Anyone designing and building their own independant suspension? (1 Viewer)

[nat]

I got the bug to build my own trailer. Pretty much its your guy's fault More or less it will be a dedicated camping trailer based on M101 dimensions.

I was thinking an independant suspension would be cool. Not a torsion bar, but maybe something with adjustable coil over shocks.

Anybody build their own? I would like mounts for brakes as well.....is that just a flange of some sort?

If it ends up being too much hassle, I guess a 3500 lb axle is the way to go.........probably cheaper in the end too

 

[NorCal Cruiser]

http://www.atreport.com/st1.html

Here's a kit offered by Adventure Trailers for M416s. You could do something like this.

 

[VTFJ40]

http://www.atreport.com/st1.html

Here's a kit offered by Adventure Trailers for M416s. You could do something like this.

$1200 ouch! But it's a nice set up. Would be better with some protection for those airbags.

 

[REZARF]

By the time you design and fab a trailing arm indi-air suspension, I bet you are pretty close to the 1200 mark. You could do it with coils and save some cash. There isn't that much geometry that goes into an indi suspension, but man you gotta keep everything 100% square!

I would love to see one be built, that wasn't new ground I wanted to break for my DIY self.

Drew

 

[nat]

Drew, that is what I was thinking. I figured it was too expensive to build...........................but, late last night, the cheap easy way to keep the spindles aligned, came to me.

It is so simple, I just need to sketch up some things and really see if it will work.

I figure, if the spindles are perfectly aligned and perpendicular to the towing axis, then some small variation in the trailing arm's pivots is no big deal.

 

[alia176]

I am thinking about something similar but as Drew said, everything must be kept square. One scenario that I'm mulling over is to pick up a set of used trailer leaf suspension. Then remove all but the main leaf and install a set of pickup truck supplemental helper air bags. This way you get to have axle location while variable height/spring rate. One thing to note on the trailer leaves is that they're usually 25" long so not a lot of room for suspension travel. A set of springs from a Mini or something similar may work better but I don't have much knowledge in this area.

Is this a crazy idea?

 

[D'Animal]

How big of tires do you plan on running? You could get the rear independent suspension from a VW THING and build from there.

 

[96r50]

As for keeping the independent suspension straight while building, could you not just build it with a solid axle, then cut out the unnecessary centre portion once it was mounted up?

 

[nat]

As for keeping the independent suspension straight while building, could you not just build it with a solid axle, then cut out the unnecessary centre portion once it was mounted up?

Bingo..............that is my exact plan. Great minds must think alike

 

[nat]

THat axle Drew is using is 2 3/8" in diameter. That is perfect, you can use 2x2 or something like it for the swing arm. It can be drilled using hole saws, probably accurately enough for the swing arm pivots to be very close in line wiht each other.

I would turn on a lathe an insert to be welded into the end of the cut off axle.

 

[Fast Eddy]

It's about $2 to browse Pick 'n' Pull for motivation. You could probably get links, arms, springs, shocks and wheels for a hundred or so. Isuzu Rodeo rear or Nissan 4x4 front end maybe?

 

[REZARF]

As for keeping the independent suspension straight while building, could you not just build it with a solid axle, then cut out the unnecessary centre portion once it was mounted up?

Makes perfect sense... now get on it!

Then make me one.

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

Bingo..............that is my exact plan. Great minds must think alike

We must all be geniuses 'cause that's exactly what I was thinking as soon as I read the first post

 

[nat]

Now the race begins to see who can build it first

Just a few more weeks and an upgrade of my Dad's utility trailer, I can start my own.

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

I want to build a trailer so bad, but it's like 25th on the list of major projects and about 140th on the list of budget items to be approved ;p

 

[RHINO]

i have had a few out of the box ideas on indy. susp. even drew up one of them. but i ultimately came away thinking the payoff wont be that much better then just a simple coil solid axle set-up.

 

[nat]

That may be true, but it still would be pretty cool to design and build.

If it wasn't so impractical for what I want, it would be cool to have an open bent tubing trailer, with places to put waterproff boxes and such.

 

[inkpot]

i have had a few out of the box ideas on indy. susp. even drew up one of them. but i ultimately came away thinking the payoff wont be that much better then just a simple coil solid axle set-up.

Howdy! The closest I've come is just a straight axle with coils. Just use two trailing arms from the front of the bed, like an early 60's Chevy P/U. I made a trailer from one of those many years ago. That way you have 2 nice rock ramps built right in. Of course, if you used 4 trailing arms and just cut the middle section out, hmmmmm....... John

 

[alia176]

where can one purchase coil springs for trailers? These trailers are very light weight and car coils wouldn't work I suspect. I've been tinkering with installing two coils springs, trailing arms,a panhard/track rod and two limiting straps on mine. My trailer weighs around 1300lbs wet.

 

[inkpot]

Howdy! I would think that the rear axle rating on most econo-boxes is between 1000-1500 pounds. John