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]

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

[Jethroish]

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 +/-.

[BFL13]

Our first 5er had to be "flipped". It had Dexter axles mounted on a sort of bogie that was welded to the frame. The fix was to unweld the bogie, put in spacer bars as shims welded to the frame and weld the bogie onto that.

That way it preserved the axle alignments and the whole assembly. Another thing to mention was they had to extend the wires to the brakes which were too short after the flip.

That got the trailer height close enough that then adjusting the pin bracket and the hitch bracket was enough to level the trailer. Using taller tires was not an option due to wheel well clearance and the spacing between tires front and back.

[Optimistic_Para]

NMDriver2 wrote:
Some of the lift methods are pretty interesting but not something I would try. One guy used cinder blocks on their side with a jack stand standing on the hollow portion of the block :E

It's amazing how many people are competing for Darwin Awards!

[hypoxia]

If the trailer has shocks the mount will have to be re-positioned and a possibility the shock could be too short. The shock mount piece should be available at any trailer supply house.

[Boomerweps]

Committing. Ordered via Amazon the Dexter flip kit for this spring!

[Jethroish]

I found those flip kits too. Looks pretty simple.
After posting this, I found something that may be better for my situation.
Quick story...
Got a new truck and had to adjust the gooseneck. It adjusts by 2.5 inches at a time. Moving one hole only gave me 4.5 to 5 inches of tail gate clearance. Moved it one more and got 7.5 inches of clearance. Problem now the trailer is more nose high than I am willing to have.

Hopeful solution is, found that Reese makes a 1 inch extended collar drop in goose ball. Add that to the 7.5 inches then drop the gooseneck one hole. That "should" bring the nose of the trailer down by 1.5 inch and still leave me 6 inches of tail gate clearance.

Looking at the springs and axles, I think a flip would work but going to try the "easy" fix first.

[TakingThe5th]

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

[Boomerweps]

Thanks for the info on the Dexter flip kit. Just checked them out on Amazon. Both around $50 per axle kit. Available for 3" and 2&3/8" diameter axles. The smaller is the 3.5K axle and the larger is the 6-8K, per Etrailer. Towing my trailer is often a lot like the mid 1960's song, "Kind of a drag".

[NMDriver2]

I did it myself in the driveway on a 30ft 5er. Dexter makes a flip kit for about $55 on Amazon. You do not need to weld the new saddles to the axle but it is better if you do. Just a couple of spot weld will do it once you are sure the saddles are in the right position.

You will also need 4 jack stands or cribbing to hold the trailer up, a rolling floor jack helps but is not necessary, to position the axles, and watch a few youtube videos on the subject. Some of the lift methods are pretty interesting but not something I would try. One guy used cinder blocks on their side with a jack stand standing on the hollow portion of the block :E I just jacked it up and put the jack stands under the frame close to the spring shackles.

[j-d]

azrving wrote:
...I would pull the trailer on to wood blocks until it is sitting level then measure the thickness of the blocks. That is the amount of lift you need...

A measuring technique that's Beyond Clever! Load truck and trailer like they'll be for a trip, gather an assortment of boards, find a level area and measure the easy way!

[azrving]

The amount of lift will be determined by the diameter/radius of the axle plus the thickness of the spring pack and the perch. If you measure those parts and picture how moving them from above to below you will see how much lift you will get.

Usually it's around 4 to 5 iches. I would pull the trailer on to wood blocks until it is sitting level then measure the thickness of the blocks. That is the amount of lift you need.