Making a new trailer axle
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- Just new wheel bearings I thought - easy job, done lots of trailers before....
....not this time! Turned out it was cheaper to make up a complete new axle with new hubs, wheels & tyres!
Why?? I hear you shout! Well......you'll just have to watch the video!
Includes a step by step guide to making up a new axle.
Enjoy
Andy
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Andy 
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Good Lord bearings are expensive in New Zealand!! You can get those bearings here in the states for around $75 for the pair, just a little more for new hubs with bearings included.
talk a lot talk a lot
too late now but TL;DR it is/was common to stock only one type of size/make of common axle types and mix and match inner outer bearings to fit what ever was needed to avoid having otherwise multiple identical taking up extra space.
so what most end up doing only having the axles of just one manufacturers type instead
ford axle > ford inner bearing/race > ford outer bearing/race > ford hub
ford axle > ford inner bearing/race > holden outer bearing/race > holden hub
ford axle > ford inner bearing/race > toyota outer bearing/race > toyota hub
inefficient way (ford axle, ford bearings, ford hubs) (holden axle, holden bearings, holden hubs) etc...
ford/holden/toyota
5ft (35mm round/square, 40mm round/square, 50mm round/square)
6ft (35mm round/square, 40mm round/square, 50mm round/square)
7ft (35mm round/square, 40mm round/square, 50mm round/square)
8ft (35mm round/square, 40mm round/square, 50mm round/square)
32 combo for just one manufacturer, triple that for stocking 3 common maufacturers
and the only reason i found out, and that it was a semi common thing was it come up as a remark and the bearing stop "oh so thats a ford inner and a holden outer, no wonder why i was confused on the sizes not being all whole numbers etc..."
Just turn the trailer upside down with axle facing up to take axle off. A lot easier and you’re not underneath it. Nice job though saving the trailer with the upgrade.
Our trailer axle was pooched. I could have done bearings but we needed new tires too. I bought a new axle and 2 tires for 600.00 Canadian and installed that last month. Awesome. old axle bounced the trailer because tires wore out of round. It was only above 50 mph that the trailer towed ok
Neat to see a person working in metric, wow it makes so much more sense than Imperial here in the states. 40 years ago as a kid we learned metric because the US was to switch over to match the rest of the world, well we never did. Perfect example of our error was the Hubble mirror snafu, some of the telescope was done in Imperial and Metric, the result was a few million dollar oopsie and a few returns using the Space Shuttle. You'd think we would learn. Great video Andy
Thanks :-) Appreciate your feedback. I do really struggle with Imperial, taught the metric system only though sometimes I catch myself saying 'ah, a couple of foot long'....or 'that's about an inch...' cant help myself! Lol
Andy have you're females Topples while working
Topples.Female Mechanic yea
Hy Andy. You need to slow down that drill so you can drill faster ! How have you been? Fancy seeing you here, last time I saw you was when you still worked for Paul! Rgds, Henk
I live in Kentucky US and automobile tires are illegal on trailers here D.O.T. will what we call here red Tage it until you put the right tires on it automobile tires are 4 ply you can use automobile tires if thy are 6 ply and on 4000 lbs axles but everything above 4000 lbs have to be 6 ply or above.
ugh....what a pain.... gotta love Tractor Supply Co in the states. complete 3500lb trailer axle 5 lug $219usd.
no female assistant?
To get the stubs concentric with the square axle tube put some rod in each inside corner, they only need to be in a few cm then weld over them.
Yes you will need to work out what dia they need to be, if your lucky it might be a common size rod if not you have a lathe!
Subscribed :)
For centering/squaring I can picture 2 tapped holes on each flat face of square tube. 2 bolts like a set screw to adjust in/out for a total of 8 around tube. Measure length of bolts protruding and center the spindle inside. Snug down bolts. Weld then remove bolts 1 by 1 and add more welds in hole
I subscribed as soon as the babes started rolling through before I even saw if this video was going to be of any use to me at all 🤷♂️
having to watch all these videos, just so I can post the obligatory disclosure, about animal welfare .. no wasps were harmed during the mak..... ahhh ...nevermind ...
Lol :-) cheers Andy
We have a place called Tristate bearn have not yet get a baren we are looking for yet thy sell Timken barens.
