Hanging door

[hrose414]

I’m about to re-hang my trillium door and was wondering if I need to have it off the ground and leveled or just on its tires. Before taking off the door to rehang it there was a significant difference on closing it while on the hitch and off the tires. I really don’t want to have to redo it.
Cheers

[John in Michigan]

What is meant by "on the hitch and off the tires" and "off the ground"? A trailer wheel and tire should only be off the ground if/when the trailer frame is supported close to the axle, e.g., with a jack or jack stand.

If there is much difference in how the door closes depending on how the trailer frame is being supported, this could be due to the frame flexing. Check the frame carefully to ensure it isn't bending, bent or flexing excessively.

[hrose414]

When I park the trailer I was told to lift it off the ground to take the weight off the torsion axle (The previous axle was non-existent because it had been stored for years on the tires). But when I do that the door wouldn't line up with the lock. I have to lower the front end just to be able to close the door. The door isn't sitting straight so I had planned to take it off and re-install it (I realize that the belly band has never lined up and won't because of the mold when it was made).
So my question is do I need to have the trailer perfectly level before I measure up the door to install it or does it matter? When its light out tomorrow Im going to look at the frame but Im sure its fine, when the body was off it was scraped down and repainted and I didn't see any cracks, etc..

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by hrose414

(The previous axle was non-existent because it had been stored for years on the tires). .

This I doubt. More likely the axle was really old. These axles are rated to have a 15 year lifespan. Many of us have axles that are now over 40 years old and are dead, dead, dead. The torsion section is a piece of rubber, inside the axle tube. Rubber gets old and hard.


Only way jacking your trailer up should matter is if your frame is weak/deflecting in some way.

Look at the gap around your door, sides and top. A sagging door will have noticeable difference in the gap across the top for sure. Its such a common problem with Trilliums and the repairs have been documented fully in the Trillium section.