By
Cree Vicar Dave ~ SASS Life #49907
A few weeks before we set out on our six month Cowboy Action voyage in our newly rebuilt 1969 Airstream trailer the Vicar’s Wife and I were putting the finishing touches on it, curtains, window shades and having inlaid vinyl installed. Gold Tooth Dave mentioned that the trailer looked like it was lower on one side than the other. We measured, and sure enough there was almost a one and a half inch difference.
On closer inspection I noticed that the axles didn’t seem right. When we jacked it up there was hardly enough clearance to remove the tire. The Airstream trailer does not utilize a metal coil or leaf spring. Its spring action is a square steel tube filled with rubber and a square steel bar that extends out to an arm that has a spindle attached to it. Over the years the rubber can lose its luster. The axles on our 1966 were OK but this 1969 had problems. In the old days this was a quick fix. They just pried up the ole covered wagon with a stout tree branch, blocked it up with a stump and went ta work makin the parts they needed for the job. But with only a couple weeks before we started out on our shooting venue and winter escape there was a very large snag impeding our progress. After making a few calls we had two new axles (with extra load capacity), four new brake assemblies and four new shocks being delivered. It says in Psalm 20:7, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” Axles have come a long way since chariot travel but my trust is still in the LORD.
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We lifted up the trailer and set it on jack stands. Removing the old axles is not difficult but care should be taken not to break off the shock stud when loosening the nuts. A little heat and some W-D-40 is better than having to cut a stud out and weld a new one back in. A thread chaser was used on them and anti-seize was applied to the threads before installing new shocks. I used new washers and shakeproof nuts on the shocks. A floor jack was used to lower the old axles and lift the new ones in place. Gold Tooth Dave and Matt teamed up with me to install them in a few hours one afternoon. The brake assemblies went on well. I used blue lock tight on all the bolts. You don’t need any surprises going down the road at 60 MPH.
The shocks are a little tricky to install. You can put them on after installing the axles but if so you need to bend the shock bracket ears back, install shocks and bend back straight. Or before lifting axle, install one end to axle and attach other end when axle is in place then tighten nuts. Make sure the shocks are on the right way!
I soldered all wires for the electric brakes. In time past I spent half a day alongside a road in Canada removing clip on wire connectors, soldering and taping wires together on a fishing companion’s trailer. When the brakes don’t work in mountainous country it has the makings of a bad day.
Solid brass valve stems were installed in rims for the “D” rated radial tires. Also I bought those auto balancing rings that bolt on behind the rims. They worked well until we ventured onto I-40 going to the OK State Shoot. In their great wisdom the Hwy department put saw cuts in the concrete that are a perfect match for the circumference of the trailer tires. As a result the little BBs in the balancers got pounded to one area and the trailer started to think it was on the basketball court. Needless to say the auto balancers are no longer being used, I just made sure the tires are properly balanced.
When we finished our four state shoot circuit and landed in a Georgia RV Park I noticed that the frame in the back had slowly settled in the west. But that’s a tale of woe for next time.
I’m glad we had new axles and brake units on before starting on our venture. The trailer pulled and stopped like a new one.
Hope ta see ya on the trail
God Bless,