Aye could I cut a trailer axle in middle and make it longer by welding a tube in the middle to extend kt
Yep :-)
@@AndyMechanic thank you boss
Brake Clean will kill the wasps even faster. I would like to make myself a trailer, but I lack the proper welding equipment to do it unfortunately. Most seals I have seen here in the U.S. are driven into the hub and not slid on the axle like the one you did. You have to be careful bending the cotter pin over the top like that. Make sure to flatten them down all the way. I have seen the cotter pins touch the cap and tear it apart.
Subscribed love a straight shooter looking for the best for the customer and proud of the work they do. Great job
Good job! By the way, what camera was used for the recording. Nice video. Cheers!
Cheers, it was all filmed using my Samsung S9 phone, amazing really!
All the best
Andy
One thing I would mention is what are you using for wire? I remember getting a welder that came with a roll of flux core. I didn't think much about it, and we were using argon and standard wire. The polarity of the weld cables needs to be switched between the use of the 2 different types of wire. Switching that on that welder between the 2 different wires way back that solved the problem. It sounds to me like if that isn't the problem the wire speed is to fast or the welder isn't up to the task of welding metals that thick. I had a welder that wasn't up to the task of welding things as thick as I was welding and often used a torch to bring the heat up.
Thanks Robert, this was filmed a while ago now. The issue turned out to be a poor ground. I have since upgraded the power supply to the workshop & now have a dedicated 40 amp, 240v AC supply for the Mig, these two changes have completely eliminated the issue thankfully!
Appreciate your comment. I have never used flux core welding wire, always use plain 0.8mm wire & Argon gas.
All the best
Andy
I’ve never seen your channel before but your intro really caught my attention. The girls are AMAZING!
Subscribed.
Don't most new axles come with a camber built in to them so that when its fully loaded it evens the tires out perfectly?
No
Only if you mount them upside down. They are supposed to be mounted with the curve used to camber the wheels inward a little.
The lighter duty axles do indeed come with camber, unless the manufacturer requests otherwise.
Yes, they have a little bit of positive camber built-in. That's how Dexter makes them in the US.
Im here for the women. really dont care about trailers.
Lmao
Trailer + women, almost the perfect day.
Here in the States, the axle is given a counter arc for when there's a load on it to keep the wheels flat to the road.
I've found that brake cleaner spray is a good insecticide for wasps. Can reach from one side of the truck to the other and not get stung.
Thanks for the video.
Put a drill handle on that battery drill and less chance of sprained wrists. Plus drill at eg waist level so more positive push against the large drill bit.Can use square washers with hole punched to avoid drilliing keeper holes in axle tube as well.
In Australia, this type of axle seal is called a marine seal, used mostly on boat trailers. They are designed so you can put a grease nipple (Zerk fitting) on the grease cap and fill the hub and bearings with grease. I build a lot of trailers and my preferred seal even for conventional trailers.
Ah.....great info, very helpful. I didn't know it had a specific name. I can now pass this info on to other viewers that ask. Really appreciate your feedback. Cheers Andy
Really enjoyed watching this video, I have been doing up trailers for years. I would have done the spring mount a little different. I would have welded a plate on rather than drilling into the axle. But all told an excellent job.
You should never weld galvanised steel with out grinding it off were your welds would be, also the fumes that come off of it are poison.
Correct, very important, Thanks for highlighting this point. Cheers Andy
I put a new trailer axle in last week how long do I drive it before rechecking the hub bearings foreplay
Oh 30 miles or 50km should be fine
Cheers Andy
how about putting a STRAIGHT BAR between the tube and axle the will serve a a space ang will keep the hub PARALLEL AND TRUE...
I’ve been a mechanic since the 80s and built many trailers and done similar repairs. Yet I still watched well done.
I bet the 80’s where Magical Times to live in !!!
@@josefastboats5874 I grew up then...it was magical lol
“I still watched” cus of the girls lol
If you are in New Zealand as I think you said........ the trailer was probably made from bearings from a 1950s Holden............The bearings. Back then were imperial and Of American specification...........Standardised Metric bearings came in in the 1960s.
Stevo
Not really "useful" (I don't plan on building an axle), but interesting as hell. Like visiting with a friend
Hi is this trailer streetlegal...here in sweden we must use axels that is fabricated and not homemade for to have it on the road legaly
Yes, in the UK & New Zealand you can build your own trailer. In the UK there are no regular safety checks either! In NZ there is a 3 year check then every year thereafter.
