Adding airbags to trailer

[604wakesurf]

Looking for advice on boat trailer airbags.

I need to get my 23LSV up a semi steep driveway. My old boat 21vlx would spin the steel bottom wheel even hitting it a good angle from the street. With this boat being longer Im sure the tolerance will be worse. I pick up the boat in the morning and have made a ramp for now but looking for something that will a better solution in the long term.

I need to lift it up a inch or two but also be able to put it away in a 8ft garage door with the tower down. So adding lift blocks wouldn't work.

 

Thanks

[wdr]

A drop hitch instead may accomplish the same thing.

[604wakesurf]

I’m dropped all the way. Any lower the hitch hits the driveway. Once I get the boat I may be able to tweak it some. 
Thanks for the reply. 

[dlb]

Are you backing it in?

[604wakesurf]

Yes. 

[dlb]

So what angle do you come into your driveway?  If you come in at a 45 or more you may be able to get one wheel on the steeper part and turn the trailer onto the rest as the first side starts up the ramp part?  This may make the transition less abrupt.

[604wakesurf]

I’ve tried all different angles. I live in a cultdesac so tried it all. The driveway kinda has a bow in it to. Not totally level.  

[justgary]

5 hours ago, 604wakesurf said:

Looking for advice on boat trailer airbags.

I need to get my 23LSV up a semi steep driveway. My old boat 21vlx would spin the steel bottom wheel even hitting it a good angle from the street. With this boat being longer Im sure the tolerance will be worse. I pick up the boat in the morning and have made a ramp for now but looking for something that will a better solution in the long term.

I need to lift it up a inch or two but also be able to put it away in a 8ft garage door with the tower down. So adding lift blocks wouldn't work.

 

Thanks

You made me check the internet on this one since I have never seen air bags on a small trailer.  The kits I see are mostly for something like air ride, but I don't see ones that allow you to adjust ride height easily.  I didn't look very long, so maybe they exist.  I'm assuming you have torsion axles, and not an equalized pair?

 

[604wakesurf]

14 hours ago, justgary said:

You made me check the internet on this one since I have never seen air bags on a small trailer.  The kits I see are mostly for something like air ride, but I don't see ones that allow you to adjust ride height easily.  I didn't look very long, so maybe they exist.  I'm assuming you have torsion axles, and not an equalized pair?

 

No clue. Will see in a couple hrs.  

[csleaver]

If you have a tandem axle trailer it will have torsion axles, not spring axles, so air bags or lifting blocks won't work.  You could "re-clock" the torsion axle spindle arms to lift the suspension.  Every splined notch you move the arm will change the angle by 6 degrees and about a half inch of height.  As long as you don't go beyond 42 degrees below the horizontal centerline of the axle, they should still work correctly.

[justgary]

9 hours ago, csleaver said:

If you have a tandem axle trailer it will have torsion axles, not spring axles, so air bags or lifting blocks won't work.  You could "re-clock" the torsion axle spindle arms to lift the suspension.  Every splined notch you move the arm will change the angle by 6 degrees and about a half inch of height.  As long as you don't go beyond 42 degrees below the horizontal centerline of the axle, they should still work correctly.

That will get him more ground clearance, but then he may not fit into his garage.

I did find air ride axles that will replace torsion spindle sets.  I didn't look to see how much rise and fall one could get with them, but at least they do exist.

[cowwboy]

I thought kelderman had a kit for both style of axles. 

[dhcomp]

Truthfully, I think you are headed down the wrong path.  There aren't easy airbag kits for this type of axle.  

If it was me, I'd be putting nicer, non-swivel wheels on the trailer, similar to this style, and letting that carry the weight to avoid excessive dragging.  If you get softer wheels, you can do it without totally wrecking your driveway.

That, or pickup a piece of HDPE sheet and drop it down on the driveway where you hit, and let it slide.  

The last option is the oldschool way.  Drag some 2x10's or whatever lumber you can source across the lowest dip in the driveway, and let them ease the transition.  

 

Best of luck.  Clearance/dragging issues aren't fun.  

 

[604wakesurf]

33 minutes ago, dhcomp said:

Truthfully, I think you are headed down the wrong path.  There aren't easy airbag kits for this type of axle.  

