raising height of equipment trailer

I'm looking at a good used equipment trailer with fenders. Has anyone raised height of trailer to get rid of the fenders so you can drive a wide tractor? Looks like spacers in spring mounts would do it. Anybody got any ideas ? Thanks for any help.
 
Are springs under or over the axles?
If under easy to put them on top, if already on top taller (stronger) shackles might work.
 
Sounds dubious to me. The local boys would frequently jack up their trucks to accommodate stupid-large tires simply by adding much, much longer spring shackles, Threw the differential alignment out the window but why not look cool. Anyway, in the case I think you're describing, you would first need to get high enough to clear the fenders and then the additional height to allow spring deflection. The longer the spring shackle also increases the lateral load so they would be more prone to twisting. The shackle doesn't hang perfectly vertical so if you need say, 6" to clear the fender and an additional 3" to allow spring deflection, then you might end up with a shackle that's 9" eye to eye. Not to mention that usually one end is fixed at the frame and the other end accommodates the shackle so all extension occurs there. I would recommend against it but that's just me.
 
Putting the axles above the springs is asking for bent springs. Yes they do it sometimes, but it changes how the force is applied to the springs and will make getting a bent spring much more likely. A better way would be to cut off the hangers and add a tube spacer above to get the height you want. You can get other hangers too to get more height depending on what is already on there.

But mostly it is more cost effective to sell what you have and put that money with what it will cost to adapt yours and get a better trailer and usually have less money invested in the end.
 
(quoted from post at 17:26:51 09/04/16) Putting the axles above the springs is asking for bent springs. Yes they do it sometimes, but it changes how the force is applied to the springs and will make getting a bent spring much more likely.

Spring over axle is a factory option when buying an RV, I have seen 100's of them hear at the RV park.
 
I wouldn't add extensions to the hangers, add a spacer block between the bottom of the spring and the top of the spring seat on the axle--it would be more stable laterally
 
Yes, but they are usually much under the rated capacity for the axles and not usually used off road like
a farm trailer is. And they frequently get bent springs too, I have fixed enough of them over the years.
 
Really? Show me a picture of a comercial trailer built like that then! I've seen a lot of trailers with a spacer above the spring hangers and have made a few myself. Above the spring hangers and done correctly it becomes a part of the trailer structure and can actually make the trailer stronger. Putting the springs above the axle is bad enough, but adding a spacer would be a real bad idea.
 

Get some 8" channel stock to weld the spring brackets to. then weld the trailer on top of the channel stock. I would run the channel stock at least a foot beyond the spring mount points both front and back.
 
I agree with adding a spacer between the bottom of the frame and the spring mounts. I would use 1/4" wall rectangular tubing, run the full length of the shackle mounts plus about a foot beyond each end.

You'll want to keep the bed as low as possible. If all it will be used for is tractor transport, you could even leave some fender hump, make a diamond plate cover that could be driven over.

Changing the length of the shackles or the geometry of the spring pivots is risky.
 
When I was looking at Low Profile deck over trailers every one that I looked at had axle above the springs. The standard deck overs had axles under the springs. By putting axles on top of the springs they get about a 8" deck height difference.
 
Consider replacing the fenders...I made mine out of quarter inch plate, with a small brace between the tandems. Outside edge is bent into a one inch lip. Supports more than my WD45...would go thicker if a heavier tractor.
 
Don't forget the higher the deck the higher the hitch will be so you might be shooting yourself in the foot.
 
Just had that problem. I laid a pair of railroad ties on the deck next to the fenders and drove the back wheels onto them because they were too wide for the fenders. Boomed it down and drove it 110 miles.
 

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