hi we seek advice on merits or no advantage of changing the location of the axle and spacer on the the leaf spring suspension of our van
ground clearance is one thing we wouldlike to gain a little more off especially in driveways to servo,s etc , is there a noticeable raise by simply reversing the position of the axle from on top of the spring to underneath ?
hi we seek advice on merits or no advantage of changing the location of the axle and spacer on the the leaf spring suspension of our van
ground clearance is one thing we wouldlike to gain a little more off especially in driveways to servo,s etc , is there a noticeable raise by simply reversing the position of the axle from on top of the spring to underneath ?
thanks will appreciate comments
regards grae and deb
You will gain in height the thickness ofthe springs, BUT may not comply with the insurance due to a modifaction. Check first.
NOTE; in the case of a stepped axle NEVER rotate it 180deg.
JC.
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Be your self; there's no body better qualified ! "I came into this world with nothing , I still have most of it"
You will gain some extra body lift, but the actual ground clearance will remain the same, ie. the distance from the ground to the bottom of the axle itself.
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Take only your memories, leave only your footprints
A small number of van manufacturer offer this arragement as an outback package (Namely Jayco), but it has usually been su7pplied with chassis by their chassis manufacturer and approved by the chassis engineer. Unfortunately a few others do the conversion themselves after receiving the chassis as the chassis manufacturer won't do it.
Spring Over conversions are carried out by most van repairers and service centres. The main things to look out for is that the axle location plates are re-welded with linear welds not lateral welds and Hi- tensile 'U' bolts are used. This type of conversion raises the chassis about 4", so with the van level measure the height from the ground to the centre of the ball coupling. Add 105mm to the measurement and see if it will fall within the legal height for 50mm ball couplings. i.e. 350 - 460mm. If it's going to be higher (In most cases it is) then the coupling will need to be relocated below the drawbar (Expensive) or alternatively fit a 'Pin' type coupling as they have no height requirement. If mud flaps are not fitted to the van then you'll also require them to remain legal.
Spring over conversions are also carried out by many, many amateur home mechanics and van owners to varying standards, from good to downright dangerous. However you should note that as this entails changes to the suspension system to be 100% legal you may require a letter of approval from the chassis manufacturer (I don't know many that will condone the conversion) or from an approved engineer. But as changes have been made to the overall construction of the van it would be beneficial to contact your van insurer and let them know of the conversion.
The industry standard for raising a van is to either fit straight axles in lieu of standard overlay axles (If fitted) around 1 -3/4" lift or to weld a chassis riser between the suspension mounting points and the chassis rail. the usual is 2", but one could ask for 3" or even 4". Don't forget final coupling height. You'll be surprise how much extra clearance you get on the rear of a van with just a 2" lift, it makes a real difference.
Best of luck, Ozjohn.
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Retired Engineer, Ex Park Owner & Caravan Consultant. Holden 2.8 Colorado - Roma Elegance 17'6" Pop Top. Location: Mornington Peninsula Vic.
changing to under slung . how much you will gain measure the thickness of the springs and the thickness of the axle . im in the process of doing our goldstream pop up along with disk brakes its got a step axle but its not advisable to turn the axle over as jc said it puts enormous stress on the u bolts and will fail quicker if you have brakes.
you will have to buy a u bolt kit with new bolts new bottom plate and an axle centre bolt aligner the aligner is welded to the axle . before you weld the aligner in place make sure the axle is the same measurement from the spring to the end of the axle and from the end of the axle to a measured centre point forward or rearward of the axle this is a sort of wheel alignment ( i measure the centre of the van at the back chassis rail takes 2 people and sounds a bit complicated but believe me its worth the effort . you dont want your van crabbing down the road.) i did my last pop up camper but i also put a lift in the chassis of 3 inches . ok some one said you still get the axle dragging on the centre but this happens to a lot of 4x4 with a 6 inch lift . its more for rear end clearance
