New axel help

[Bob pdx]

My freind has a scamp witch she has parked in her garage for years her axel failed witch is a torsion axel she had it replaced and now it rides bout 6 in higher and won't fit in her garage I talked to a couple trailer places and they said it was put in backwards to give more ground clearance the guy who put the axel in said no it in right what do you all think thanks for you info she doesn't know what to do and needs help

[John in Michigan]

Torsion axles are designed with mounting brackets with bolt holes that allow either top mount or side mount, so its unlikely the axle was mounted upside down. View some internet pics of a torsion axle, which typically show the correct axle orientation, then check the axle. Also if the axle was ordered with "camber", this means it is arched higher in the middle and you can verify it.

The trailing arms of the axle usually trail the axle, but on Boler 13's the arms face forward. Either way, this shouldn't affect the camper height.

To get the camper into the garage, your friend can do several things:

- Unplug the garage door opener, then wedge the door up above the top of the door frame
- Remove the ceiling vent cover
- Deflate tires or temporarily replace the wheels with bare rims, brake rotors, etc

Others have posted other solutions for getting campers inside the garage.

[John in Michigan]

If you want others on this forum to help determine whether the axle was installed correctly, provide some pictures.

There are several possibilities for why the camper is 6" higher:

- The old trailing arms may have been seriously sagging and on the new axle they aren't. This might explain 2 inches or so.
- The new axle may have been ordered with a greater trailing arm starting angle. Order choices range from 22 degrees up (lower camper) to 45 degrees down (higher camper). This might explain another 2 inches or so.
- Additional spacers, adapters or brackets may have been used. (If this was done, might be able to undo it.)

[Jon in AZ]

Older Bolers and Scamps were originally built with the torsion axle "backward," or what is called "leading arm" configuration, with the axle arms projecting forward from the axle tube.

Sometimes- not always- replacement axles are reversed to the normal trailing arm configuration. One reason is warranty- I believe the axle warranty is void if installed in a leading arm configuration. Because of the drop-frame design, switching to a trailing arm configuration requires an axle with a different arm angle to maintain/restore the stock ride height. IIRC, the original leading arm is 10 degrees down, but a replacement trailing arm set-up is 10 degrees up.

Without some pictures and more information, it's hard to say exactly what happened. I agree that a new axle (in the same configuration) replacing a sagging old axle might raise the ride height 2-3", not 6". It does sound like some kind of change was made to the axle set-up, a different arm angle, a switch to a trailing arm configuration, and/or a change to a bolted-on installation. A good shop should have discussed any changes with the customer prior to ordering and installing the axle, and a knowledgable owner should have asked. There appears to be some fault on both sides.

Because they are made-to-order, torsion axles are not returnable. If the owner wants to get closer to the stock ride height, someone may have to buy a new axle. Whether the owner or shop is responsible probably depends on what was done and what was or was not communicated to the customer.

Did the trailer require any special accommodations to fit in the garage before? How much is lacking to fit now?

[Wayne Collins]

Originally Posted by Bob pdx

My freind has a scamp witch she has parked in her garage for years her axel failed witch is a torsion axel she had it replaced and now it rides bout 6 in higher and won't fit in her garage I talked to a couple trailer places and they said it was put in backwards to give more ground clearance the guy who put the axel in said no it in right what do you all think thanks for you info she doesn't know what to do and needs help

An "AXEL" is a type of jump in figure skating. Trailers and cars have AXLEs

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Wayne Collins

An "AXEL" is a type of jump in figure skating. Trailers and cars have AXLEs

And a "failed witch" is an evil woman who lost her magical skills.. but all that is off topic since we knew what he meant.

[stevebaz]

one thing to check is Tire rim size and or tire diameter. Dumping the old Scamp axle and changing from a 4 lug to a 5 lug tires and rims may have been swapped too. 2" here and 2 inches there and 2 inches in axle sag can easily add up to her problem.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by Wayne Collins

An "AXEL" is a type of jump in figure skating. Trailers and cars have AXLEs

Tell that to my buddy, Axel.