man is she low!

precorguy · 04-12-2007, 01:22 PM

good day all ----- we have a 07 sunline 2553 solaris --- non slide room trailer - and i love it ---- we really find the lay-out handy and am very happy with the trailer - well except for one thing

she's low!

we only have the one stair that pulls out ---- going into and out of parking lots - well she scrapes - thanks goodness for those triangle bumper things!

it even scrapes when we pull her into the driveway --- we had only one or two short local trips last year and well just got back from florida - 2 weeks.

is there anything that can be done about this?

what is up with turning the axles? does it make a difference, is it safe? how does someone do that?

other suggestions?

we are not looking for a reason to part with this trailer at all - just need some help in hopefully fixing something that is a bit less than desireable.

thanks all!

hope to provide a pic of her soon.

**PTHutch** · 04-12-2007, 03:39 PM

Our previous Sunline was a T-2670 which was low also and scraped a lot like yours. We dragged so much that the iron drag bars eventially bent.

I cut the drag bars off and installed 5" skid wheels. Those worked much better then the drag bars, eh? (sorry - couldn't resist

) The skid wheels cost ~$100 at Camping World and were easy to install.

You can flip the axels. Basically this will put the springs on top of the axel instead of below the axel. This will raise the trailer about 4". Dexter makes a kit to flip the axels, though I'm not sure if your '07 has Dexter axels and I don't know the cost.

Hutch

SanDimasJoe · 04-12-2007, 08:48 PM

I had the same problem with my T2553 scraping the skid bars on my driveway and some gas stations. I just had my axles "flipped" and now I don't scrape anymore. No problem in towing. I'll have to use an extra step so my wife can get into the trailer. This alteration gave me an extra 4 inches in clearance. Just enough to do the job. Am going to tow the rig to the San Francisco Bay area at the end of the month. Will let you know how everything turns out.

Joe

Deepseafloyd · 05-03-2007, 05:26 PM

Hello just purchased a 2001 28' sunline solaris and have a problem with dragging into my driveway. I would like to put the axle flip kit on my trailer. Does anyone know who could install this in the Jersey area (perfered central New Jersey). Also, is 12 volt power needed to operate the 120 supply?

Regards,
The large one.

emam · 05-11-2007, 10:57 PM

This has been something that has alway amazed me with trailers of all makes and models. We had our 2499 lifted from the factory, and there are plenty of times we barely scrape by without the much higher back end dragging.

I cant imagine pulling into or out of almost any parking lot without dragging the backside. I dont know if Sunline flipped our axles, I believe they just installed a 4" piece of square stock metal between the frame and the axles so the frame rails were sitting higher off the axles. I'm not sure if this would be cheaper to do yourself than the axle flip, but if you were hand with a welder, it'd only cost a few bucks in scrap metal.

Pat

vcrt · 05-28-2007, 04:48 PM

So Enam, that square stock conversion would involve cutting off the spring perches at the frame, welding a piece of stock in it's place and then welding the spring perches back under the new pieces? That would be cheaper than buying the axle flip kit, but would it be recommended to extend the spring perches? I wonder if the added length would put more leverage against the welds and make them more prone to breakage?
Has anyone done this? Any pix?
Thanks,
Rich

Al in PA · 05-29-2007, 08:55 PM

We took our maiden voyage with our 2553 this weekend. We experienced the dragging problem on three occasions. I am considering the axle flip solution you've been discussing in this thread. What have your dealers been charging for this service?

SanDimasJoe · 05-30-2007, 12:21 PM

Al,
The RV shop I frequent charged me $387 to "flip" the axles with a Dexter conversion kit. This requires a little welding of the seats. I too own a 2005 T2553 and my tail was dragging in and out of gas stations and my driveway. Since the conversion, I have not experienced any tail dragging nor any problems towing on the highway. A little expensive but worth the cost. Hope this helps. I might mention that I live in Southern California. The cost may be different where you live.

Joe

Deepseafloyd · 05-31-2007, 07:27 PM

Hello Al,
I dropped off our Sunline T-2653 today to get the axle flip kit (NJ). The parts cost me $78. The repair shop is charging $198 for flipping the axles. Also, of intrest was that the refrigerator has a re-call which is still being honored by Sunline according to the repair shop.
Regards,
Andreas

Al in PA · 05-31-2007, 08:51 PM

I contacted my dealer this morning. They are going to flip my axles the week after July 4th. They quoted me $425 for the kit, labor and adjust the hitch for the new trailer height. It may be a little high, but they have always given excellent service and I'd rather not tear anything loose under the coach. I know I would never be able to back this trailer up the hill into my barn for winter storage without flipping the axles.

**PTHutch** · 06-01-2007, 05:55 AM

Even after flipping the axels, you may want to consider installing skid wheels.

Our previous Sunline was a T-2670, which sat low. I never flipped the axles, but took the drag bars off and installed skid wheels. It was dragging so much that the drag bars were bending. The skid wheels saved the trailer from a lot of damage.

We now have a T-280SR which sits higher, but I still installed drag wheels as added protection. Figured it’s better to be more protected, just in case.

I mounted the skids wheels on the frame just before the bumper.

Our T-280SR has an I-Beam frame, so I had to drill 4 holes through the beam to attach the side wheels.

I believe the non-slide trailers have the C-Channel frames. Our 1999 Sunline T-2670 had a C-Channel frame. On the T-2670 I only had to drill 2 holes to attach the mounting bracket for the skid wheels. I centered the mounting bracket on the C-Frame, and the bolts for the skids wheels were spaced enough that they could be installed without interference from the C-Frame.

Hutch

Deepseafloyd · 06-10-2007, 08:11 PM

Hello PTHUTCH,
Thanks for the follow up. When we dropped our Sunline off we added having the wheels put on in the back to replace the damaged skid plates. At first thought was since we had the axles flipped that we did not need them but we decided to get them anyway. A little extra insurance is not a bad thing. Hope to pick up our Sunline next week which will tell us if the money we spent was worth it.

Regards,
Andreas