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Old 04-15-2016, 07:16 PM   #1
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17FQ suspension

I decided after flipping the axle so we could use 15" tires instead of the puny 13" that came on it. I also figured adding shocks to add stability would be a good thing as well and ordered a Lippert shock kit. Figured that since it has a Lippert axle that kit would be the best to go with, WRONG! The parts for mounting to the axle were fine BUT the mount for the frame was to big (1st pic). Tried cutting it down but still no way to make the correct angles for the shocks to work.

So what a feller to do? Make his own (2nd pic). Some quality bolts and nuts instead of the self tapping that came with the kit. A bit of black paint and I think they turned out fine plus with the desired angle.

Plan to take it for a test run in the next few days and see how it handles.
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Old 04-15-2016, 09:31 PM   #2
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Nice work - I'm still puzzled how I was able to fit 15" rims and tires on my 17FQ without having to flip the axle. And after several long pulls with dips, speed bumps and curbs it isn't rubbing anywhere at all.

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Old 04-17-2016, 05:12 PM   #3
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I have a 17fq. Just looking at it I wouldn't think a 15" tire would fit.
Maybe I need to do some measuring!
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Old 04-19-2016, 12:58 AM   #4
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I'd love to upgrade to15s as well. I'd really like them for long pulls... The narrow "camper" tires always make me a bit nervous, especially on single-axle models.

Any thoughts as to if14s would fit without the axle flip? I'm thinking that might be a good happy medium between the height of the 15 without the major flip mod....

Where would one go about getting the rims to fit this axle (or are they a custom order)?



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Old 04-19-2016, 08:09 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by K4RGD View Post
I'd love to upgrade to15s as well. I'd really like them for long pulls... The narrow "camper" tires always make me a bit nervous, especially on single-axle models.

Any thoughts as to if14s would fit without the axle flip? I'm thinking that might be a good happy medium between the height of the 15 without the major flip mod....

Where would one go about getting the rims to fit this axle (or are they a custom order)?



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Any 15 inch trailer rim with a 5x4.5 bolt pattern will fit. I went to 205/75R15 Load Range D radial tires (max load 2150 each) which are three inches in diameter larger than the OEM 13" tires and only require an additional 1.5" of clearance. I'd encourage you to measure the current distance between your tires and wheel well to see if another 1.5" of tire will fit. I was able to install 15" wheels and tires without flipping the axle and have plenty of clearance. Flipping the axle was something I was prepared to do but I'm glad I didn't have to because the additional 3-4" of lift gained can have other effects on handling.

These are the wheels and tires I went with:

15" D Rated Wheels & Tires
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Old 04-19-2016, 09:19 PM   #6
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Before I flipped the axle I tested with a 14" tire (off utility trailer) I could barely get 2 fingers between the tire and the rear support member. After the flip with 15" tires I have more than enough clearance, 4.25" unloaded. I did hate adding a height increase, it is now at 10' 6.5" which is not that much but I would rather deal with the extra height than the toy sized 13" tires it came on it. I went with Maxxis M8008, 205/75R15 load range D that has a diameter of a little over 27"

I would like to see a pic of your tire and wheel well to see if I can see a difference.
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Old 04-19-2016, 09:22 PM   #7
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After the flip with 15" tires I have more than enough clearance, 4.25" unloaded.
That's certainly plenty of clearance - I don't have that much but there is enough that the springs would torque up before I ran out.

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I went with Maxxis M8008, 205/75R15 load range D that has a diameter of a little over 27"
That's about the same diameter of what I have on there now. Stock was a little over 24"

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I would like to see a pic of your tire and wheel well to see if I can see a difference.
Sure - the one above is the only one I have right now but I'll be pulling the trailer from the storage lot later this week and I'll take a better picture.
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Old 04-21-2016, 04:00 PM   #8
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Austintatious, your trailer must sit higher or something in order for the 15" wheels to fit. I looked at mine, and the 13" barely fit. I also found a big problem, the tire has scrapped the upper wheel well. Also have a dent on the frame where the u-bolt hit it. Apparently I bottomed out the suspension on this one section of highway that has a nasty, but barely visible bump on it, and doing 55mph, I did not see it until I hit it with the truck. Yeah, the trailer did bounce.


So it looks like I'm going to have to flip the axle just to get some more clearance.
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Old 04-21-2016, 05:06 PM   #9
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I guess I got lucky somehow. Took some pictures of mine today with the 15's on and measured the clearance. Have 2.5-3" all the way around. Might not seem like much but I've been thru some speed bumps at low speeds and wallowing dips at high speeds and have yet to make contact with the inner fender wells.

I suppose if I ever do I'll flip the axle then but for now it's working well.







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Old 04-21-2016, 05:45 PM   #10
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The clearance on your trailer with the 15s look like the clearance on mine with the 13s. Maybe it's an optical illusion. But, I need the higher clearance, as the places I go is mostly dry desert camping, and because the dump tubes sit so low, I'm afraid I'm going to shear those off while driving on mostly unimproved dirt roads.
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Old 04-21-2016, 05:56 PM   #11
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Here's what mine looked like when I first picked it up and it had the 13's on it. Zoom in and you can see those 13's had lots of clearance.

The 15's are 3" in diameter larger than the 13's so they ate about 1.5 inches of clearance. I also removed those cheap plastic fender flares which is hiding some visible clearance in the pic with the 13's. The 15's were a bit hidden behind those flares until I removed them.


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Old 04-21-2016, 06:14 PM   #12
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My issue was not the clearance around the tire in the fender well but the clearance between the support brace immediately behind the tire. Before flipping the axle I had barely an inch of clearance to that brace with the 15" tire. When the spring shackle works the tire and axle move slightly toward the rear and any compression from a pot hole, major dip or the such would have the tire hitting that support.
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Old 04-21-2016, 07:16 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ky-N View Post
My issue was not the clearance around the tire in the fender well but the clearance between the support brace immediately behind the tire. Before flipping the axle I had barely an inch of clearance to that brace with the 15" tire. When the spring shackle works the tire and axle move slightly toward the rear and any compression from a pot hole, major dip or the such would have the tire hitting that support.
There's the difference. On mine that brace is a good 2" away from the wheel well towards the back of the trailer. It's not flush with the upper liner like it is on yours.
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