Recommended Axle Flip for 1991 Wilderness by Fleetwood Trailer with Drop Spindles

Question:

I have a 91 Wildeness by Fleetwood ... I want to flip the axles ... Currently the axles are under the spring and the Spindles are a 4inch offset to the 12* oclock position ... I want to flip them to the 6* oclock position and axle under spring ... the axle is welded to the spindle offset ... would it be better to have the spindles cut off and new one w/o offset ? Then to spring under conversion ?? If I use the current configuration I could get 8inch of lift w/o going over the axle spring swap ... but how stable will this be as far as axle fixed stability ... in regards to the flipping out of position when going down the road ...

asked by: Bruce

Expert Reply:

Thank you for the photo of your trailer's drop axle.

You could have your drop spindles cut off and replaced with straight spindles to lift the trailer but this is a tricky process that is NOT in the same category as many other DIY projects. Spindles must be welded on using precision jigs that ensure they are perfectly concentric and straight. A qualified local welder may have the right equipment but this is not a case where close enough is good enough. You cannot invert the drop spindles as a way to lift the trailer.

If you leave the spindles as they are and use an axle over-under kit you will gain height approximately equal to the axle diameter plus the height of the spring stack. If your axle is 3-inches in diameter and your leaf spring stack is 2-inches tall then using 3-inch over-under kit # K71-385-00 would give you a total lift of about 5-inches. If your axle is 2-3/8-inches diameter you would use over-under kit # K71-384-00 and you would gain about 4-3/8-inches if your spring stack is 2-inches tall.

expert reply by: Adam R