Raising trailer height

bejay1 wrote:
It looks pretty simple. The whole axel units is just that a "UNIT". It appeares to be similar to a wheel axel unit on a RR train box car; in that it is a unit that the box (trailer frame) attaches to.

Adding a spacer (full channel) to the frame (welding it to the frame) would allow the axel unit to then be bolted to the full channel length spacer. The verticle plate that exists would be simply modified to accomodate the needed horizontal bolt.

I see where there would be no change in the camber. The tongue height...(hitch ball)... would be adjusted to accomodate the additional 4-6 inch elevation.

The corner stablilizing jacks on each corner of the trailer could be made to come on and off with a little modification.....as they really are a "HANG UP POINT" when going down a 3-4 inch step from pavement to gravel etc. The spare tire that is underneath the trailer could be placed on a verticle rear bumper pedistal....as the spare tire hangs down a lot as well.

The trailer was not designed for anything other than hwy pulls and RV Parks.....as it really sits low to the ground.

Thanks for all the input and I'll see what transpires. Tks again.

bejay

It looks like you have it under control. Adding a length of channel (spacer) long enough to span at least across both axle mounts is a great idea. You may also want to consider gussets on the spacer in a few places to strengthen it.

When mounting the axles to the new spacer, you may consider running a string line under the trailer from the center of the rear of the trailer (exactly center between the two frame rails), to the center of the coupler (or the tongue jack since you probably can't get around it) and use this for alignment. With the string giving you the center of the trailer, with a little trig (1.4142 will give you the hypotenuse of a right triangle), you will be able to insure that the axles are perpendicular to the actual center of the trailer. If you use this method to check both sides of each axle from the string line you are going to get it as close as you reasonably can.

It is also very important to make sure that both of the axles are exactly parallel to each other so that the trailer tracks good. If you did the string step correctly, this step will just verify that everything is correct. You would be surprised how far off the factory trailers can be at times. Don't align the axles off of the factory work. Check the alignment to make sure it is correct.

Good luck and happy camping.