# Drop Axle?



## sbarcewski (Apr 3, 2011)

Can you mount a drop axle with the drop in either direction or will mechanical forces make the axle to "unsteady" if the drops were pointing towards the ground instead of up? I'm at work right now, but when I get home I'll post some pictures.
Scott


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## bassboy1 (Apr 3, 2011)

Most drop axles have a camber, so they can only be used one way. I've never seen a drop axle with a low enough carrying capacity to not come pre-cambered.

The only way we go about "flipping" the axles is on the under 2000 pound rated ones, which are completely straight, so they can be mounted either way. On axles with a camber, to swap the springs from top to bottom (the whole reason for flipping them), it involves cutting the spring mount off of the top, and welding a new one to the bottom.

You aren't over on weldingweb.com are you? I just answered a very similar question over there, about 10 minutes ago.


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## sbarcewski (Apr 3, 2011)

No, not on welding.web. I have no problem with the cutting and remounting of the spring seats, I was just wondeering if there would be too much force applied to the newly welded spring seats if the drop axle was flipped over. Would the axle want to rotate and start snapping things if mounted this way. Not the best visual but this is what I want to do.

Original set-up:

\_I_______I_/

What I want to go to:

/-I--------I-\


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## Bugpac (Apr 3, 2011)

You really dont want to make a drop a raised axle. You could move the springs from top to bottom no problem, but ass bassboy said camber change is not good to flip the axle.


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## bassboy1 (Apr 3, 2011)

Bugpac has got it right.

I phrased it a little funny in the first post. On the axles rated over 2000 pounds, "flipping" them doesn't actually involve flipping them. The camber (a slight bend that causes the tires to be toe in when unloaded, then level out when fully loaded) can't be flipped. So, "flipping" a larger axle entails leaving the axle in the direction it was originally, but welding a new spring bracket on, so the springs can be mounted on the other side of the axle (usually accounts for a 3-4" difference). I don't know why that got called flipping, as it is somewhat of a misnomer.

The little, under 2000 pound axles are the only ones that can be flipped in the truest sense of the word (as in, turned upside down), as they are symmetrical (no camber)

The reason I assume yours is a 3500 pound rated axle is that I have never yet seen a smaller axle with the 4" drop, and have seen/used plenty of 3500 # ones with that.


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## futonman (Apr 3, 2011)

leaf springs bigger 3 -up to- 4 bar:










Rims and tires from 13" to 15" old tire -1250Lb new tire -2200Lb NO more bowouts
Axel to 3500Lb:






if you drop her you might have to change your jack and your Tow Hitch:


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## sbarcewski (Apr 3, 2011)

Thanks for the replies guys. I was mainly worried about getting enough clearance between the fenders and the sides of the boat. My intial thought was to just "Flip" the axle and get the fenders as low as possible to not interfere with the sides of the boat. I think I can accomplish the same thing by leaving the axle in it's "normal" orientation and putting a spacer between the frame and spring mounts. Wadda you think?
Scott


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