[VAC] Re: new participant and axles

[Inlandrv@xxxxxxx]

Warren Little.
The axle specs for your trailer called for a 3200 pound rating, and a starting angle of 25 degrees. The maximum travel from no load to the built in stop is 35 degrees. 
Therefore if the torsion arm is parallel to the chassis, there is 10 degrees of travel left.
You found yours to be at 5 degrees positive at normal loads. That leaves a maximum travel left of 7 1/2 degrees. That indicates that you are past border line. Running low tire pressure is not recommended. 
Your correct with regard to the pounds per degree. However, you are using a non motion measurement. When you are traveling, the weight of the trailer momentarily increases when it hits bumps. The weight that is present at that moment, can and does increase dramatically, depending on the bump. A momentary increase of several "thousand" pounds is considered normal. 
It is that momentary weight increase that causes the "bottoming out."
I think that in your case, using the stats that you have provided, your axles are gone.

Check your ball height when level. It should be over 19 inches, loaded. 

We discussed the hazards of bottoming out when you called.

Replacing the shocks, will not offset the degraded axles.

Andy
inlandrv.com
airstreamparts.com