> The very old A/Ss used beam axles with leaf springs, or so I've gathered from
>reading the mail here and on the Vintage list. Starting in the 60s or
>thereabouts, they went to a 'torsion spring' axle.

Mine's is a 1958...

>
>You're right that it APPEARS to be a simple solid axle, bolted securely to the
>frame, but if you look closely, you'll see a short 'arm' on the end that carries
>the spindle. You'll notice that the spindle is NOT in line with the axle beam,
>but is either ahead of it or behind it. That little arm is attached to a
>spring-steel bar that goes through the hollow tube (what looks like a solid beam
>to you) and is mounted in rubber. I'm personally unclear on whether the rubber
>or the steel bar is the actual spring, but it's not important at the moment. The
>point is that the axle is pretty complicated, and certain precautions must be
>adhered to when working around it/them.

Hmmm. Yes, I see. This would act like another spring. Did the trailers with
this type of axle have leaf springs and shocks in addition?

>
>Jacking in the middle of the axle beam would almost certainly damage it. Think
>about it: if you have a single-axle trailer, nearly the entire weight is on that
>hollow tube and it's very likely to bend it.

I imagine it would. I just can't imagine why I would attempt to jack up a
trailer by putting a jack in the middle of an axle...would I be trying to jack
up both wheels at the same time, by trying to balance the entire trailer on that
single point???? I'm whacky, but I still live on Planet Earth...at least, I
*think* it's Earth....wait! Who won the Second World War???

Just checking,
Ned