Flipping Axle

Had 2 shackle links break. Turns out, I can get new links that are 3/4 inch shorter than original. Will lift 3/4 an inch +/-.

May be better off adding risers to the bottom of the frame? I know different suspension.

I just purchased a 32' 1970 airstream and plan on flipping it in this same manner. Has anyone had any experience with this? Is it doable? Need more ground clearance so I can hunt with the renovated rig.

TakingThe5th wrote:
FYI-do not use cinder blocks on this project. They can crumble. Use boards.

I would not hesitate to use 8 x 8 x 16 cinder blocks on a temporary basis long as they are 2,000 psi or better, monolithic, oriented/stacked properly, (cells vertical) and you use 2 x 8 boards "on top, and, if necessary on the bottom" of the blocks before putting any load on the blocks. Don't stack the blocks more than 2 blocks high. Putting point loads on concrete (cinder blocks) is a horrible idea and will cause early failure. The soft wood distributes the loads over the full bearing surface of the block. Think about it. I've personally designed/built block retaining walls well over 30' high. Not a problem as long as there are no point loads and you handle the lateral/overturning moments. That said, if you can't do that with confidence, just use jack stands or solid wood blocks.

Chum lee

I would never use any cinder block to support weight such a car or trailer. In high school we had a shop teacher do a demonstration. He placed a cinder block on the ground under a car, placed a hydraulic jack on top of the block and jacked the car up about 3 inches. He then tapped the cinder block with a very light weight hammer and the block shattered.
There is a reason that I have high end jack stands in my garage and will not ever use concrete blocks.
I will not apply for a Darwin Award.

As a dumb kid, I tried the cinder block thing and it exploded. Fortunately there was no harm or injury but I learned my lesson.

Flipped axles on my FW in our driveway using cribbing.

Only use cribbing on a job where you have to go underneath the frame. Anything else can fail.

Working on a buddy's car years ago, he had it on cinder blocks. While we were standing there admiring our handiwork, one of the blocks just disintegrated.

Just say no to cinder blocks.

I've done a few "spring over axle" conversions. Flipping the axle is a no go. If you flip the axle, the tires rotate the wrong direction and then the brakes won't work

trail-explorer wrote:
I've done a few "spring over axle" conversions. Flipping the axle is a no go. If you flip the axle, the tires rotate the wrong direction and then the brakes won't work

Bob, I can't tell if you're being funny, sarcastic or pedantic?

"Axle Flip" is commonly used to describe a trailer "spring over axle" conversion, has been for many many years.