Air ride question

Lobo
Reg. Jun 2004

Posted 2007-09-16 2:27 PM (#67988)
Subject: Air ride question

Regular

Posts: 96

Location: MasonDixon

I'm hearing on another board that having a flat tire on a trailer that has air ride is not a good thing. As if any flat on a horse trailer is fun...but they're saying that 1) the flat will damage the axle...bend it and 2) you have to use a floor jack because you can't use the drive-up-on-thingy's.

Granted, using a floor jack would be a heck of a lot easier on a flat service than trying to get the little jack on the axle, but are not axle's made of stronger stuff so that a flat won't cause it to bend?

Because of these possible problems, they advise not purchasing a trailer with air ride, regardless of being more comfortable for the horses.

Does anyone had any experience or opinion's on this?

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Tx. Vaquero
Reg. Jun 2006

Posted 2007-09-17 9:00 AM (#68015 - in reply to #67988)
Subject: RE: Air ride question

Location: Texas

A flat tire will not bend the axle and you can use the drive-on-thingy to change it, same as a regular torsion axle. 400,000 + miles on 5 trailers with airride and no problems. Worth every penny it costs.

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horsey1
Reg. Dec 2004

Posted 2007-09-17 10:17 AM (#68020 - in reply to #67988)
Subject: RE: Air ride question

Elite Veteran

Posts: 720
500

I agree with Tx on the ride. But depending on the make of the air ride, you might not be able to use the "thingy". And when I didn't use mine for a while, it got all cranky & didn't want to work. Use it all the time, worked like a dream. Kinda like my horse...
H1

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Tx. Vaquero
Reg. Jun 2006

Posted 2007-09-17 10:22 AM (#68021 - in reply to #67988)
Subject: RE: Air ride question

Location: Texas

H1- What brand airride do you have? Mine are Dexter Airflex.

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greyhorse
Reg. Nov 2005

Posted 2007-09-17 11:53 AM (#68025 - in reply to #67988)
Subject: RE: Air ride question

Extreme Veteran

Posts: 383
100

Location: Texas

Yep, what they say, I don't see why there would be a problem. I haven't had a flat yet but I have tried out the "thingy" you drive up on to see if it would work. Looked like it would probably work on solid ground where my trailer couldn't shove it into the ground but on the soft ground I was testing on at the time the tire was barely still on the ground. The air ride also looks like it has a little more travel in it than "normal" suspensions when you drive it on the "thingy". I also have the Dexter Airflex.

Edited by greyhorse 2007-09-17 11:55 AM

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horsey1
Reg. Dec 2004

Posted 2007-09-18 8:09 AM (#68050 - in reply to #67988)
Subject: RE: Air ride question

Elite Veteran

Posts: 720
500

The Unique Suspensions airride. Hart & Sundowner both used them for a while. I think they're gone now..:( A lot of down travel that let's the "flat" tire drop way down when on a jiffy-jack.
H1

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