1985 Burro 17' seems to be sitting too low

[shumiron]

I just bought an 85 Burro 17' trailer which seems in very good condition. One thing that I noticed when parked on the street is that the trailer seems to be sitting too low; like the suspension may be sagging. I looked at the spindle arms under the trailer and they are definitely angled up rather than being parallel to the street. Is this normal or is the suspension sagging? I am not sure if the torsion axles can be adjusted to remove some of the sag.

If anyone out there is knowledgeable about the suspension I will appreciate any help. Are there any other posts regarding the Burro axles. I tried searching but failed to get any specific threads.

Thanks

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by shumiron

Are there any other posts regarding the Burro axles. I tried searching but failed to get any specific threads.

Burro used the same torsion axle that all the other manufacturers did. Why don't you search for "Torsion Axle"? The problem is the same no matter what brand the trailer is.

[Kevin K]

Axle shot
Should be pointing down 10 degrees or 22 1/2 degrees.

[shumiron]

Pointing down 10 or 22.5 degrees with trailer load on it? Is it dangerous to ride on an axle that is pointing up as I described mine is?

[Kevin K]

NO But you should get it replaced.
My 1983 13' Scamp
Before


After 22 1/2 degrees down trailing arm axle.
You could go with a 10 degree down trailing arm axle also.

[Rick G]

Originally Posted by shumiron

Pointing down 10 or 22.5 degrees with trailer load on it? Is it dangerous to ride on an axle that is pointing up as I described mine is?

No, not dangerous as long as the wheels are not actually hitting the wheel wells. However, it likely indicates that your torsion axle is worn out. I have replaced the axle on my Boler, and decided not to replace the torsion axle on our current Trillium even though it is old (1980) and likely worn. I did not see any noticeable improvement in the ride when we replaced the Boler axle, which was the reason we did it. The Trillium rides well already, at a good height and quite stable on the road, and usually nothing falls from the shelf unless we hit very rough roads.


Dexter or the old Ingersoll Rub-R-Ride torsion axles cannot be adjusted after installation. Flexiride can be, but their torsion arms are often too short or wide to be used on the fibreglass trailers. You would have to measure it carefully to make sure it would fit.

You can gain more height by welding on a riser on each side between the frame and the axle, if you choose not to replace the axle. However, if you don’t do the welding yourself it will probably cost $150 or so to install risers, so you might consider this a good time to get a new axle.

Good luck
Rick G.

[Andy B]

Just because the axle has an up angle, that does not indicate anything about if the axle is worn out or not. My original Burro 13 axle had a 10 degree up angle and it still had plenty of travel and the trailer did not sit low. I replaced the axle with one with brakes and a different bolt pattern, but the new axle also has a 10 degree up angle since there was plenty of clearance in the wheel wells even with bigger wheels. Dexter makes axles with both up and down angles depending on the application. If you use the logic that an up angle means the axle is shot, then my new axle was shot even before I installed it.

[ThomasE]

It's kind of hard to tell on your registry photo since your tires have covers on them, but on my 2000 burro, the top of the tires are just below the edge of the fenders / wheel openings. You could get someone to go inside the trailer and bounce up and down while you're outside observing if the axle compresses or not. If it's shot, it won't move much, all the shock will be taken up by the tires.

[shumiron]

Thank you all for the info....really appreciated by a new egg owner. My trailer has electric brakes and I am unsure how to identify which of the various suppliers axle will fit. Dexter, Northern tool are a couple I have checked out. What brand was the original axle (which I probably have on the trailer.)

[ThomasE]

I don't think it really matters which brake supplier you get your parts from. They all seem to be universal. You should have a 3500lb axle with 10" brakes. After you confirm you have 10" drum brakes, go on etrailer or Northern tool website and look for 10" brake parts. They sell complete assemblies pretty cheaply, that's what I would get rather than messing around with swapping out magnets and shoes and such.