How much can i gut it out?

[Brad Yates]

I've got a truck bed trailer. Supposedly made from a 69 Chevy. I haven't messed with axles much, so i'm asking you guys. How much can i gut out of the axle? I need to loose as much rolling weight as i can so it'll roll easier behind my little TJ.

 

[Brad Yates]

Pics:

 

[James K]

the shell and the bumper, thats pretty much it.

 

[DaveB]

I have a similar trailer made from an old 72 chevy. Instead of using the frame and the heavy ho72 axle I just mounted the bed on a frame we welded up. We used a trailer type axle and the combination is not that heavy. Unfortunately your setup is about the heaviest way to make one of these trailers from an old chevy since you have the coil spring setup with the swing arms rather than leaf springs.

 

[Brad Yates]

i'll just run it as is then. maybe swap out the axle for a 3500#er when i get out to georgia.

 

[olywrestle]

that trailer looks about as beautiful as my truck bed trailer

 

[tv_larsen]

It's a full floater, so you could pull the axle shafts. You'll need to make some caps for the hubs. That will remove some rolling resistance. Also make sure the tires are fully inflated. Swapping to some aluminum wheels and smaller tires might even help a small amount.

To remove more wieght, you could pull the carrier and ring gear as well. I think that's an Eaton rear end, so you could pull the whole center chunk and cap the axle housing with something lighter to keep the water and dirt out.

Those are very heavy trailers. If you insist on towing with a TJ, you may be better off selling it and buying something lighter like a small Big Bubba's trailer.

 

[Brad Yates]

that's what i wanted to hear! so all the caps (2 hubs and 1 pinion) will just be sealing out water and dirt? Unfortunately i do insist on using this trailer. I'm already a few hundred into it. I'll be buying smaller tires for it and i'll see about the wheels.

 

[Bud]

I've got a truck bed trailer. Supposedly made from a 69 Chevy. I haven't messed with axles much, so i'm asking you guys. How much can i gut out of the axle? I need to loose as much rolling weight as i can so it'll roll easier behind my little TJ.

If it is a full-floater and you don't plan on using the brakes then lose the brake drums and all of the brake pad parts. Just leave the hubs. Pull out the axle shafts, ring and pinion (+carrier), diff-cover, etc. If it is a full floater you don't need any of that, just make plugs where the shafts used to mount (or cut off excess shaft) to keep out debri, grease your bearings with real bearing grease since their is no more oil to do it, and that should pretty much lose a couple hundred pounds....

 

[Brad Yates]

sweet. i'll take er all apart and make sense outta what you guys are saying. an empty diff would make a nice hiding place. anyone need some "goods" smuggled to the east coast?