In North America, the history of travel trailers can be traced back to the early s. In those days, trailers became known as Caravans with very few creature comforts. As trailers became more livable in the s and s, they earned the name &#;house trailer&#;.
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Pop-up / tent trailers have been around since the early s. As more people began to travel in their newly owned automobiles, the tow-behind trailer became a popular necessity. Manufacturing of tent trailers increased during the s and s.
Teardrop trailers first appeared in the s. While some teardrop trailers are not off-road specific, many come with off-road tires and a more rugged construction. All storage and living space are contained inside the trailer while the kitchen is accessible from the outside.
UGOAT trailers &#; Utility Go-anywhere Off-road Adventure Trailer &#; are designed as a tough-as-nails option for traveling deep into the backcountry (way off-road!).
In this article, we&#;ll answer some questions about the Axle-less trailer suspension system.
It all began with the US military. They had a problem.
Trailers that were used to pick up the injured on the battlefield had limited use. The medics needed a trailer that could go where an off-road vehicle could go.
Turns out it was the straight axle that presented all kinds of limitations. They wanted a suspension that would allow the trailer to navigate smoothly, without incident.
Early designs for this military rescue trailer were the beginnings of a new concept for off-road trailer suspensions. As you will see, this radical departure from a conventional leaf spring suspension has led to a number of benefits for the off-road community.
Let&#;s take a closer look at how each separate component works together to create the safest and smoothest off-road trailer suspension on the market.
Steel Hanger: The hanger facilitates a simple, bolt-on installation. Each hanger comes with 3 laser-cut holes, a template to mark the frame where holes need to be drilled for mounting. Additionally, the steel hanger has a 2&#; square hole through which a steel pipe can be fed for frame reinforcement.
Control Arm: A control arm is a critical component of an independent suspension system, controlling the motion of each separate wheel, allowing the tires to articulate smoothly. Without a control arm, the ride would be rough. The control arm on the Axle-less suspension holds the jounce spring, the rebound spring and the outboard arm in place.
Premium urethane bushings help to fasten the control arm securely to the hanger. The urethane bushing adds to the overall quietness. As a result, you won&#;t have to listen to any annoying squeaks and rattles when towing your trailer.
Jounce Spring: Aeon® rubber springs are the heart of every Timbren solution. That&#;s because rubber springs have certain characteristics that you don&#;t get with metal and air: Progressive spring rate and shock-absorption.
The jounce spring used in the Axle-Less suspension is Timbren&#;s latest development in rubber spring technology. Its unique wedge-shaped design works perfectly with the up and down motion of the control arm. Made entirely of natural rubber, the jounce spring delivers a perfect combination of strength, stability and smoothness.
Rebound Spring: The rebound spring is a single-convoluted Aeon® hollow rubber spring that plays an important role. This &#;hidden&#; spring puts constant tension on the much larger jounce. That way - full or empty &#; the trailer always maintains a smooth ride. The unique characteristics of a hollow rubber spring apply to the rebound: Progressive spring rate and shock absorption. Both jounce and rebound springs contribute to a quiet, controlled ride even on rough terrain.
Outboard Arm: The last piece of the suspension puzzle is the outboard arm. The outboard arm comes with built-in camber. Metal shims help to make any necessary adjustments. If the spindle gets damaged, replacing it is a snap. Just undo the four bolts, remove the damaged arm and bolt the new component in its place.
Summary: The Axle-Less is basically five components that work together to produce what many agree to be a better off-road trailer suspension. It&#;s better because it allows for:
Once you have removed the old leaf spring suspension from the frame, you&#;ll need to grind the edges of the frame to make them smooth enough to install the Axle-Less.
After these preliminaries, you&#;re going to need to decide which model number is the correct one to purchase. The Axle-Less suspension comes in various weight ratings, everything from 400 lbs. up to lbs. Here&#;s how to determine the correct one for you.