There is no requirement to use branded parts, you could machine up the stub axles yourself :-)
@@AndyMechanic new trailers without brakes is so priced there is no deal built one of your own...and if you wanna change axel you buy one (torrision sprung)and put it there as if it hs been there all time otherwise you must go thru a registercheckas if you changed the chassi for more expensive money. here trailers is free checks if they are older than 50years...and 2-years if newer
stupid wasps. have tons of those here,,,,
Use old race --thin edge to the new race and drive it in --always works and no damage to new race
Get some Dykem. You’ll be able to see your marks on that steel a whole lot easier....
Good idea....will do, Thanks :-)
The outer race is an SAF Holland race. Still in business. They make trailer axles. Maybe bearing was replaced at some point but race wasn't?
If not, does anyone here build and sell axle?
Nothing wrong with that wheel, u can see the spring bolt hole all the time. Hub to hub should be enough
Strangely we don't have trailer inspections in the UK.
No. I thought it was odd that trailers were inspected in NZ - I lived in the UK for 37 years so no inspections was the norm for me.
Cheers Andy
I would measure the trailer rails to find the leaf spring centerlines...who knows if the old axle was dead on...
Good point. That's right, assumptions are our enemy! Cheers Andy
Also good idea to make sure rails are square before measuring
Very excellent video. Glad you didn’t put a lot of fluff and stuff very good one of the better ones I’ve ever seen. I’m doing this job on a trailer I got and I’m just gonna cut the axles in half and re-tube them.
You got to be kidding me every part would have its own specific part number
New sub, Andy! Once I saw the intro, I knew I'd get some info about good lubrication practices and ensuring a proper fit! What a great group of helpers you're training!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Do you really need all the women at the beginning of the video???? I THINK SO!!!!😯
What is the wall thickness of the square tubing for the axle?
or "box section" as you call it?
6mm
my question is what calibre is the square pipe
6mm wall from memory. Cheers Andy
I didn’t think it was bad at all for a lite duty trailer. I doubt you drive it heavy loaded at 70mpg for hundreds of miles. Grease the bearings, tighten, back in use.
Metal drilling, slower RPMs, more oils is normal. Bits seem to last better.
were from the uk are you from it sounds a bit Yorkshire'ish
York :-)
I really enjoyed your video! Wasn't even what I was looking for but but could not stop watching. I also have a couple of my wife's horse trailer axles she was previously told were bent. I am a retired architect and luv learning/teaching new things! You made this VERY understandable! Thank You. Hmmm? I have an old wood shop that needs cleaned up between feeden 'n teachen the Kiddies Ski'en. Just finished spliting black locust for the shop stove too! I love projects!
Excellent video very detailed, step-by-step detail explained very well thank you!
What I do to parallel the stubs in the tube is drill a hole on the corner of the tube and tack weld a nut. put a bolt in it to squeeze the stub into the opposite corner. weld in my rosettes on the side the stub is toward first then the other two. then weld the stub perimeter.
Grind off the nut and weld the hole shut after.
That'll work :-)
This is a GREAT video for someone making their own axle....no bullshit or foolishness just TO THE POINT...WELL DONE.
Cheers Mark, appreciate your feedback. Thanks Andy
Welder earth clamp try a magnetic one. The mig sound in the other video sounded like you where getting out of short circuit and into globular.
Good job most trailer axles have a small amount of camber in it. Some time you can just put a weld in the center of the axle and heat shrink it. Cheers
Mate didn't even skip a second and watched it right to the end
are you based in auckland? can you convert tandem to single axle for my boat trailor ples?
Hi Drew, my workshop is down near Taupo. I can do the work, no problem but won't be able to schedule until mid March at the earliest due to been very busy. Does the trailer have a WoF?
@@AndyMechanic ohok dang too far then, but no will need fresh wof and lights also
You measured the wrong side of the wheel at 47:32
I don't think so???
Aha, you've struck the same problem I have with the trailer I built 50 years ago. The Timken 1997X/1922 and LM 11949/11910 are imperial sizes and from Ford Zephyr and Consul 1956 onwards, so I'm sure these were Zephyr hubs and stubs welded on. Off the shelf trailer units weren't available in NZ back then, so we had to use car components from the scrapyard. I did think of making up a whole new axle as you did, but my axle is a 3 inch drop using the Mk 1 Zephyr bolt on stubs, which were very popular for kiwi trailers back in the day. The LM 11949/11910 are easy to find and not expensive, and I watched ebay UK for a few months until I picked up a couple of NOS 1997X/1922 combos that had been sitting in workshops for years for about £20 plus a few pounds postage each. They are available new but as you found, horrendously expensive. You certainly did the right thing for your customer. You certainly couldn't spend a few months solving the problem fairly cheaply as I did.
