axle replacement

[frozen]

Hitched to my 2016 Ram 2500 4x4, my Rockwood 8289 was unacceptably high in the front end. I couldn't make any adjustment to the hitch or pin box because there was already inadequate clearance between the truck and trailer. I had two options: trade for a taller trailer or raise the 8289. We chose to remove the stock Dexter 4000 lb. torsion axles which had a 22 degree down angle and replace with new Dexter 5200 lb. with 45 degree down angle. The different angle raised the trailer about 2.3", and mounting hardware added another inch (approx.). The trailer now sits level with the truck, there's 6.25" of clearance between truck and trailer, and the new brake drums are 12" rather than 10". I had to replace the rims since the larger drums have 6 lugs rather than 5, but we stayed with 15" rims so were able use the E rated tires we bought last fall. The project cost a little over $2600, but lots less than trading campers.

[Bama Rambler]

Sounds like a good project. I'd like to see before and after pictures of it.

[duramaxlbz]

What year 8289ws? I have a lifted 2500 and never had a problem.

[Paul12]

I'm also considering replacing a Rockwood torsion axle because of spindle scoring. Did you do the work yourself? I figured I might have to pay about that much to have a shop replace just the one. Thanks in advance for the clarification!

[midnightpumpkin]

Frozen,

Happy to hear your axle swap worked out well.

The swap I did on our Rockwood 8315SS from 3500 pound axles to 5200 pound axles was the best investment I could have made.

Well over 20000 towing miles with no problems, tires are wearing evenly.

John U

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by midnightpumpkin

Frozen,

Happy to hear your axle swap worked out well.

The swap I did on our Rockwood 8315SS from 3500 pound axles to 5200 pound axles was the best investment I could have made.

Well over 20000 towing miles with no problems, tires are wearing evenly.

John U

Are you saying your tires weren't wearing evenly with the 3500 lb axles?...

[B and B]

I raised my 8289 for at the Goshen Rally. Dexter makes a lift kit. Cost is $250. Raises axles 2.5 inches. At Goshen it was part of service being performed. A fellow Flagstaff had it installed at his dealer for $400 in the midwest.
I am happy and had clearance of 6 inches with the F 150 and close to 8 inches with the F 250.

[duramaxlbz]

B And B. Did not l know Dexter made a lift kit. Where did you purchase it. I need my lifted to clear my driveway approach. Do u have any pics of it lifted?

[AquaMan]

Originally Posted by duramaxlbz

B And B. Did not l know Dexter made a lift kit. Where did you purchase it. I need my lifted to clear my driveway approach. Do u have any pics of it lifted?

They can be purchased at eTrailer. This kit raises trailer by about 3"
Torflex Lift Kit - Tandem Axle - 2-7/8" Lift Dexter Accessories and Parts K71-724-02

[frozen]

Originally Posted by gljurczyk

Are you saying your tires weren't wearing evenly with the 3500 lb axles?...

Three of the spindles on my 4000 lb. stock axles were bent when I took delivery of the trailer so those tires were ruined in 6,000 miles. Spindles on my new 5200 lb. axles should handle bad potholes or the occasional curb a little better.

[frozen]

Originally Posted by B and B

I raised my 8289 for at the Goshen Rally. Dexter makes a lift kit. Cost is $250. Raises axles 2.5 inches. At Goshen it was part of service being performed. A fellow Flagstaff had it installed at his dealer for $400 in the midwest.
I am happy and had clearance of 6 inches with the F 150 and close to 8 inches with the F 250.

I don't want to start a brawl, but before having the axles replaced, I considered the Dexter lift kit. However, I wasn't comfortable with the strength. The frame shop that installed my new 5200 lb. axles could have fabricated a lift using 3/16" square tube for $600. That would have included two cross members to stiffen the assembly. Instead, I chose to go with new axles because I've always felt that some of the ultra-light trailers come with axles that are on the light side. I never load to cargo capacity, but it's comforting to have a wide margin. Additionally, I ended up with 12" brakes.

[midnightpumpkin]

Originally Posted by Witch Doctor

Are you saying your tires weren't wearing evenly with the 3500 lb axles?...

That's what I am saying. The tires were wearing on the inside edges. The unit was within 260 pounds of the axle rating with the 3500 pound axles. That did not account for side to side imbalance or front to rear imballance.

John U

[duramaxlbz]

Originally Posted by AquaMan

They can be purchased at eTrailer. This kit raises trailer by about 3"
Torflex Lift Kit - Tandem Axle - 2-7/8" Lift Dexter Accessories and Parts K71-724-02

Now stupid question. I have a 2016 are all the axles the same? And this kit will work on my 16 8289ws.

[Windjam2]

We, too, recently changed out our 4,000 lb. axles for new 6,000 lb. Dexter axles with 12" brake drums and went up in wheel/tire size to 16" Sendals and Michelin XPS load range E tires. Our two new axles were approx. $1300.

My DH had the help of two friends and they made the change out in 6-8 hours one Saturday. Our friends are seniors, so they don't move as quickly as they used to, nor do we.

Our travel trailer is a Windjammer 3025W. We haven't gone on any long trips yet, but will report later if we have any issues arise.

Deb

[olgeezer2]

I have a 21 FBRS Micro-Lite. Right side reat tire shows excessive wear @ 15000.
Dexter will replace the axel. Has anyone put in a Dexter axel
What problems should I expect??

[Windjam2]

Olgeezer2, as I mentioned in my post above, we recently replaced our 4,000 lb. axles with Dexter 6,000 lb. axles on our 2015 Windjammer 3025W. If you have specific questions, you could PM us here and I'm certain my DH would be happy to share information with you.

Deb