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  April 26, 2011 10:43 a.m. PHeller Dork

  I've got a 70's Holsclaw motorcycle trailer with the alignment messed up. It goes through a right side tire once every 800 or so miles.

  Because the trailer is coil spring suspension, and requires a custom axle made by a company no longer in business, you can imagine my $200 trailer + $100 titling fees are in jeopardy.

  I'm not having much luck selling it because my honesty kicks in and I've gotta tell people about the problem.

  At $300 invested, would it be better to try and convert the trailer to leaf spring and keep it, or sell it for $150?

  I've got some ideas but I'll hold those until we get over the is it worth it question.

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  April 26, 2011 10:48 a.m. Ian F SuperDork

  None of the trailer axle kits on NorthernTool.com would work for you?

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  April 26, 2011 10:59 a.m. cwh SuperDork

  Looks like the axle tube is bent. Torch and straighten? Cut center section of the tube and weld in a straight replacement? That would be GRM, as long as you can get it truly straight.

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  April 26, 2011 11:07 a.m. PHeller Dork

  Ian F wrote: None of the trailer axle kits on NorthernTool.com would work for you?

  Not as a direct bolt on affair, no.

  See, my trailer has a main support which the rails pivot on. This support is where the axle is connected to the trailer. I won't call it a frame, because the trailer doesn't have a frame. The support has mounting points for shocks, coil spring, and a panhard bar, as does the axle.

  Not only that, but the axle has connection points for the control rods that connect the front and the back of the trailer together.

  The only front-back supports are those control rods, which do nothing more than keep the axle from being pulled off the trailer. When the rails are secured (not tilted for unloading/loading) they also act as the "frame". The control rods don't control alignment, they work like lateral links. Without those lateral links, the trailer would be held together only with the rails for the motorcycle.

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  April 26, 2011 11:34 a.m. mad_machine SuperDork

  definatly looks like the axle is bent. I imagine you should be able to have a machine shop unkink it.

  Mercenary Stage Hand: When the money's gone, so am I.

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  April 26, 2011 1:13 p.m. PHeller Dork

  Ok I did some more looking at the trailer and discovered I was wrong, there is actually a frame, which is good.

  What I'm thinking is running a piece of square tubing to connect the middle support and forward support, having it be a little longer, then attaching leaf springs to that.

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  April 26, 2011 1:28 p.m. Strizzo SuperDork

  looks like a basic 3 link, aside from there not being anything to keep the axle from rotating, unless the trailing links are solid mounted to the axle, and dictate its F/R rotation.
  

  if you're handy with a welder, you might be able to replace just the tube axle and move the mount points to a non-bent one, or just straighten the axle.
  

  a jackstand-and-string alignment check will probably tell you a lot about what's going on

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  April 26, 2011 2:17 p.m. Ian F SuperDork

  After the pics, I see what you mean... still, it seems like one of these could be made to work as well as simplify things a bit:

  http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200323663_200323663

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  April 26, 2011 2:32 p.m. PHeller Dork

  No welder, no welding experience, no friends with welders either. I'd have to pay someone to do it and who knows what that'll cost.

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