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Happy Tripping 
Senior Member 
Joined: 27 May 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 473 |
 Topic: Replacement axlePosted: 22 May 2019 at 11:30am |
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This is a complicated subject and has left me completely confused. Unfortunately, I now have to replace mine completely.
I prefer to avoid Lippert, so - The question is, do I go with the standard marginal 3500 lb (including wheels) Dexter or the 4200 pound one, ... and are they at all different? Previous discussions of axles have left me quite bewildered.  |
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podwerkz
Senior Member
Joined: 11 Mar 2019 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 966 |
Posted: 22 May 2019 at 11:48am |
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That 4200 pound Dexter looks interesting but when you click on the UFP catalog it looks like about 1.6 zillion options.
'Bewildered' is a good description.  (the 4200# torsion axle is near the bottom of this rather LONG pdf, page 79)
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r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten!
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 22 May 2019 at 12:26pm |
Can we start with what happened to your current axle? That might help narrow down what the best direction to go is. Did you hit a curb/bump hard? Is your axle tube visibly bent? Crown gone flat? Wheel camber out? Both sides or just one side? Do you know how much weight you carry on the axle? Etc. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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Happy Tripping
Senior Member
Joined: 27 May 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 473 |
Posted: 22 May 2019 at 1:43pm |
"..., let's sit on the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings, ..." The matter of my current axle is still under discussion. Suffice it to say that it fell off. When affairs are clearer I will report to this forum.
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 22 May 2019 at 2:08pm |
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OoooKayyy...wow. New axle needed... With no intention of creating a story spoiler, do you think you need more capacity or are you good with that part of it? IOW, there is a tradeoff between increased capacity and ride quality. Said another way, if your trailer is pretty light then a 3500 lb axle will probably work for you and shake the trailer less. If you're pushing up against the 3500 lb limit (like I am) then a higher capacity axle will hold up better and won't shake the trailer badly because its riding pretty heavy anyway. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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Happy Tripping
Senior Member
Joined: 27 May 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 473 |
Posted: 22 May 2019 at 3:03pm |
Thanks for the responses. I dislike the 3500 # axle because mine bent with 'normal' wear and tear. But if the 2 are identical except for minor tweaking, getting the heavier-limit axle will be a waste of $$ because it still has the threat of bending under 'normal' use. Ride quality has not been an issue that I am aware of.
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podwerkz
Senior Member
Joined: 11 Mar 2019 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 966 |
Posted: 22 May 2019 at 3:35pm |
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No relation what-so-ever to this thread, but I might just wander out to the pod and check the torgue on my axle mounting bolts.
You know....just randomly.  |
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r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten!
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 23 May 2019 at 7:49am |
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OK, understood. So, you want to see if can track down a Dexter axle with a step higher capacity components that will fit where your Lippert axle was.
This online store looks like it has a nice configurator that will walk you through what you need to order a Dexter axle:: You'll need some information and dimensions from your existing axle which hopefully is still intact. If you can read the part number off it then that will help with some of this. Mine is for example: LCI35H-DTBSA-89.5-59.25-ID-ZERO-LPIB-L-545. I think (but you should confirm) that the 89.5 is the hub face to hub face length in inches, the 59.5 is the mounting bracket spacing, and the ZERO is the start angle for the torsion arms. The way to tell if you're actually getting an axle with higher capacity components is to get the lowest rated one that uses 6 bolt hubs rather than 5 bolt hubs. For Lippert this is a 5200 lb axle, the 4400 lbs was a red herring. I suspect its the same for Dexter but you'll need to check. This upgrade will require you to get new brake assembles, drums, and wheels as well as a new axle, but that way you'll have upgraded all your components. Good luck and please keep us posted, I'm sure others will be heading down he same path eventually, the frequency of Lippert 3500 lb axle failures on rPods seems to be rising... |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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Happy Tripping
Senior Member
Joined: 27 May 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 473 |
Posted: 23 May 2019 at 10:44am |
It shows my level of knowledge that I thought the thing was welded to the frame.
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Replacement axle