Suspension mod.

Submitted: Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 08:49
ThreadID: 132417 Views:2325 Replies:7 FollowUps:6
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Hi everyone.
Recently bought a Millard dual axle. Happy with it,except the previous owner lifted it by putting the axles under the springs. How much do you think it would be to have it reversed back to original?
I'm in Perth.
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Reply By: Notso - Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 09:19

Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 09:19
I he's just removed the axles and placed them under the springs instead of above then it is a fairly simple matter to remove them and put them back the way they were.

If the axles are straight through, this is probably what he's done. If they are stepped then sometimes they rotate the axles to reduce the amount of lift when they undersling them. This can cause you a problem if you put them back because the main beam will have a slight bend in it to give the wheels a small amount of camber and if he had it done correctly they would have had to reverse the slight bend to get the camber right.
AnswerID: 600068

Reply By: Erad - Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 09:54

Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 09:54
Check the toe-in of the wheels. Most axles are not straight and in fact Al-.Kko claim to put some toe-in supposedly to provide stability for the towed vehicle. I reckon it is because they cannot weld the stub axes dead straight (due to contraction as the weld cools). I had a brand new Jayco van which whore out a set of tyres in 18000 km and despite attempts to fix the problem wore out 3 sets of tyres before finally Al-Ko (the axle manufacturer) replaced the axle on my van for free (including freight)' I have since seen lots of vans with tyres worn on the inner edge of the tread.

If you rotate you axle, what was once toe-in will now be toe-out or vice versa. Check your tyre wear before you change over as well.
AnswerID: 600071

Follow Up By: Paul E6 - Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 15:51

Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 15:51
yes, but I'm not planning on doing it myself.
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Reply By: TomH - Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 10:33

Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 10:33
If you reverse the axles as in roll them 180 deg the brakes will be backwards as well You would need to remove the springs and replace them under the axle and make sure it has locating pins etc
AnswerID: 600073

Reply By: Ron N - Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 10:46

Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 10:46
Paul, I'm not sure where you're located - but a bloke near my workshop in Bayswater seems to do a fair bit of minor caravan and trailer repair, and would probably give you an estimate of the cost.

He trades as "Gas Smart" but I don't think he does any gas work nowadays, due to LPG being a dead loss economically.
He appears to be just a one-man band with a bit of a junk-strewn factory setup, but he seems to be capable enough, and I've seen him doing a fair few caravan and trailer axle repairs.
His phone number is 0405 668 804 and he's at 21 Wotton St Bayswater.

Cheers, Ron.
AnswerID: 600075

Follow Up By: Paul E6 - Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 15:53

Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 15:53
thanks for the tip.
there are 2 or 3 van repair places within 10 k's of me now.
I was really after people who had it done professionally, and what they had been charged.
cheers
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FollowupID: 869394

Reply By: Gronk - Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 10:50

Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 10:50
Any particular reason why you want to put it back to standard ?

Put the van on chassis stands, undo the springs and put them back under the axle and bolt back up. Probably take an hour all up !!
AnswerID: 600077

Follow Up By: Ron N - Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 11:14

Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 11:14
Gronk - That would be the case, if the 'van has never been off the bitumen or spent all its life in a shed!

My experience is that axle retention U-bolts get horribly rusty, the nuts are so tight you generally destroy a few in the removal process - and 9 times out of 10, it's generally faster and cheaper to buy new U-bolts, and cut the old ones off!

Then you have to ensure that all the mounting faces are clean and rust-free, to prevent the bolts working loose in operation - as any dirt or rust caught in the faces will compress and loosen the bolts and nuts.
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Follow Up By: gbc - Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 11:36

Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 11:36
Then the brakes don't fit through the gap in the springs so they have to come off, then you have to grind off and re weld 4 locator plates, then you find out they've put on bigger tyres and they won't fit...... Even an unbraked axle set will throw up plenty of hassles.
More good advice is to not reuse u bolts. Cut them off and get new ones.
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FollowupID: 869386

Follow Up By: Paul E6 - Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 15:59

Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 15:59
all good points.
The tyres are standard however.
torque-ing the bolts right is another issue.
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Reply By: 2517. - Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 11:30

Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 11:30
Why bother ?
AnswerID: 600080

Follow Up By: Paul E6 - Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 15:55

Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 15:55
its a matter of height restriction at our place.
I have one or two other options to solve the prob, and
this is one of them.
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FollowupID: 869396

Reply By: Paul E6 - Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 16:01

Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 16:01
thanks for the replys.
doing it myself is an option but only have myself to do it
and most things like this are difficult on your own.
I'm really after the experiences of people who have had it done by a pro.
AnswerID: 600095

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