Thanks Brian, awesome info, I'm sure some of the viewers will be grateful for your knowledge. Yes, I do believe I did the right thing for the customer although they were not particularly happy with the cost in the end even though it probably worked out a bit cheaper & a far better setup. You cant win them all!
Cheers Andy
Love the videos. And the 2020 calendar over your left shoulder.
888
Try using a Welding/Splatter Paper, it will protect the chuck, also say a glass wind sheild. Get back to work Son!
hahaha...always a pain in the ass putting the cap....had the same problem...
Very helpful video for a lot of applications. Thank you for sharing.
I've found that small wasp nests can be dealt with quite quickly with a can of brake cleaner...... Especially if, two or three seconds into spraying you introduce a lit Zippo into the equation. :D
Lol
Do tape measures not exist down under?
Yes....why do you ask?
Next time take your old race out grind little bit off have way around turn it upside downAnd put a new race no punch
I never realized there would be so much rust in New Zealand.
A complete axle cost in europe 150€ for a good strong axle.... not seperate hubs and have to MAKE a axle.....
It's been 2 years since this video has been released.
Did your axle nut ever come off? It's about... 180-300lbs under the recommended torque. Give or take a few bumps on the road.
I just bought a new 45mm solid axle 1955mm tip to tip for $174 delivered . And bought a full hub kit with mechanical brakes for $250 delivered . I've got about 1/2 hrs work welding on the brake plates and spring plates then just fit the axle and wheels .
Seems like a he'll of a lot of work you've got for standard hubs .
That's very good deal indeed. Things are a lot more expensive here in New Zealand, especially due to the inflated shipping costs now.
Great job
Andy
lol! never seen this guy...20 seconds in and this guy knows how to sell it!
*timepoint **46:30**, why don't you just use strips of masking tape, to square it up by getting rid of the wiggle room? layer a strip of tape on 4 sides until you get a snug fit.*
Hey brother, I build axles can I give you a suggestion? Wrap cardboard over the spindle then duct tape the shit out of it. And that guy was right, that welder sounds horrible, that wire speed sounds QUICK lol
Tucson, Arizona USA subbed and liked. Now I have some binge watching to do. Thanks and stay safe🍺👍😷
WELL LM11949 &
LM11910 YES?
HARLEY DAVIDSON
1988 FXR FRONT AND REAR WHEEL BEARING
PLAIN N SIMPLE
LM 11910 & LM 11949
ARE JUST PLAIN OL COMMON WHEEL BRGS
Strange we dont have an MOT or any test for trailers in the UK
Just found your channel and joined. Great stuff.
I had no intention of watching this whole video... but every time i wanted to fast forward... there was a bit of useful information and tips. Great content, Future me thanks you for all this information!
The axle tube needs to have a crown put in the tube. The center of the tube should be about 18mm higher than the ends.
Thanks for the comment but I disagree, in England & New Zealand the axles are made from straight box section unless it's a boat trailer where the centre of the axle has a V in the middle section to allow clearance on the hull.
On a side note, with this video been made for the DIY Trailer builder can you imagine how difficult it would be for them to ensure the two ends of the axle were parallel if they were to do as you suggest?
Thanks again for your input & it's not often I take a strong standing on my views but I hope I have explained my reasons why
Thanks Andy
@@AndyMechanic I set up my axles with 1/8 toe in but have never added any camber
What tool did you use to remove that interior ridge in the tube? Was it just a hand file or a dremel? Thanks. After years of buying drill bits I will only buy cobalt bits. I'm over sharpening bits. This is the first I've ever subscribed to anything. Thanks again.
23:23 Ooooh 'nasty mechanic', steel hammer on the end of bolt threads!
Haha! True! :-)
Thank
Take a piece of braided copper wire and just wad it up and put under the original ground clamp when you clamp it to the metal. That way you will have many points of contact.
alignment can be achieved by using shims between the stub insu=ide the square tubing 3 sides only needed. do your weld and then side the shims out.
Muito Bom excelente 👍
With the intro I forgot what I was going to watch!
No help in this video, atleast I have 20/20 vision with that 2020 calendar on the wall.
Next time charge for help!
220 or 110 on the mig ????
Hi, it's a 240v single phase from the UK. Cheers Andy
Seeing the pin up girl in the background at the end was worth the video by itself! Nice axle.. I will be buying a factory made one and bolting it on. Now I need to find a pin up girl poster. bwuahahahaaa
Very informative very detail-oriented one of the best how to videos I've watched bravo
why is your U bolt and whole axle configuration is reversed? axle should be on top of the springs not under (this is what i have on my boat trailer)?
