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Old 09-18-2018, 01:27 PM   #1
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Shocks on a dexter torsion axle?

Some of the roads that I travel on are simply horrible and when I do get to my destination, many times the inside of the trailer looks like someone ransacked it. So I was thinking about the possibility of adding shocks to the trailer to try and calm down the, what appears to be violent movements inside the trailer.
The problem with my situation is that I have Dexter torsion axles and after a bit of searching, I could not find any information on available shock kits for Dexter torsion axles.
So I thought that I would ask the forum to see if anyone has added shocks to a torsion axle, seen it done, know of anyone who has done it or know of a kit that is sold to add shocks?

Thanks for looking,
Tom
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Old 09-18-2018, 01:34 PM   #2
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I thought the whole idea of the Dexter TorFlex axle was it acts like a shock absorber...
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Old 09-18-2018, 01:50 PM   #3
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Look up OC Old Coot he aded shocks to his Flagstaff fifth wheel and swears at them as they do a great job. I am sure there are pictures here somewhere. Bob Caldwell OCW copied the install and also likes them.
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Old 09-18-2018, 02:08 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Herk7769 View Post
I thought the whole idea of the Dexter TorFlex axle was it acts like a shock absorber...
I do believe that torsion axles provide a softer ride and may reduce the amount of jarring that you would get with leaf spring axles. But without having something to dampen the spring rate it seems to me (form what I see in my trailer after a trip) that you still get a bouncing affect that appears to be quite violent at times.
So what I am wanting to do is add shocks to control the spring rate.
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Old 09-18-2018, 02:09 PM   #5
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Look up OC Old Coot he aded shocks to his Flagstaff fifth wheel and swears at them as they do a great job. I am sure there are pictures here somewhere. Bob Caldwell OCW copied the install and also likes them.
Thanks for the info. I will try and do a search of his posts and see if I can find his thread.
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Old 09-18-2018, 02:29 PM   #6
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I didn't find Old Coot's post regarding his install of shocks but I did find this post when I searched through where he participated and found this jem.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...cks-72995.html

That led me to post #6 where 09grizzly1 linked his install pics.

Forest River Forums - 09grizzly1's Album: 09grizzly1's Shock Install

This is exactly what I was looking for. In the first link, post #17 it even answered my question of shock angle in relation to the torsion arm.


Big shout out to B and B for pointing me in the right direction! Thank you very much!

Looks like I have my new winter project

Tom G
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Old 09-19-2018, 11:57 AM   #7
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Tom, did you see this thread?

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...les-23377.html
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Old 09-19-2018, 12:18 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Herk7769 View Post
I thought the whole idea of the Dexter TorFlex axle was it acts like a shock absorber...
They rebound just like a coil or leaf spring suspension, shocks still needed to control "Rebounding "! Youroo! !
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Old 09-19-2018, 09:29 PM   #9
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Tom, I have a Primetime Sanibel 3901 and it comes with Dexter axles and shocks as standard from the factory. I am convinced it helps and I am surprised other manufacturerers don’t adopt that combination.
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Old 09-19-2018, 09:38 PM   #10
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Tom, I have a Primetime Sanibel 3901 and it comes with Dexter axles and shocks as standard from the factory. I am convinced it helps and I am surprised other manufacturerers don’t adopt that combination.
If you are able to see them and you wouldn't mind and have a few minutes. Would you be willing to take a pic of your shocks and how they mount?
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Old 09-19-2018, 09:44 PM   #11
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I am surprised that you have that much movement. I have torsion axles and I am surprised how nothing seems to move, even on rough roads.
Did you go up a load range in tires? If so are you using the sidewall pressure? Or from the load inflation table?
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Old 09-19-2018, 09:47 PM   #12
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Fill your trailer with helium balloons and it will float over the bumps.
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Old 09-19-2018, 11:16 PM   #13
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I am surprised that you have that much movement. I have torsion axles and I am surprised how nothing seems to move, even on rough roads.
Did you go up a load range in tires? If so are you using the sidewall pressure? Or from the load inflation table?
I did go up a a few load ranges, from C to E. However, as an example, in my experiences, even with the load range C's, rte 64 and RTE 264 going into VA Beach will beat just about any trailer into submission.
As for pressure in the tire, I am running 70# which is 10# less than the max sidewall pressure. This gives me an even tire tread footprint, minimal increase in pressure and low heat.
As I indicated earlier, I do believe that torsion axles provide a better ride than leaf springs. However, I also believe that there is still room for improvement. And I am hoping to find that improvement by controlling the torsion axle spring rate and if I can control the spring rate it will provide the ride I am looking for.
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Old 09-20-2018, 08:11 AM   #14
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Here are a couple pictures of the shocks mounted on the Sanibel. They have made a U-Bracket and welded to the outside of the I-Beam to mount the top of the shock through, and they have a wider than normal leaf spring plate to mount the bottom of the shock through.
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Old 09-20-2018, 08:17 AM   #15
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Here are a couple pictures of the shocks mounted on the Sanibel. They have made a U-Bracket and welded to the outside of the I-Beam to mount the top of the shock through, and they have a wider than normal leaf spring plate to mount the bottom of the shock through.
Not a torsion axle!

Youroo! !
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Old 09-20-2018, 08:35 AM   #16
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I just looked at your suggested thread. I must have inadvertently skipped over it prior. Thank you for finding and sharing this.
I think that I may PM OldCoot to see what his thoughts were on any benefits of the mod and if he thought it was worth it.
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Old 09-20-2018, 08:42 AM   #17
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Here are a couple pictures of the shocks mounted on the Sanibel. They have made a U-Bracket and welded to the outside of the I-Beam to mount the top of the shock through, and they have a wider than normal leaf spring plate to mount the bottom of the shock through.
Thanks for the pics Roger. My setup is a little different because of my torsion axles but the picture you took that shows the upper shock mount is very helpful.
Again, thanks for the pics and for going through the effort to take them. I appreciate your help.

Tom
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