If the hole is the correct size, the splines will pull through as you tighten the nut. The hole might be 1/64" too small. Those bolts were used to speed up assembly, no need to hold the bolt with a wrench.
If it is similar to installing a new stud in a wheel hub, Iāve never done it myself, but I think thatās often done using a stack of washers. The idea is to put the stud in enough a nut will grab it on the other side, twist on the nut until it pulls through to the end of the threads, then remove the nut an put some washers over the stud, repeat. Eventually the nut will pull the stud all the way through.
I have to say, this misalignment of the wheel to the chassis on your trailer must be very frustrating. Suggest to be very cautious when testing any new spring/axle configurations, b/c it is possible your āinventionā may not be stable. If unstable, you donāt want to make this discovery at 60 mph on a bumpy road.
Just be aware that it is a little more involved than just grinding off the old shackle and welding on a new one further up the frame. See those pieces of angle iron welded to the frame rail- thereās a reason the center rib is directly over the spring shackle hole. Can you get away with a 1-2" offset? Perhaps. I would be inclined to either move the stiffener or add another one to reduce the potential for torque fatigue over time.
The axle takes a lot of stress and those are whatās holding it in place. Better be confident in whoever makes those weldsā¦
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Iām just going to summarize. You have to have the wheel centered in the wheel well. Iād like to see a chalk line in the center to designate where the axle then has to placed. Right at that center line. So then itās a question of the length of the spring forward from that center line to wherever the spring will be mounted, and the same thing to the rear for the shackle.
If you canāt get springs with the desired dimensions, or if it would just be better in the long run to go with a standard available spring, then the mounts need to be changed to fit, considering any reinforcing that needs to be done. But you have to have that axle at the center point of the wheel opening. The old spring didnāt look that much different, so was the axle centered then? Any reason to not just use the old springs if they fit?
Just my two cents but something is not right if the old axle fit.
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A month ago I jacked it up and took the wheels off thinking I was just going to repack the bearings and check the brakes. Still figuring things out.
Hereās a couple pics of the right side with the old springs and axle. The wheel was not centered and the wheel well looks like itās got a story to tell.
We donāt know if the axle/spring setup is original, but theyāre old and seem like they could be. The old springs seem like a good fit . . . but then why isnāt the wheel centered?
I like the extra clearance with the axle mounted under the springs. So one last experiment I could do before plunging into the new hanger project is to mount the new axle under the old springs and see what that looks like.
Which brings us back to your question, any reason to not use the old springs? I ordered new ones because why not. Are the old ones still good? I donāt know how to tell.
Thought Iād see if I could find any specs on the suspension for that trailer.
Strange, I canāt find any mention of that model Pegasus anywhere.
There were apparently 8 floor plans available and the model numbers are listed above each:
I found something similar at a few sites. No M-180FQ listedā¦
Even the Fleetwood site didnāt seem to have it or anything close.
lol ā¦Reminds me of a couple months back when I did the same thing, simply intending to repack my truckās front wheel bearings. Ended up replacing front brake shoes and some broken springs, two new wheel cylinders, and refreshing the rear brakes as well. Meanwhile, the front wheel bearings were ok, didnāt even need to be repacked ā¦ lol ā¦
Itās an enigma. The 2007 Pegasus flyer has the 180FQ which is a perfect match for my layout. And the manufacturing info on the unit itself says it was made in 2007. But the title says 2008. And the tire size on the unit itself says 14, even though the 2007 180FQ specs said 13. As you say, it seems like Fleetwood has disavowed the model. It doesnāt show up on their website and they donāt answer emails about it.
So here are a couple pics of the latest and perhaps final setup. New axle mounted under the old springs. The tires look a tiny bit aft of center (of the wheel well), but better than before and with plenty of clearance. Unless I hear a good reason not to be, I think Iām happy with this for now.
I do plan to figure out the tongue weight at some point and see if itās what it should be.
Have a cup of coffee and forget about it.
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Buy a bathroom scale and put the camper on a hard flat surface still hooked to your toe vehicle and put the scale under it and start lowering the tongue jack onto the scale until it clears the tow vehicle, that should be close enough for horse shoes and hand grenadesā¦ lol
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