diana Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Local mechanic who only works on Toy trucks 1974 - 88, says he is also a fabricator and therefore he thinks he could 'beef up' the 5 lug rear axle housing so it can safely carry the weight of an 18' Sunrader. Thoughts? I imagine lots of others would have tried this if it could work, and people would not still be replacing the old axels. What do I tell him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 It sounds as though Toyota should have used him instead of their own engineers to solve the problem. I'd politely decline his offer and ask him what he'd charge to install a true 1-Ton axle. I think you'll sleep better at night knowing that it's been 'done right'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 It might be OK, Might not. I'm not an expert on this subject, but I looked extensively into the issue for months before I bought my ToyHouse. 18ft is short, maybe run it across a scale and see what it weighs, make sure the weight reflects a fully loaded ToyHouse, water, sewage, stuff in the cabinets, etc etc. Then do the math and see where it stands as far as weight distribution per axle. There are several well written documents on this site, and also on the Yahoo group. For my application, I just can't take that risk, (I'll be traveling to Northern Alaska). If I suffer a major failure up there, I may need to make a decision to pull the plates and abandon the vehicle. Keep in mind, If the axle breaks, the best that would happen would be a tow charge to a shop, (couple hundred bucks tow, plus putting on the new axle). The worst could be unimaginatively bad). I would ask your mechanic how much he would charge you to do an axle swap if you drop off a new axle at his shop? John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tumolt Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I bought a U-haul 1989 Toyota moving truck with a blown motor for $600. I used the 6 lug full floating axle from this to replace my 5 lug axle which was known to blow out because the bearing could not handle the load. I still have 5 lug front rims but I can haul another 3500 lbs. behind my motorhome. I just can't go over 45 mph when towing weight since the front of truck is light footed and anything over 45 is dangerous. I would not go to a beefed up axle and reconfigure the old one if I could go to a full floater even if I didn't tow a trailer. Just my thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunneys Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 'beef up' the 5 lug rear axle housing The housing is not the problem. On the 4X4's you can bend the housings, there are many weld-on kits to help, but in our case, you will need to remove the load on the axle. Nothing but a full-floater will do this. A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diana Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 thanks - good solid info! The housing is not the problem. On the 4X4's you can bend the housings, there are many weld-on kits to help, but in our case, you will need to remove the load on the axle. Nothing but a full-floater will do this. A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanAatTheCape Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Local mechanic who only works on Toy trucks 1974 - 88, says he is also a fabricator and therefore he thinks he could 'beef up' the 5 lug rear axle housing so it can safely carry the weight of an 18' Sunrader. Thoughts? I imagine lots of others would have tried this if it could work, and people would not still be replacing the old axels. What do I tell him? I would find out what the ax weight he has in mind - most of these toyotas are very near their gross weight empty & accordingly a lot are running overweight. I would be very leery on not going to the full floater axle UNLESS you are very careful about your gross weight ALL the time. If youa re thinking of that a trip to the scales would be a good place to start a reality check. One thing to remember - if you snap an axle, people can die. If your camper was on the recall list and you do not modify it, the ambulance chasers will take you for everything you have if you survive the snap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Our 18 ft sunrader weighed in at 6800 pounds fully loaded. That's 1700 pounds per wheel if you just had 4 tires. If you again divide the rear by 2 its 850 pounds but the axle is still carrying 1700. The rear carry much more than the front so that 1700 number is erroneous but you see my point. The rear end can be beefed up and be made almost bullet proof for off road use with a single wheel, gussets on the housing and better axles etc. The problem is really that we have dual wheels. That outer wheel is constantly applying a leverage force to the end of the axle causing it to flex at the bearing. After awhile it breaks off. I agree with everyone else, the full floater is the way to go. Now if your mechanic can achieve the same weight capacity per wheel with just a single wheel then perhaps it would be OK. Pack your rig to the hilt for a week long trip and have it weighed. If you can have each wheel weighed then see if there are any single load tires that will safely carry the weight. Even though a tire might say it can carry 1500 pounds you really don't want to put 1500 pounds load on that tire forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Yes you can make an off road axle but when was the last time you saw a 6,000 pound Toyota motor home off road? Off road stuff is light MH are heavy the difference is load carrying capacity a semi floating rear ain't gonna do it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Our 18 ft sunrader weighed in at 6800 pounds fully loaded. That's 1700 pounds per wheel if you just had 4 tires. If you again divide the rear by 2 its 850 pounds but the axle is still carrying 1700. The rear carry much more than the front so that 1700 number is erroneous but you see my point. The rear end can be beefed up and be made almost bullet proof for off road use with a single wheel, gussets on the housing and better axles etc. The problem is really that we have dual wheels. That outer wheel is constantly applying a leverage force to the end of the axle causing it to flex at the bearing. After awhile it breaks off. I agree with everyone else, the full floater is the way to go. Now if your mechanic can achieve the same weight capacity per wheel with just a single wheel then perhaps it would be OK. Pack your rig to the hilt for a week long trip and have it weighed. If you can have each wheel weighed then see if there are any single load tires that will safely carry the weight. Even though a tire might say it can carry 1500 pounds you really don't want to put 1500 pounds load on that tire forever. Did you ever weigh each axle, or just the total? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Did you ever weigh each axle, or just the total? That was total weight, certified truck scale. I suppose one could weigh the front then the rear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I was just curious. Since asking the question here, I got an answer on the Yahoo Group. 4x4 Sunrader 18': 2000lbs, front axle; 4000lb rear axle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 I was just curious. Since asking the question here, I got an answer on the Yahoo Group. 4x4 Sunrader 18': 2000lbs, front axle; 4000lb rear axle. For me it was 10 days worth of groceries, full propane, full water tank, 5 gal extra water, full gas tank (26 gal), wife, dog and that 4x4 Sunrader was an extended cab so almost a foot more steel behind the cab doors. My question was the weight given out on the yahoo group a certified weight or a wild guess? The gas was also a weigh station, so I topped off my gas and propane then got weighed with the wife and dog on board. Its a misconception as far as I am concerned that an 18 foot sunrader is light weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Standard cab 4x4. "on mine that is right on the money, 2000lbs. Loaded for camping and with two adults on board. That along with an even 4000lbls on the rear. Oddly enough , today with a similar payload, less all holding tanks, and on the same set of DOT scales, my Bandit came in at 2050 on the front and 3650 on the rear." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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