If it was me, I'd be putting nicer, non-swivel wheels on the trailer, similar to this style, and letting that carry the weight to avoid excessive dragging.  If you get softer wheels, you can do it without totally wrecking your driveway.

That, or pickup a piece of HDPE sheet and drop it down on the driveway where you hit, and let it slide.  

The last option is the oldschool way.  Drag some 2x10's or whatever lumber you can source across the lowest dip in the driveway, and let them ease the transition.  

 

Best of luck.  Clearance/dragging issues aren't fun.  

 

I like this idea. Is there a kit for this? Or did you fab it up yourself.
 

I did get it in the driveway with the 2X10 method. 

Edited April 6, 2022 by 604wakesurf

[gtfish]

I see a lot of race car type trailers add casters to the end of their trailers so they don't damage the trailer.  Don't see why that wouldn't work for your boat trailer.  The pic above is exactly what I was thinking.   I am sure a trailer shop could weld or bolt those on for you in an hour or less. 

 

[Surf4FamFun]

On 4/6/2022 at 11:48 AM, dhcomp said:

Truthfully, I think you are headed down the wrong path.  There aren't easy airbag kits for this type of axle.  

If it was me, I'd be putting nicer, non-swivel wheels on the trailer, similar to this style, and letting that carry the weight to avoid excessive dragging.  If you get softer wheels, you can do it without totally wrecking your driveway.

That, or pickup a piece of HDPE sheet and drop it down on the driveway where you hit, and let it slide.  

The last option is the oldschool way.  Drag some 2x10's or whatever lumber you can source across the lowest dip in the driveway, and let them ease the transition.  

 

Best of luck.  Clearance/dragging issues aren't fun.  

 

Don't have access to our trailer to look at it but a couple of thoughts.  

If you are going to cut and wield could you raise the drag bar a bit?  Keep in mind that if the wheel is carrying the load and hits a rock and stops rolling it might cause the bracket to fold so whatever you do has to be pretty stout.

The hitch, you say it is as low as possible without dragging, what would be dragging?  Could you get something fabricated just for backing in that would be take it lower?  It would not take much moving the tongue down to lift the tail up.

How close does the prop actually come to the driveway.  If it is not actually going to hit you could put the drag bar on a pivot that you would unlock (pull a pin out on each side) so it would swing away for this part of the trip.

Are your tires fully inflated?  if you don't run max pressure normally then how much lift would you get if you took them to max inflation.

Do you own the part of the path that you put the 2x10 down on.  Cutting the driveway and putting in a hump might not cost a lot and would not require you to remember anything or do anything when you backed in.  Would suggest if you do this that you put in a hump big enough for that 27 LSV you are going to get is your kid gets a full ride to his/her dream school, or you hit the lottery, or (insert you favorite windfall here).

[dhcomp]

On 4/6/2022 at 9:07 AM, 604wakesurf said:

I like this idea. Is there a kit for this? Or did you fab it up yourself.
 

I did get it in the driveway with the 2X10 method. 

 

Was a kit.  Not my pic, but have them on my 2008 response trailer.

 

Was a kit from the old DHM shop, turned California trailer works, but they closed.

 

Haven't searched to see if anyone else makes them.  

 

 

[cowwboy]

https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Fab-48-979023-Weld-Jumbo-Roller/dp/B0085IK9UU/ref=sr_1_13?keywords=Trailer+Skid+Wheels&qid=1650311130&sr=8-13

[604wakesurf]

8 minutes ago, cowwboy said:

https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Fab-48-979023-Weld-Jumbo-Roller/dp/B0085IK9UU/ref=sr_1_13?keywords=Trailer+Skid+Wheels&qid=1650311130&sr=8-13

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0085IKAQS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

went with this, just waiting for them to get here then I'm going to fab something up like in the picture.

[Shea]

Let us know how this works out.  I'm jumping from a 21' to 23' this year and I think I'm going to have the same issue in my driveway 

[604wakesurf]

Finished the wheels off. 
 

Bought some wheels from Amazon. Didn’t use any of the mounts  

Made up mounts and brackets out of 3/8” flat bar. 

All mounted. I’ll pick up some stainless hardware tomorrow to finish it off. Took off the factory rollers but left the mounts on just in case.