Top mount torsion axle lift?

[92 Green YJ]

Hey all. So I have an Aluma 8218 aluminum flatbed trailer that I haul my Jeep on. I’ve so far been very happy with the trailer. It’s well made, it’s stupid light for an 18’ trailer, etc.

my one complaint with the Aluma vs. my old PJ is that the deck is really low to the ground. It scrapes the ass fairly often pulling into gas stations and even just driving the hilly streets in my neighborhood.

with wheeling season rapidly approaching and the Jeep build about done I thought I would take some time to see about solving the trailer scrape issue. Ideally I want to lift the deck a couple of inches. It came equipped with #10 3,500 lb Dexter torsion axles. Now, Dexter offers several lift block type kits for this purpose, however, I have yet to find one anywhere that says it is good for a top mount application. Aluma mounted the axles from the top. The kits I have come across from them are for the side mounted axles only.

is there any reason I can’t just take a couple of chunks of say 3”x3” or maybe 3”x4” steel tube and drill a couple of holes in them, use some 1/2” grade 8 bolts and go ahead and make my own? And if I do, how thick should I go on the tube? 3/16” ? 1/4”? Is this safe or will I kill a bus load of nuns?

 

[Phil]

What shape material is the frame made from, where the axles mount? What thickness?

 

[92 Green YJ]

What shape material is the frame made from, where the axles mount? What thickness?

I’ll have to crawl under there and take a couple of pics tomorrow. It looks like some thick aluminum channel along the bottom of the trailer with a pair of 1/2” grade 8 bolts per side coming down from the bottom of the aluminum beam and bolting into the top mounting plate holes on the axles.

 

[Phil]

It would probably be a reasonable guess to get as similar to that same size channel you can, or if that is too tall, similar web and flange thickness in the right height channel. Continuous pieces on each side, at least a few inches longer than the mounting length of the axles. Bolt the “lift kit” channel where the axles were and a couple extra for good measure. A crossmember or two, like right above the axles. Don’t forget the bevel washers for the channel flanges.

ASTM standard aluminum angles: https://www.engineersedge.com/channel_aluminum.htm

idk tho

 

[arse_sidewards]

If you're too dumb to figure it out on your own definitely don't post a pic of how the axle attaches to the frame. :rolleyes:

 

[92 Green YJ]

Took a couple of pictures this morning of how it is currently attached.

 

[M92PV4U]

I would put trapezoid blocks made out of rectangular tubing between the frame and axles.

 

[That'll Do]

Took a couple of pictures this morning of how it is currently attached.

Did you ever attempt this? Slightly different setup than what I got, but curious if it would work/ did work? I personally don't see why it wouldn't.

 

[92 Green YJ]

Did you ever attempt this? Slightly different setup than what I got, but curious if it would work/ did work? I personally don't see why it wouldn't.

Yeah I never did get around to doing it. Decided to move out of CA so between house hunting, packing up the CA place to get it ready to sell, etc, it just kinda slipped thru the cracks.

 

[JunkCJ6]

Can't you just re-clock the arm to the axle and the readjust the axle position to center in the wheelwell/align axles?

 

[That'll Do]

Yeah I never did get around to doing it. Decided to move out of CA so between house hunting, packing up the CA place to get it ready to sell, etc, it just kinda slipped thru the cracks.

Fair enough. I think I might be giving it a shot here in the near future, was just hoping to get some verification that there were no issues. I can't see why there would be.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Torsion axles are usually top-mounted with a side bracket for additional support. Think of the axle bolt flange sitting in a piece of angle iron.

Throw some Dex #10 lift blocks on there. You'll be fine.

 

[Spiritof76]

Just a quick note--I have a friend who did something similar on a single-axle torsion-axle trailer. His was steel frame, and he used a short piece of bar-stock to serve as a 'lift'. The only note I'd make is that the torsion axles, by design, put a twisting force on the frame. Because of the design of his trailer frame, his bar stock lift was pretty short, and he ended up cracking the weld at the front of the 'lift'. If you can, make sure your extension runs long enough to spread out the twisting force.

 

[Bggrnchvy]

I did this on my enclosed. I should have ordered it with the arms 30* down, but didn't, this fixed it for sure. I tied both together with essentially a piece of 4" C, I just had a friends shop cut it out and bend it in their break and then I gusseted it. Bolted right in other than the 1" error in measurement on the front axle resulting in drilling some extra holes.

 

[That'll Do]

These are good notes. Because of how mine is mounted I'll likely have to pull up the floor in order to span both axles. Otherwise the "lift" would just be the same width of the axle mounting bracket and bolted in, not welded in.