Get an accurate weight of your trailer fully loaded. Then add 20%. For example, if your trailer weighs lbs., an additional 20% comes to lbs. ( + 20% = )
The next size up from is . Therefore, the model number you&#;re going to need is:
If you plan to go off-road or overland camping, you&#;ll need to choose an HD model. HD models have heavier-gauge steel and a more robust design. Not only that, tire size will also determine which spindle you&#;re going to need. A regular tire is 235 mm (or 9.25 inches). Anything wider will require a longer spindle. Here are the configurations available for the HD models:
Timbren Axle-Less suspensions come in 9 different weight classifications. Here are the shipping weights for each classification:
All Axle-less products are shipped in boxes, making them courier-ready.
There is a right way and a wrong way to successfully mount an Axle-Less to your trailer. Here are four important steps to follow when installing an Axle-Less suspension.
It&#;s important to note that &#; as outlined in the section &#;How to retrofit a trailer with the Axle-Less suspension?&#; &#; each weight category can handle a certain amount of weight within certain parameters. The following are the weight categories for Axle-Less:
Use the following parameters when determining which Axle-Less Trailer Suspension is best for you:
Get an accurate weight of your trailer fully loaded. Then add 20%. For example, if your trailer weighs lbs., an additional 20% comes to lbs. ( + 20% = )
The next size up from is . Therefore, the model number you&#;re going to need is ASRS05. If you require a drop spindle arm or a lift spindle arm, choose one of the following:
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If you read through the above Q & A, hopefully, you have a clearer understanding of the Axle-Less trailer suspension system. Click here for more info on how to purchase the Axle-Less suspension.
Posted by Stephanie on July 10,
When you transport heavy loads from one destination to another, you must do so in a manner that&#;s safe and legal. The easiest way to keep these items safe and secure is by choosing triple axles for your trailer. Tri-axle vehicles are trailers, tractors, or trucks that use three distinct axles to keep the wheels connected to the vehicle. In most cases, each axle will connect two wheels, while the third axle is air-lifted.
It&#;s possible for drivers to move the third axle down or up to ensure the wheels remain off the ground at times when the truck has yet to be loaded. In this scenario, you can avoid tire wear, keep your fuel economy high, and save a considerable sum of money. Having three axles can also be beneficial for stability and weight distribution. The following is a comprehensive guide about triple axles and why you should use them when hauling heavy loads.
Why Use Triple Axles?
Triple axles are mainly used to carry heavy loads while also providing such benefits as better tire capacity, a smoother ride, improved tracking, and proper load distribution. You may be wondering why you need to place three separate axles under your truck instead of using just one large axle. Using a single axle is too risky even when the load is only moderately heavy.
There are several reasons why you should opt for three axles. For one, you need heavier tires with better capacity to carry additional weight. When you have a single axle in place, damaging one tire can be a major problem. If, on the other hand, you have around two to three tires for each side, it&#;s possible to stop before severe damage is done. Having more axles also means that the load in your vehicle will be spread out over a large portion of the frame, which adds strength to the system.
Triple Axle Technologies
Before you buy axles for your truck, there are many triple axle technologies you should know about to select the one that&#;s right for you.
Leaf Spring Style:
The most common and affordable triple axle technology is the leaf spring style. You can choose from the eye-eye or slipper style configuration. Slipper technology accommodates heavy loads that amount to 6,000 pounds per axle. In comparison, the eye-eye style is ideal for hauls that weigh in at 4,000 pounds per axle or below.
Torsion Axles:
While torsion axles have their advantages, they are also highly risky to use and aren&#;t recommended with triple axles. These axles cause uneven load distribution and may increase the risk of an overload. They don&#;t interact with one another, which means that they won&#;t equally share the load you&#;re transporting unless the road is level and flat. In a scenario where an overload occurs, your truck&#;s frame and tires will be the first portions of your vehicle to be damaged.
If you opt for torsion axles, you can obtain a hybrid system that offers vibration damping with rubber and equalizing. When you install a hybrid system, your axles will be able to more effectively share the load even at times when the road isn&#;t level and flat. There are also many methods you can use on your own to add suspension and load sharing to the axles you buy.