Good video. That was a very smart way to get the two stub axles to line up together.I am as much as a perfectionist as I can be with the resources I have and I was wondering how you were going to get them exact. Also, years and years ago while working on a vessel, another engineer said to me the same thing, that welding doesn't sound right. By coincidence, that guy now lives in NZ.
Cheers, yep, I like to do the best job I can with what I have available. Time taken really doesn't come. E in to it - I just work a longer day. Job satisfaction is important to me.
I'm sure the Mig will come right when the 200 Amp supply is finished :-)
Cheers for now
Andy
I find that often as well, no two rulers are ever the same! very odd. Mostly just fast fudge it, as if you try too hard to get it bang on spot on perfectly perfect exact - it usually comes out more out of whack than ever!
to bad you do not speak standard that metric system is horrible to try to understand! 16mm to me means absolutely nothing. I googled it and its a little over 9/16 but .591 seems like such a strange dimension to try to meet half inch would seem normal.
Increase wire speed.
I don't know when New Zealand went metric but that trailer axle was probably made either before or during transition and in Imperial sizes (feet and inches).
In Britain, one side would be a left hand thread on stub (at least when I made a couple of trailers in 1980's)
Tack weld one of the plug welds only, then it's easy to move stubs around to get them concentric
You may find an old leather sofa or chair thrown out sometime, cut out some leather 'sheet' to use over lathe bed or anything else that meeds protection from spatter. Use old engine oil on leather to help protect stuff from rusting, I tend to cover lathe chuck and bed if I won't be using it for a few days (Florida is real high humidity #often 90+%.
Drill bits seem to be rubbing and not cutting clean?
Thanks for the tips, very helpful indeed. I'll keep my eye open for an old leather sheet, great idea & will definitely save the lathe!
Cheers Andy
Clean the spray off the seal journal
Brilliant! As they say.. I've learned a ton watching and I'll be doing this shortly. Question, how do you determine the weight capacity of the trailer with new steel that may not be the same thickness? I have 1/4" square tubing. My old axle was too short so I'm thinking of buying new hubs and following your instruction. You're a great instructor. Thank you from Clovis Calif.
I think generally the spindles are rated specifically. The tube as in your case is 1/4" is much stronger than the spindles
I liked the work BUT, as a Yank, I so much despise metric. :)
Sorry :-( Cheers for the feedback. Andy
If you couldn't get the right bearing sets (and if not, you need a better bearing guy) then why not just replace the hubs and reuse the spindles/axles/springs?
I'd think it would have been a LOT cheaper and easier. Of course, you wouldn't have been able to make as much money that way, nor have made an income producing video....
It was only $150 more to replace everything compared to buying the crazy priced bearings
@@AndyMechanic You miss my point: you should have been able to just replace the HUBS rather than the whole axle....and rather than buy 2 sets of bearings so you could use one hub and one race, you should have been able to get the correct fitting bearings ordered. SKF and or Timken can sell you bearings with nearly any ID?OD combination....at least they can here in the US. There are whole tables to look up based on ID/OD etc. In fact, they have people available online or via telephone who can find those sets for you. Generally not more expensive than a "standard" set of bearings.
Unfortunately, as you'll see in the email one of New Zealand's leading bearing suppliers couldn't supply replacement bearing sets at a viable price. Furthermore the trailer required two new tyres and one new Wheel. The stud pattern of the old hubs was also now rare and as a result the wheel expensive. The cost of the replacement bearings plus rim was only $150 less than the final repair.
The final repair provided the customer with a far more robust Trailer, with two commercial heavy duty tyres, two new galvanized rims, a new axle and new hubs fitted with modern, easy to source, inexpensive bearings - a cost saving for the future. Lastly new U-bolts and base plates - a much stronger setup than on the old axle.
Both options were put to the customer together with pros & cons for each.
The customer decided to go with the replacement axle option & modernise the trailer. They were happy to spend the extra $150 given the advantages that came with this option.
I believe the customer made the right choice. Of course, if the bearings had been $200 instead of $400 this video would probably not exist.
Cheers for your feedback & just to be clear I always put the customer first.
Andy
Andy demonstrated how to fabricate an axle from scratch. We can take bits and pieces from his lesson to replace parts or portions of an axle assembly. Bravo Andy. A related lesson could be repairing a frame beam on a truck or older vehicle. Thanks Andy.