Up angle sits lower. Down angle sits higher. Up and down are referenced from the axle tube to the wheel hub. In leading configuration, the wheels lead. In trailing configuration, the wheels trail. Trailing is the way torsion axles are intended to be installed.
Older units with the Boler/Scamp frame design were mounted in the unconventional leading configuration to avoid the center drop floor and mount the axle directly to the main frame rails under the dinette floor. The axle arms point forward and downward, typically 22.5 degrees down on 13’ers.
Brakes were uncommon on 13’ers in the early years. Under heavy braking with a leading axle, the wheels can lock up and cause “crow hopping” rather than skidding smoothly. As
brakes became more common, manufacturers found ways to accommodate the standard trailing orientation. Trailing axles are mounted forward and low under the drop floor using blocks under the frame rails. The axle arms point rearward and upward into the wheel wells, commonly 22.5 degrees up on 13’ers.
This is my 13”
Scamp with a 22.5 degree up axle in trailing configuration. The trailer was unloaded in this photo, and the wheel arch is approximately even with the top of the white wheel. The wheel arch on the curb side is cut lower due to the door and part of the wheel is covered.
Scamp now uses a zero degree axle on 13’ers, which sits about 1-1/2 to 2 inches higher. That gives a bit more tongue and bumper clearance, and it’s easier to wrestle the wheels in and out of the wheel wells when changing
tires. 22.5 down gives about 3-4 inches of added height.
How about a photo of your frame and axle? It would also be helpful to see a photo of the trailer from the side before the frame was separated if you have one.
Scampy
Linear Mode
