Posted 2016-04-11 10:34 AM (#166713) Subject: Stiff ride-2002 Sooner Vacquero
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Posts: 60
My husband and I took a ride/drive in the horse area of our 2002 Sooner Vacquero, 3h gooseneck. It's stiff and we can really feel the bumps in the road. We realize that it might not have that same effect with 2 horses in it but we were still wondering if anything could be done to soften the ride. We made sure the trailer was level. We also looked at the axles (Dexter torsion flex) and they appear to be in good working order to the naked eye. Should we take it to a dealer to look at the axle just to be sure? Is there anything else we can play with or should check out? We like the trailer. From everything we can tell, it appears to be a good, solid, well built trailer. Thanks in advance. Kim
Posted 2016-04-11 12:56 PM (#166716 - in reply to #166713) Subject: RE: Stiff ride-2002 Sooner Vacquero
Expert
Posts: 1989 Location: South Central OK
Take to the shop and have the axles checked. From my experience torsion axles are stiff without a load. Also, did you have mats and thick layer of shavings will help take the majority of the jarring out of the ride.
Posted 2016-04-11 1:06 PM (#166718 - in reply to #166716) Subject: RE: Stiff ride-2002 Sooner Vacquero
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Posts: 60
Thank you. Any idea what types of things a shop would check an axle for (other than a broken axle)? Good suggestion about the mats. It's possible they need to be replaced. Don't know if they are the originals or not. Anything in particular I should look for in a good trailer mat or will the Tractor Supply type mats suffice? Is there anything I could put underneath the mats to help?
Posted 2016-04-11 1:26 PM (#166720 - in reply to #166718) Subject: RE: Stiff ride-2002 Sooner Vacquero
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Posts: 3853 Location: Vermont
Originally written by kahuck1a on 2016-04-11 4:06 PM
Thank you. Any idea what types of things a shop would check an axle for (other than a broken axle)? Good suggestion about the mats. It's possible they need to be replaced. Don't know if they are the originals or not. Anything in particular I should look for in a good trailer mat or will the Tractor Supply type mats suffice? Is there anything I could put underneath the mats to help?
Posted 2016-04-11 1:38 PM (#166722 - in reply to #166720) Subject: RE: Stiff ride-2002 Sooner Vacquero
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Posts: 60
Very interesting. Thank you for sharing. Can a handy horse trailer owner easily attach the air bags or is that a job better left to a trailer repair shop?
Posted 2016-04-11 1:52 PM (#166725 - in reply to #166722) Subject: RE: Stiff ride-2002 Sooner Vacquero
Expert
Posts: 3853 Location: Vermont
Originally written by kahuck1a on 2016-04-11 4:38 PM
Very interesting. Thank you for sharing. Can a handy horse trailer owner easily attach the air bags or is that a job better left to a trailer repair shop?
You let a shop do it...because they have the equipment and the expertise to make sure your axles are tracking STRAIGHT after installation...
Posted 2016-04-12 7:43 AM (#166751 - in reply to #166713) Subject: RE: Stiff ride-2002 Sooner Vacquero
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
Another thing that controls the ride quality is the type of tires being used. Some trailers still have bias ply tires. These often result in a harsher ride than radials. Also the lower the side wall profile, ex. a 50 or 60 series tire, there will be far less cushioning than a 70 - 80 series tire will provide. The higher the sidewall height, the more cushioning of the road conditions that will be directly transferred to the vehicle. Another consideration is the tires' load rating. The higher the number of plies, the more weight the tires can carry, but they will also result in a stiffer ride when the trailer is lightly loaded. Depending upon the trailer's total loaded weight, it may be possible to use a lower tire pressure if you have more tire capacity than what you're using. I'm an advocate for max trailer tire pressures, but there are instances where they are not always necessary.
Stiff ride-2002 Sooner Vacquero
