Can You Upgrade 3.5K axles to 5.2k Axles on a Forest River R Pod 179 Trailer

Question:

Good morning, I want to upgrade the axle on my 2017 Rpod 179. It sags like many do, our wheel bearings have actually caught fire twice, and Im told the spindles are bad now. I want a really strong axle that wont sag - we tend to pack it pretty heavy. A little more ground clearance would be great but dont have the funds to go crazy. I am not very mechanical so my knowledge of these things is limited. Thanks for your help!

asked by: Stephen T

Expert Reply:

Stephen, I did some research and it looks like your Forest River has 3.5K axles which you can definitely swap out for heavier duty 5,200 lb axles, but there are a number of other things that will need to be swapped out as well.

Your leaf springs can technically stay the same, but if you're overloading the axles then you're definitely overloading the leaf springs as well so you need to upgrade them, and even then your trailer frame is rated for a specific weight rating so you can be within your 10,400 lb axle-spring rating, but you could also be overloading your trailer.

If you choose to upgrade your leaf spring weight capacity I'd need to know the length of your leaf springs to make a replacement recommendation.

In order to choose replacement axles I am going to need to know your hub face and spring center measurements on your 3,500 lb axles and then from here we can choose one from the linked selection that matches your specs.

expert reply by: Bryce D