by David Grason » Tue Nov 16, 2004 11:05 pm
I'm going to throw a little bit of a wrench in the works here, too because I don't think anyone has mentioned this.
I ordered a Dexter axle for my Comet project. I've built 8 trailers before - all of them for my work. Anytime I've ever ordered an axle, when I received it, I noticed that they ALL have a bend in them that is supposed to straighten out under a load. When the trailer is sitting on its wheels with no load, the axle will have a slight arch upward and the tires will be slightly tucked in. If you decide to lengthen an axle, you would have to cut the axle in the center and weld on an over size piece of tubing that would slip over the original axle tubing peices. This would now screw up the axle's ability to bend under a load and heaven knows what the toe in/toe out would be under your "new" axle.
It's something to think about. If you need a wider axle, it would probably be a lot better just to order a custom made axle to your new dimensions and use your old axle for something else.
I am NOT a complete idiot! Some of the pieces are missing.