Tinfoil Dexter Axle

WilliamA

https://teardrop-trailers.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/7831#Comment_7831

I know that feeling well. I'm excited to get out this week for some back country forest roads and try it out where it counts. Other than sourcing some Bowden sheath for the parking brakes and swapping out the lugnuts I'm pretty much finished. I called a buddy of mine who owns a tire store and asked him for some extended-length, 1/2" X 20 TPI lugnuts in extended length. He said he has some but I have to go up there to get them. LOL. While I really like the design and specs of the O.E. Boondock wheels, I don't like having to use the tiny reduced-thickness lugnuts required with them. The extended-length lugnuts are all steel, (no chrome stamped jacket) and full thickness. They take a 13/16" socket which won't go into the wheel recess, hence the extended length. That gets them out far enough to get a meaty 6 point impact socket on. I don't like the thin-wall tuner style lugnuts and don't trust them. I play hard...

Looking back on the axle job it's pretty straightforward. The difference in ride and handling defies description....Really does...

WilliamA

TomD

Ahhhh

WilliamA

Parking brake time...

I had to go to town for some groceries so I stopped at NAPA and got a couple of one size fits none parking brake cables. I didn't need the cables. Just the Bowden tubes,

but they were preassembled. I told the dude what I needed and he rolled his eyes (Oh joy...a fabricator...) But dug around and came back with a couple. These happen to fit a Ford Ranger but were perfect for what I needed. I cut the cables off and mounted them to the backing plates.

I had to fab up some front brackets for the front of the tube,

but it was a no-brainer. My kind of building. For fastening the cables to the backing plate lever, I cut the head off a 1/2" bolt, drilled a 3/16" hole in it and welded it right to the brake arm. Now it's just run the cable in the hole and tighten down the nut. That eliminates the adjuster turnbuckle. It's just one straight cable from end to end.

I just need to make a little spring bracket for where the cable goes past the fender.

Boom....Done....Boom....

WilliamA

WilliamA

I've been in the "hell of 1,000 remodels" for a few weeks now. The "shed" will officially soon be renamed the "pottery studio".

I snuck off during afternoon break and made my pigtails:

Coiled and cleverly bent 3/16" steel rod.

Just need paint....

Glad to have my parking brakes back. They are working awesome, as are the service brakes.

WilliamA

LuckyJ

@WilliamA , tgis is a very nice build.

Knowing a bit about the T@G frame, I was deffinetly curiuous on how you would pull it of w/o a cross member between tge two boom of the axel less system and also w/o welding. I see that you change your mind and it will only make it more durable in time!

On my side, since I did not finish yet my suspension and hub upgrade, I was wondering how I was gonna fab the parking brake cable on the back plate. You solution is nice, clean and simple. I will more tyan likely take that from you.

On a personal not, I know that more and more timbren axle less suspension system are outthere, but I still not sure about having a singke pivot point per arm. I worry about ware and force from leverage over time on that single pivot point. But you are done and I'm still in the project phase!

Again, very nice work and happy to see that it is working so well!

😊