All,
So I have triple axle curtainside trailer that is on air suspension. I need to get into some tight spaces with it so I was wondering what I would need to do to convert two of the axles to lift axles?? Is there something special about a lift axle vs a standard air suspension axle ■■ … or is it just a question of having the right valves so that you can lift each one independently using the normal travel range of the air suspension??
Thanks
P.
There’s various ways of doing it and lots of different valves available but the easiest way is contact the trailer manufacturer buy the valves and even the parts from them .
I’ve made axles lift before but all trial and error and luck .
If it’s just one off tight places then you can just fit valves to turn off the air to the two axles you want to raise. Then you lower the whole lot and mechanically attach the two axles to the trailer with chains or there are systems with rods then raise the whole lot up.
However, bear in mind what you gain in a shorter wheelbase you lose in extra overhang so it might not help in as many situations as much as you might think. Also fully laden the stress forces will be more than one axle can safely withstand.
Will you be intending lifting one or two axles when fully loaded?
How much load would then be on the axle remain on ground and how much air pressure will that need to keep the air bags inflated? Is that within limits of the bags, and your air pump? Are their any C & U laws about axles dropping automatically to prevent overload?
… it’s lightweight stuff so no issues with overloading. I wouldn’t have bought a triple axle trailer, as a tandem axle would have been sufficient for our needs but it came as a package with the tractor unit so am kinda stuck with it! Mainly need to lift to get in and out of gateways etc Another option would be to remove one axle entirely …but not sure if there are any dramas with that or not?
Punchy Dan:
There’s various ways of doing it and lots of different valves available but the easiest way is contact the trailer manufacturer buy the valves and even the parts from them .
I’ve made axles lift before but all trial and error and luck .
As Dan says, get in touch with manufacturers, they may offer a DIY kit, or even be able to retro fit a lifting system at a fixed price.
The ones I’ve seen which lift two axles, lift axles 1 and 3 which is not going to be a lot of help for access. As others have said commented speak to a manufacturer.