Flipping Axle

[Jethroish]

Looking into having the axles flipped on my 30' gooseneck horse trailer. I need to raise the rear of the trailer 2 to 3 inches
Anyone done an axle flip and how much did it cost?

[Cummins12V98]

tewitt1949 wrote:
Some axles are made with camber (or caster, can't remember which) built in. The tires tip out on the top. The axles are bent upwards a little in the middle. Some axles are straight.

You don't "flip" the axles. You simply place the axle on the bottom of the springs. It's a stupid name!!!

[bucky]

Raising a trailer may make your AC units disappear. Be aware of the new height that will result before raising the unit.
As to the brake comment I hope they forgot the smiley face.

[tewitt1949]

Some axles are made with camber (or caster, can't remember which) built in. The tires tip out on the top. The axles are bent upwards a little in the middle. Some axles are straight.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

I did the last flip on a Prowler 33' trailer. U BOLTS MADE IN L.A. from 4140 chrome moly. And grade 8 coupling nuts and ½" hardened washers and pal nuts.

[Jethroish]

Kinda forgot about this thread. Never did the flip. Ended up with 2 broken shackle links. Bought a repair kit from eTrailer. The kit came with original length links and a set that was about 3/4 inch shorter. The shorter links raise the trailer a bit.

[Johnny_G1]

The sad part of that statement is that they are allowed to walk among us???

[gkainz]

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.

[trail-explorer]

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

[drsteve]

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.

[lane_hog]

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.

[ScottG]

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.

[BarabooBob]

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.

[Chum_lee]

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

[smarty]

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.