Axle Problem 2015 182G

Short of the riser that I still believe does not traverse the frame long enough (3ft plus in my mind) Toyanvil's  design is one of the 'best' I have seen! It hits all the math for strength! 

I disagree.

I am an engineer and Toyanvil's design while it worhs and is aesthetically pleasing is a complex solution to a simple problem. It also produces moments (torques) on the frame rails that are not necessary or beneficial.

The axle tube is a simple double ended cantilever. As such if it has equal loads on each end from the wheel attachments the bending moments on it increase from the ends to the attachment points and then remain constant and high along the entire length between the attachment points. This is why you can see the entire axle tube flattening out under an excessive load. If you only bent one side that doesn't mean the other side or both at once sound be overloaded next time, decambering the whole axle.

A simple steel angle extending the length of the axle will reinforce it over it's full length very simply. The section modulus of the combination of the tube and angle is the same whether the angle is above or below the tube, meaning that it will reinforce the axle equally well below or above. No welding required. The only thing you need to do is camber the tube slightly, which any shop with a decent size press ought to be able to do.

If you do decide to get a heavier axle that is ok too, no reason to think it will cause other issues. The rpod frame is weak at the axle mounting point so it can and has bent there but a stronger axle won't make that worse, the loads are the same.

If my axle had been bent before I reinforced it I would have replaced it with a heavier one, as there are other parts of the axle that can and have failed, the rubber the torsion arms rides in being one.

The load rating numbers Dexter and Lippert provide for their axle ranges assume the axle is mounted at the ends, so there is a substantial derate when you mount them to the rpod. The take off angle is at the end of the model number if you have a Lippert axle and is listed on the axle label.

You can't do that fix with your existing axle because you can't weld to a torsion axle, theres rubber in there. Also I don't see how welding brackets could be simpler than just ubolting an angle to the axle.

The other problem with it is that it will also place a moment (torque) on the frame. The frame at the axle attachment is the next weakest link in the chain after the axle.

Better to just reinforce the cantilevered axle. That places no new stresses on the frame and is easy to analyze so you know accurately what additional capacity you have in the axle tube afterwards. If you do a search you will find my calcs back when I ran the numbers a couple years ago.

Look for my fix which uses square bend ubolts, no welding. You mount two ubolts at each end of the axle, each at a 45 degree angle.

A good trailer or frame shop can tell you whether they can recamber the axle for you or not. Steel is a flexible material and will behave elastically under load, returning to it's original shape unless it has exceeded it's yield point and undergone permanent plastic deformation. That is considered a failure in engineering terms and had happened to yours.

If it does that then the portion of the part that was permanently deformed can get work hardened and might no longer be able to be bent back to it's original shape. The shop will be able to tell by what happens when they try to recamber it. One way or the other you need to remove the axle.

I'm not sure you understood my point about widening the frame axle attachment. Have you looked at the tube thickness? It's only 0.1 inch material. If you widen the attachment you are placing a moment (torque) on the tube because the axle is now trying to twist the tubes outward at the bottom and inward at the top. The tube is already weak at that point (there is at least one case of a bent axle tube there that's been reported on this forum). I wouldn't do anything to compromise it further, you'd just be moving the problem somewhere else.

Reinforcing or buying a stronger axle and attaching it to the frame tubes without widening the spacing doesn't change the loading on the frame.

Your least expensive fix is to get your axle recambered if possible, add the angle under it, and reinstall. The next cheapest is going to be getting a new 3500 lb axle and adding an angle under it. Next is to get a heavier axle, which requires new brake assemblies and wheels.

As an engineer, I don't trust parts that have already failed (exceeded their yield point) so I would go with option 3 in your case. That upgrades the brakes which are marginal too, mine won't lock up the wheels even at full boost from the brake controller. Up to you which option you select.

I will jump in here. You don't need to remove the axle to have it re-cambered and aligned, the shop will need it on the trailer to align it (just like a car). If I were you, I would just pick up some angle iron and u-bolts and bring them to the alignment shop and have them bend the angle iron with the axle and install the u-bolts. No need to remove the axle or buy anything else and go camping. P.S everything I build is always over kill