and went down the road very nice. I new nothing about all that stuff. and I confess, I did not stay at 55 miles per hour, the whole time. YIKES...
anyway, thank you all for your help.
Evie

[J Ron]

The max age recommendation for tires is 6 yrs. Definitely replace the tires.

[Jon in AZ]

The tire date code doesn't look like a normal date. It's a 4-digit number stamped in the sidewall and is read as WWYY, week and year, so 2711 means the 27th week of 2011. Depending on how the tires were mounted it could be on the back side.

[Jack L]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

The tire date code doesn't look like a normal date. It's a 4-digit number stamped in the sidewall and is read as WWYY, week and year, so 2711 means the 27th week of 2011. Depending on how the tires were mounted it could be on the back side.

Yes, and 3 digit codes were used in the 90's. Prior to that, there were no codes. If you have a 3 digit code or no code, your tires are very old.

[minowevie]

ok, thanks again. i finally found the tire dates. oh my, looks like my tires are at lease 11 years old. that must mean the bearings haven't been lubed since then either.
I also took my trailer to the scales. ( like i new what i was doing. da. ) went through the gas line first. hahaha. the truckers did not like that. I found one guy, and ask him how to weight my trailer. and he said " WHY." it is so small. your truck looks like it can handle it. hahaha
I told him, I am concerned about the weight on the axle. that I , did some wood work on the inside , and didn't wont to exceed the weight limit. also the tire limit.
so got through it all. looks like i may be, over buy around 200 lbs. not sure. having a hard time understanding the paperwork.
so. my tires say. 1350 lbs. have no clue what the axle weight limit is.
can anyone tell me. what a 1980 axle,,,, 13" tire,, weight limit is. looks like my trailer is 1500 lbs. loaded. am i over? there is not tag on the axle anymore. how do i find out?
sorry , i am a motor mouth. just trying to learn.
Evie

[Raspy]

Evie,

If the tires are rated for 1,350 lbs each, a pair of them can carry 2,700 lbs. If your trailer weighs 1,500 lbs you are good to go with a nice margin. But it sounds like the tires are way overdue for replacement.

Did you disconnect to get the weight of the tongue too? That would give you a total trailer weight, just for fun and to compare to the tongue weight rating of your TV, but won't change what the tires are carrying. If not, and you are interested, you can rig up a bathroom scale to weigh the tongue.

Don't know anything about your axle.

[minowevie]

Originally Posted by Raspy

Evie,

If the tires are rated for 1,350 lbs each, a pair of them can carry 2,700 lbs. If your trailer weighs 1,500 lbs you are good to go with a nice margin. But it sounds like the tires are way overdue for replacement.

Did you disconnect to get the weight of the tongue too? That would give you a total trailer weight, just for fun and to compare to the tongue weight rating of your TV, but won't change what the tires are carrying. If not, and you are interested, you can rig up a bathroom scale to weigh the tongue.

Don't know anything about your axle.

thank you Raspy. i feel some what safer with the weight. and totally intend to get new tires all 3. pluss grease etc. i did find a place to take it to. and I am also looking into the torsion suspension. need to do more research on that. before i waist their time, i will gather all the empho .
I did not unhitch my trailer from my truck. I wonted to, but their was a line behind me. and looked to be annoyed truckers. and my hitch is not fun to undue. i will be changing that for sure. i felt it would be ok to just wait on the tongue weight.
I have seen on YouTube how to weigh on a home scale. i may try that.
so for now. thanks every one. you have helped me so much.
Evie

[Jon in AZ]

Evie, for your axle I would check two things. If they pass muster, I wouldn't worry about it.

(1) Check the clearance in the wheel well. I'm not as familiar with Trilliums as Scamps, but I'd say as long as you have at least a good fist between the top of the tire and the fiberglass I'd give it a pass.

(2) Check that the axle arm moves freely. Raise the trailer with a jack and watch for the wheel to drop several inches as the trailer rises. Little or no movement means the rubber inside the axle has hardened and the axle is shot.

[minowevie]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Evie, for your axle I would check two things. If they pass muster, I wouldn't worry about it.

(1) Check the clearance in the wheel well. I'm not as familiar with Trilliums as Scamps, but I'd say as long as you have at least a good fist between the top of the tire and the fiberglass I'd give it a pass.

(2) Check that the axle arm moves freely. Raise the trailer with a jack and watch for the wheel to drop several inches as the trailer rises. Little or no movement means the rubber inside the axle has hardened and the axle is shot.

I will do that. and thanks. . learning tons hear.
Evie

[Jon in AZ]

Oops... brain fart... Burro, not Trillium!