My parents have a fiberglass scamp travel trailer that we redid a few years ago. It's really neat and they love it, but it sits too low. They have a hard time going in and out of steep driveways. Anyway, my dad wants me to raise the thing up 2". Looking at it, the axle is attached to a piece of steel tubing which is has another piece of tubing which the body's buit on stacked on top of it. The two pieces are welded together. I figured that I could separate the two and weld another piece in between the two, but I don't know how to cut them apart. I'm sure a plasma would be the best, but I don't have access to one and I don't know how easy it would be to cut right along the weld with a torch. Any reccomendations on cutting the thing? Also, my dad was afraid that when we cut it loose, the torsion axle would turn like a wrapped up spring and it may be dangerous. Anyone have any experience with these that could lend some insight.
If it is a torsion axle, then it has rubber inside it, and cutting and welding would do more harm than good...If you decide to cut it apart, the best thing would be to grind the welds down, then try to break them loose with a hammer and chisel...As for it coming unsprung, I don't think it will, but not 100% on that...My trailer has torsion axles, but I've never taken them apart... JP
I'm not going to cut on the axles, I'm cutting the 3x3 square tubing that they attach to apart from another piece, I don't think they would get hot enough to do any damage.
OK..I understand what ya mean now...I would still grind the welds, then when you start welding, just do a little at a time to keep from heating the axle...
Jeff do you have a die grinder or angle grinder that you can put a metal cutting blade on? If not give me a call, I'm sure I have something that will work.
Eric, I have both. Do you think it would take forever to do it that way? The tubes are 8' long and welded on both sides. Any suggestion on something easier?
no axel info but you think you could run a 1/2 inch spacer between the frame and the "body" and then run a taller tire?
8 feet!, shit! that's a lot of cutting! How is it attached to the trailer? Sounds like you need a plasma. What wall thickness on the tubing? Can you take it out to cut it?
You may have thought about it, but changing the height of the trailer hitch could do it for you. If the trailer is running tail-down when hooked up and your folks have a removable drawbar style hitch, pull it and reverse the ball. That will gain you 2-4" or so depending on how much drop was in the hitch to start with. A swap to a hitch with more drop - reverse this one - or less drop turned so as to gain some height may do what you want.
Camping World also sells dolly wheels that mount on the rear frame to avoid dragging - or you could get some at Harbor Freight and mount them.
There's no room for a larger tire, the tire sits in a kind of wheelwell, the body goes around it. The trailer rides level, not rear down, it just sits too low. You can't even see the upper half of the wheel in the wheelwell. I can't take it out to cut it, I'm going to just have to jack up the trailer and do it from underneath. It's not only a dragging problem, but the thing's just too low. There have been places they couldn't go because their trailer wouldn't clear. The only way to fix it is to raise the whole thing up in relation to the axle. I thought that plasma was going to be my only option, now I just need to find someone who has one.
You don't have to worry about the axle spinning when you take it loose - it only has a few inches travel. The best bet would be to remove the axel from the lower piece and put your new tubing between the axle and that piece. Can you get a sawsall between the axle and the lower tube? It was welded originally, so there shouldn't be a problem rewelding the axle to new tubing. Mutt
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