• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Finally starting my teardrop offroad trailer build.

The trailer actually articulates a bit too easy. I still have the socks to mount but I think I may end up putting a very small sway bar on. Anybody know of a vehicle that uses a thin sway bar? I just want it to return to neutral after flexing.
 
I dont think its gonna flex anyhow. It will simply pivot on the coupler. I had a similar suspension on my old trailer, which was/is great for washboards and potholes, but it just pivots on the coupler, as its only being dragged behind the vehicle, and the axle isnt powered to initiate any torsional stresses. Sure, YOU can make it flex, but when its being dragged behind a vehicle, its not going to flex like a crawler would. It just pivots.

For example, here is what will happen. Notice the axle is still parallel to the frame? Its pivoting on the hitch, yours will do the same, even with the single suspension pivot point in the middle...because of where the bags are mounted. It'll work great as a supsension design, do get me wrong, but it wont flex like you are thinking.

13.jpg



Looks great so far BTW!
 
The axle is parallel to the frame since you are running leaf springs. They have a neutral position, whereas air bags don't.

I dont think its gonna flex anyhow. It will simply pivot on the coupler. I had a similar suspension on my old trailer, which was/is great for washboards and potholes, but it just pivots on the coupler, as its only being dragged behind the vehicle, and the axle isnt powered to initiate any torsional stresses. Sure, YOU can make it flex, but when its being dragged behind a vehicle, its not going to flex like a crawler would. It just pivots.

For example, here is what will happen. Notice the axle is still parallel to the frame? Its pivoting on the hitch, yours will do the same, even with the single suspension pivot point in the middle...because of where the bags are mounted. It'll work great as a supsension design, do get me wrong, but it wont flex like you are thinking.

13.jpg



Looks great so far BTW!
 
Are airbags plumbed together? If not they should balance.
the current configuration has the airbags plumbed together. I probably will put a balancing valve between them.
 
Its simple physics. I also had air bags, trailing arms, and a panhard bar, exactly like you do. It will act the same as a leaf sprung trailer in regards to it 'flexing'. It will pivot off of the coupler, plain and simple. The trailer has only one axle (as apposed to a vehicle, jeep etc), and one other attachment point, the coupler. It will pivot on the coupler. Think about it. Better yet, hook it to your Jeep, put air in the bags, and try to make it flex naturally over terrain like the above picture - take pictures, then post them.

Like I said, for everything else, this design will be light years ahead of regular old trailer springs when it comes to every other aspect of suspension. Its just not going to flex like you think.

Looking forward to the rest of the build.

~ Stump
 
if you were offcamber with it, couldn't the downhill bag send its air to the uphill bag causing the body to lean over further?

Simply isolating them would prevent this, no?
 
if you were offcamber with it, couldn't the downhill bag send its air to the uphill bag causing the body to lean over further?

Simply isolating them would prevent this, no?
You are on the same page as I am. Now I just need to find a nice valve that I can ideally bulkhead mount in a 1/2" compressing fitting. It is either that or simply two schrader valves instead of one (probably the way I will go)
 
You are on the same page as I am. Now I just need to find a nice valve that I can ideally bulkhead mount in a 1/2" compressing fitting. It is either that or simply two schrader valves instead of one (probably the way I will go)

I'd do seperate schrader valves. Simple.

Some IFS guys will run airshocks in the front and tie them together, as it forces more articulation.

If your trailer had 0 bushing bind (and a cg above roll center) with linked airbags it wouldn't stay level. Even on level ground it would flop to one side or the other with a little nudge.
 
I finally got the time to start bending the upper framework. People ask how you bend square tubing. Well being an engineer I always seem to build my own tools. I took some shortcuts on building the bender. I was at my local home improvement store, Lowes, and ran across something that cut my time way down. It was a round table top blank. It was 2 feet across and had a beveled edge.

DSC_0013.jpg


The radiused edge causes a slight indentation on the inside of the bend to allow the square tubing to be formed without kinking. The table top was just a tad thicker than the 1 inch tubing. I cut a slot about 60% across the top so a piece of 1x2 thick wall tubing could be inserted for a handle. I used some 1/2" scrap glued and nailed to both sides to strengthen the disc and to provide guides on each side of the tubing. I used some misc bracket material I had to fab the retainer. This thing is really just a knock off of a conduit bender.

DSC_0014.jpg


I then starte bending the side pieces. The trick is to figure out the bend allowance and exactly where the center of the bend will end up. Trial and error is the rule. Once that is done, you can bend your tubing.

I will follow up later with the top frame welded in place. You might not believe it but the top will end up weighting less than most wood configurations.

DSC_0016.jpg
 
Slowly but surely it is comming together.

DSC_0020.jpg





I still have quite a few pieces left on the upper frame but I ran out of steel and money until payday.

DSC_0021.jpg


I have the parts to do the articulated shock isolating offroad hitch, so I will start on that this afternoon.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top