Hi Crburrows,
You did a great job! Thanks for sharing and great pics.
The shackle flop, as it is nicknamed, yes that can happen when you are assembling the equalizer. It's something to watch for and get it flipped the right way before letting the weight get back onto the camper. Or jack the camper back up, support the axle tube with a jack, take the weight off, pull a shackle pin, lift the axle tube and put it back together.
And there is a jacking way to flip it too once the camper has weight on it. Dexter told one of my friends this and it does work, but it makes one real loud bang, and to watch out when it happens. You place a bottle jack under the flopped axle seat, right in the center where the U bolt plate would go. Or the axle seat in a flipped situation. This way you do not bend the axle tube. Then slowly jack up that axle and watch as the shackle will become close to going over center. At the point the shackle becomes close to going over center, and you just go over center, a loud bang and the shackle will flip back up. Then let the axle back down. For sure do not put any body parts in the way of that shackle flipping up. It is uncontrollably once it goes past center until it flips up.
If all you did was drive around and it came back up, that is not common that I have found. You would have to get into a full suspension travel situation with one wheel way up and the other way down to get enough movement to have it flip back. Out of curiosity, how did you get it flipped back up?
Again, great work!
John