Center Pivot (or Walking Beam):
Also known as walking beam suspension, the center pivot design was made with equalization in mind. While the center pivot solution is expensive, it offers the best equalization out of all options. You can expect center pivot axles to cost around 5-10 times as much as the more affordable leaf springs. Keep in mind that these axles don&#;t cause the load to spread over a large area of the frame, which means that you&#;ll need to pay attention to strength and stability while items are being transported.
Unique or Less Common Options:
There are several more unique and less common solutions that you can implement on your truck. For instance, the low-profile trailer suspension is highly effective when used with tandem axles.
Triple Axle Trailers
You can also choose to use axles without suspension for triple axle trailers. However, this option is rarely ever useful and isn&#;t recommended for tandem axles.
Considerations in Choosing a Trailer Suspension
When you&#;re searching for the right trailer suspension, there are several factors to consider, which include everything from load sharing to stability. You should also consider how the trailer is going to be used and what environment you&#;ll be driving in. For instance, will the conditions be wet or dry? You should also consider how often you&#;ll be driving off-road. If you select multiple axles, it&#;s essential that they work together and accommodate uneven ground. There&#;s no reason to buy multiple axles if they don&#;t offer load sharing.
To understand how dangerous it can be when axles don&#;t properly share the load, think about what happens when a trailer that has tandem axles but not suspension or springs goes over a speed bump. In this situation, the first wheel will rise when the bump takes place. Since there isn&#;t any equalization, the back wheel could respond by lifting off the ground as well. Now imagine that your trailer has tandem axles as well as an equalizing suspension. When the initial wheel goes over a bump, the equalizing suspension will move to the back wheel, which keeps it in place on the road.
It&#;s also highly recommended that you focus on making sure the axles remain stable while under the trailer. When you first mount the axles, look for any signs that one or more of the axles has resistance to it. If this occurs, the axle wasn&#;t mounted correctly.
After you mount your axles, it&#;s important that you establish a solid connection with the frame. If you use a single-axle leaf spring, the forward area of the spring will serve as an arm that trails away from the frame. This option allows for a stable connection when you&#;re mounting an axle.
When you choose tandem leaf spring axles, the back axle will be the leading arm. This connection doesn&#;t have the same amount of stability. Even though the connection lacks stability, it will become stable when the vehicle is in motion. Because of how this connection occurs, the brakes may be placed along the front tandem axle without being added to the back one.
If you use slipper-style leaf springs, the back axle springs will be pinned to the equalizer to create a trailing arm for every axle. The back springs will attach directly to the central equalizer, which makes it possible for them to effectively float in the back.
If you use the walking beam style, the back axle works like a trailing arm, while the front axle is placed on the same beam. This setup is more complex and difficult to understand. However, it&#;s been used for years and has proven to be effective across many industries. Along with axle stability, you should also make sure that the axles are correctly positioned beneath the trailer. For instance, the axles will need to be straight and parallel.
Truck stability can only occur if all vehicle components are stable. Without proper stability, the truck&#;s tires will go through an ample amount of wear and tear in very little time. If the axles haven&#;t been correctly positioned, you might also notice that your truck&#;s fuel economy is worse than usual.
Triple Axles Recommendations
If you&#;re looking to purchase the best triple axles for your trailer, there are several options to consider. One off-the-shelf option you might be interested in is the Timbren Silent Ride, which provides a smooth ride and a strong frame. It accommodates a tandem axle setup.
If price is an important consideration for you, consider the leaf spring suspension alongside a rubber isolator. As long as you place the rubber isolator in the equalizer, you can use this setup for tandems and triples.
Standard leaf springs are a well-proven and affordable choice if you want to save money while also ensuring your trailer can transport heavy loads without encountering issues. The slipper style is effective for heavy-duty applications, while the eye-eye style is suitable for lighter applications.
Even though you can use twin torsion axles, you shouldn&#;t do so unless you also obtain some form of load sharing. While torsion axles may be effective with lighter trailers, they create more problems than they solve with a heavier trailer.
Conclusion
Since there are several great solutions available to you, you&#;ll need to focus on choosing the right axle configuration based on application, load, and desired performance. No matter which axle configuration you select, make sure you implement consistent load sharing and strong axle stability to maintain a safe and efficient trailer.
For more semi trailer axleinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.