A Firm Foundation

Looking at my blog posts you wouldn't realize that I've actually had this trailer since mid-April.  I just finally got around to starting this record of events.  It's taken several months to get to this point.

One of the most pressing issues that I wanted to address was to get the axle replaced.  I had to get the trailer inspected in order to register it in my state.  The mechanic didn't see any issues but it's obvious to me that the trailer had settled a few inches.

In 1961 Airstream evolved away from leaf spring suspensions to a new axle design called the "Duratorque".  The Duratorque axle used rubber rods to provide the spring-like function of leaf springs and over time the rubber fails to provide support.  When the axle looses it's suspending capability, the trailer suffers from a rougher ride.  Rivets can be shaken loose and a lot more wear and tear can occur.

In addition of the axle, the bottom of the trailer is surrounded by a sheet of aluminum called the belly pan.  The belly pan covers the frame and insulation so you can't really see what the frame looks like when the belly pan is in place.

My belly pan had come loose from the frame in a few places so it needed to be resecured.  Before I did that, I wanted to make sure the axle was good to go.

Crawling under the trailer, I took some photos to get an idea of how things looked.

It's a little hard to tell is this photo but the axle has what is called a "negative lift angle".  The bottom of the axle is the square portion at the top of the picture.  In fact, you can see the LPG line going to the water heater has been crushed against the axle.  The rod going through the axle has an arm that cantilevers over to the hub of the wheel.  That arm is going upward where it should be going slightly downward.  Over the past 50 years the rubber inside the axle has degraded and allowed the arm to slowly settle.

From this angle you can see the negative lift angle of the cantilevered axle arm.  I need to address the crushed propane line too.

From this shot you can see the top of the wheel is pretty much in line with the bottom of the wheel well opening.  Or, maybe this is easier... note how the center of the hub cap aligns with the bottom of the trailer.

Now I'd like to think I could change an axle if I had to but the reality is I don't have the space nor the experience to trust myself to do it.  So I looked for a pro to help me out.  A lot of places can do it but I wanted to use someone who was experienced with Airstreams specifically.

I chose to go to Frank Yensan at Frank's Trailer Works in Baltimore MD.  Frank is best described as an artist who specializes in the medium of aluminum and sweat.  I'm glad I brought it to him because apparently these "new" axles were installed a lot more permanently in the first year than in later years.  It took Frank a long time to accomplish what is ordinarily a much more straightforward project.  You can read about his work on his blog, and specifically about this axle swap by clicking here.

Of course, while it was there I asked him to check out a myriad other things that I needed a second opinion on and he banged through quite a lot of them.  This included fixing my propane lines and installing a new hot water heater.   Frank showed me how to turn on all of the appliances in the trailer and now I can say with 100% certainty that the original range, oven and refrigerator still work!   The plumbing system needs to be overhauled before I can test the hot water heater though.

Getting the axle redone has provided greater peace of mind while at the same time provided an additional two-to-three inches of lift.  Now the arm has a positive lift angle and you can actually see the arm extending below the bracket.  The propane line isn't crushed either.

And check out the difference between the top of the steel wheel and the wheel well.  The center of the hubcap is a good 2-3 inches below the bottom of the trailer now.  I'm sure the frame on this old trailer is thankful for the renewed support.

Since I had a new axle with new brakes, etc. I decided to replace the 5 year old tires with new tires too.  Trailer tires are special - they carry a LOT of weight and they tend to fail from age rather than from thread wear.  I decided to be on the safe side and invest in new tires, as most folks suggest replacing trailer tires every 3-5 years, depending on use.

Cecil is now on a firm foundation.  Next up on the to-do list is to replace all the plumbing.