Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

O.K.
sorry for askin stupid questions,
but could someone tell me the diffrence between
Torsion-axels
and
spring axels,
other than the obvious diffrence,,,,grin,

i know nuthin about torsion axels, setting them up,
using them welding them up,,ect,,ect,,
any web-sites i can visit on building with them,,im googling now,,

whitch is the better axel?? in what circumstaces?

thanks alot,
johnp

...personally, I am a fan of the torsion axels as they perform the same function as both spring and SHOCK ABSORBER, also there is virtually nothing on them to go wrong/bad other than the torsion arm itself and if you do something to cause that arm to break then you are gonna have other very major problems which wiil probably cause you to forget about the axel for awhile, also the "axel tube" when welded up becomes one of your frame crossmembers.
Goto etrailers.com and follow their links to the Flexiride axel for technical details or northerntools.com and follow their links to the Dexter tourqueflex or rednecktrailersupply.com and do same for all the technical info you could want
madjack

Torsion axles, sold under the name "Torflex" by Dexter, have a heat treated inner steel bar that lives inside the outer steel tube that runs across under the trailer. The inner steel bar cushioned in rubber. When the wheel bounces up and down, the inner steel bar twists and the shock absorbing action is taken up by the rubber cushions. Does that make sense?

They say a picture is worth 1000 words. See if this link works:

http://www.redneck-trailer.com/2004/A/P ... 24-A27.pdf

This is a PDF file, so it may take a minute to load.

BTW, not to be all anal or something, but an "axle" is what we put under our teardrop trailers. An "axel" is what figure skaters do in the Olympics.

"Flexride" axles are also torsion axles. The difference with them is you can set the arm angle yourself. With "Torflex" axles you specify where you want the arm starting angle to be, +45, +22.5, 0, -22.5, -45 degrees.

For more info:
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=761

BTW, not to be all anal or something, but an "axle" is what we put under our teardrop trailers. An "axel" is what figure skaters do in the Olympics.

...slaps self upside head and says "D'OH"
madjack

Nothing againist torsion axles, I prefer straight axle spring setups. Ground clearance for rough rutted roads. You can change load capacities by changing spring setups. You can undersling the axle or oversling it for added or decreased ground clearance. If you break a spring you can still limp home, a torsion axle fails depending upon actual ground clearance you might drag the bottom of the trailer on the road, dependant of how much drop you have. I have to admit I have never heard of one failing. Although I heard that the rubber does dryout with time (YEARS) and they can quite get stiff. Springs and axles easy to check for damage and maintenance, I carry an extra spring for emergencies and bearings. No matter what axle you chose I would carry extra bearings, cotter pin, and grease anyway. Choose the one that fits your needs and everyone has an opinion you will find out, so here is mine

If one interpreted the postson this board you would get - if you use a harbor freight spring axle, your teardrop will look like it is doing axels on the highway.

Guy wrote:If one interpreted the postson this board you would get - if you use a harbor freight spring axle, your teardrop will look like it is doing axels on the highway.

...yeah but, you could let the air outta them HF tires and it rides like a caddy
madjack