Finally starting my teardrop offroad trailer build.

[etatum21]

Would you mind enlightening the group on how you bend the square tube? I like working with square tube but haven't figured out how to bend it properly without an actual tubing bender.

[Fore Wheeler]

is this done yet?

[200SportXj]

Originally Posted by etatum21

Would you mind enlightening the group on how you bend the square tube? I like working with square tube but haven't figured out how to bend it properly without an actual tubing bender.

tape end, fill with sand, tape that end. put in vice, heat with torch and use a pipe wrench or your hand to pull it. will bend and keep form. google it

[old_man]

Nope, not even close. I have a three day weekend and hope to bend some tubing starting tomorrow. Remember that the radius on the bends is quite large, so the deformation is not great.

I hope you guys like my suspension. I have a few welds left and then I will paint it with a "Top Secret Coating" before I do some pix.

http://www.topsecretcoatings.com/cst...?idCategory=46

I am also going to try and finish my vibration isolating offroad articulating hitch tomorrow. I made the first one of these about 40 years ago on the farm for pulling a sled behind a bailer.

[old_man]

Here are some pix of the trailer frame as I pulled it out into the sunlight for the first time. I still have to mount some shocks and finish the fancy coupler but things are coming along.








Nothing like a little overkill on the draglink.

[old_man]

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.

[Sponge Bob]

maybe a rear stock swaybar from a XJ

[stumpXJ]

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.




Looks great so far BTW!

[old_man]

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

Originally Posted by stumpXJ

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.




Looks great so far BTW!

[srimes]

Originally Posted by old_man

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

Are the airbags plumbed together? If not they should balance.

[old_man]

Originally Posted by srimes

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.

[stumpXJ]

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

[DrMoab]

Originally Posted by old_man

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.

Moby1 trailers use a currie style swaybar on their teardrops.
www.moby1trailers.com

[souske]

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?

[old_man]

Originally Posted by souske

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)