# Torsion axle ?



## NealXB2003 (Jun 8, 2020)

I have torsions under my tandem on my 21' boat. They do ride better. Softer and less bouncy. I probably won't get them again on a tandem because there are some characteristics about the load balancing between the axles that I don't care for. I have leafs under my 18' boat on a single axle trailer, but I wish it was a torsion axle.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Not a fan of torsion axles at all.... Don’t like trailers that submerge either - but I’m old fashioned...


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## reedriley8 (Sep 3, 2020)

Got a torsion axle under the new skiff. Boat is on the heavy side at 1000lbs. It is without a doubt, in my mind, a better ride than the old leaf spring setup I’m coming from. Like the previous guy said, less bounce.. takes bumps like a champ. No complaints so far.


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## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

I prefer torsion axles, better ride and less maintenance than leaf springs IMHO. I have a heavier boat (Action Craft 1820) which I bought used with a trailer that had a 2500 lb axle. I had a problem with the outside edge of the tires wearing and I replaced it with a 3500 lb torsion axle and the tires wear perfect now.


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## Gogittum (May 24, 2020)

I don't have any experience with torsion axles, but have seen some problems with leaf springs, esp. with smaller boats.

Most trailers I've seen light weight boats on have had springs that are far too heavy for the load they're carrying. The boats bounce like ping pong balls when going over rough areas of road and that's got to be hard on boat and contents. Have a heavy friend bounce on the transom when boat/trailer is parked. There "must" be some give in the springs.

I've also wondered why boat trailers never seem to have shock absorbers. Would you drive your car without shocks ?? Boing boing boing....?? One of these days, I may just try to graft shocks onto a boat trailer, just for grins.

Some years ago on vacation I bought a used 15 ft Gregor tin boat at a dealer in Sequim, WA and replaced the 2 stroke motor on it with a new 30 hp Honda 4 stroke. That little motor turned out to burn next to no gas, was almost silent in operation and had amazing torque for its' size. Nice combination, I thought....and for my needs at the time, it was. Very good. BUT.....

I was driving a Diesel Dodge truck with a large camper on back and couldn't see or feel the boat back there. When I pulled into the Canadian Tire in Squamish, B.C., a guy pulled in behind me and told me my boat was fish tailing badly behind my truck.....said the back of the boat was all over the road. Nice of him to stop, but what to do ??

I ended up - in the parking lot - loosening up the U-bolts that held the axle assembly to the boat carrier portion of the trailer and moving the whole axle/wheel assembly back, to get the weight more forward - increased the tongue weight and it made a huge difference. The trailer tracked like it was on rails after that.

Fast forward a month and I pulled into a campground in Sault Ste Marie, MI and found that the shiny new motor was in running position, not tilted up. Turned out the pin that locks the motor up had sheared off from the pounding and bouncing of the heavy springs on the trailer. I know now that I should have had a transom saver on there, but that was more education. 

Couldn't do anything about the sheared pin, but did buy and use a transom saver after that. The canny owner of the trailer park showed me the thing about the springs and we took all but the main leaf out of the spring packs. (I owe that guy) What a difference. I'm only 170#, but when I bounced on the back of the boat, there was some give in the springs. Boom ! ! ! No more troubles with boat/trailer.

I do a lot of remote country travel and launching was frequently a problem - often couldn't get the thing deep enuf to get the boat off the high trailer. Horsefly Lake in B.C. and Lake Deschambault in Saskatchewan were terrible. For my next boat, a heavily over-built Glen-L Cabin Skiff (without the cabin, but with the high freeboard and with a center console) I found a drop axle trailer that was something like 4" lower and made launching that very heavy boat much, much easier. (I came to love that Glen-L. What a great design)

Just for grins - on the trip with the little Gregor - a really premium, well built boat - I launched it at Lee's Ferry, AZ early one morning and ran it the 10 miles up the beginning of the Grand Canyon to Glen Canyon Dam at Page, AZ. I'm here to tell ya, that's one of the most amazing boat rides of my life. Talk about scenery and a sore neck from looking up. Wow ! ! ! Lifetime memory. I put together a picture story of that trip on Google Docs, but not sure if you'll be able to open it:  Let me know: (click on the Google Docs link)








2002-8-27 Start of the Grand Canyon


` START OF THE GRAND CANYON After crossing the bridge at Glen Canyon dam to Page, AZ., I went back on foot to get some pics, and saw this boat down on the Colorado River. This is the beginning of the Grand Canyon, with Lake Powell above the dam, behind me. I gotta do that, I thought, ...




docs.google.com


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## Pro wader (Mar 26, 2018)

The Army's M1 Abrams tank runs on torsion axels and they did well.


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## cal1320 (Jun 6, 2007)

I had a torsion axle on my Ramlin. Loved it. The trailer held the Gladesmen really low. G man weighed around 400 lbs loaded with motor. Touch the water with the trailer tires and push the boat off. I had the boat and trailer for 11 years. Greased the bearings a few times but never replaced a hub. Picked up a used trailer Friday for the upcoming boat. Will be putting a torsion axle on it as well. Here are two 1500 lb torsion axles I have found. Karavan #200-00124GL $220, and Loadrite #6227.90 $270. To get the trailer to sit low, you need to get an axle with a lower degree starting angle. From 0 to 15 degrees.The two I listed start at 45 degrees. They may be able to adjust the angle when they build it or you can get creative with the mounting. I don't think these light weight axles have any camber built in so they may be able to roll into the angle you want.


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## flyclimber (May 22, 2016)

I swapped from leaf springs to torsion axle and haven't looked back. My boat would almost bounce off the trailer before, and I couldn't really find any softer springs. Not to mention the boat was way to high to dry launch. All those issues are fixed now.


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