Can an Over/Under Conversion Kit be Used to Lower a Trailer

Question:

I have a home made trailer I built 30 yrs ago and Im finding but its simply to high to load my garden tractor so I want to lower it by moving the Axle from the bottom to the top. My question is will your kit work in the opposite position under/over? My trailer is a simple utility 4X8 with a 2000# Axle and 1-3/4 wide springs. I am running with Honda car tires and rims and will most likely purchase regular 12inch tires when all is said and done to lower it even more. I was simply going to disregard the chamber issue and just turn it around but decided against it. Dont want to have buy tires all the time. Thank You

asked by: Ken

Expert Reply:

Yes, you can use an over/under conversion kit such as # K71-385-00 to move the leaf spring stack to the bottom of the axle. However, this kit is designed to fit 3 inch diameter round axles. If your axle is 2-3/8 inches in diameter you would need kit # K71-384-00.

Turning the axle over would not have been a good idea since the bow in a trailer axle helps it reach its capacity so tires and suspension is only part of the potentially bad things that could happen when literally flipping an axle.

Also, passenger vehicle tires and wheels should not be used on a trailer. This is because trailer tires are built with a thicker sidewall to handle more vertical load than vehicle tires.

If you find that you cannot use an over/under conversion kit then another option is to use shorter hangers. I have included a link to the hanger main page for you.

expert reply by: Michael H