ntsqd
Heretic Car Camper
Like most of us, I've messed about with various trailers, but wouldn't call myself an expert on them. The M.M. Smith books are a good ref for building trailers, but AFAIK they only deal with leaf sprung designs.
Just want to make sure we're all on the same bushings page. What I'm picturing for a bushing is the typical leaf spring bushing or Hega bushing type shape, a flanged bushing that pushes into a tube. Can be had in either rubber or urethane. Based on Ace Motorsports' Stock Full results with both types of radius arm bushings and subsequent observation & experience I prefer rubber to urethane, but urethane - at least in the States - is a whole lot easier to get in convenient sizes.
Both have pivot designs have their pluses & minus'. In the continuous design the arm should be more rigid at the pivot (which would have an influence to some degree or other on the rest of the arm), but at the expense of a potentially rediculously long bolt (or custom fab'd 'axle'), only two bushing inserts, and only 2 mounting ears.
The 2 bushing design likely uses a off-the-shelf bolt length, 4 bushing inserts, and 4 mount tabs, but may give up some pivot area rigidity.
Were I building it I'd go with 2 bushing tubes & 4 tabs. Design the arms so that one fixture builds either of them (& the spare!). Use a long, straight bar or some similar method to maintain the tab alignment.
Just had a thought, what is the argument against the rubber torsion suspensions? One of those could be used with a shackle to the arm rather than actually having the wheel & tire mounted to it. Probably the "stuffing it's a__ with bricks" method, but it sure would make people scratch their heads trying to figure it out. Could even easily make the shackle length adjustable to vary ride height.
Just want to make sure we're all on the same bushings page. What I'm picturing for a bushing is the typical leaf spring bushing or Hega bushing type shape, a flanged bushing that pushes into a tube. Can be had in either rubber or urethane. Based on Ace Motorsports' Stock Full results with both types of radius arm bushings and subsequent observation & experience I prefer rubber to urethane, but urethane - at least in the States - is a whole lot easier to get in convenient sizes.
Both have pivot designs have their pluses & minus'. In the continuous design the arm should be more rigid at the pivot (which would have an influence to some degree or other on the rest of the arm), but at the expense of a potentially rediculously long bolt (or custom fab'd 'axle'), only two bushing inserts, and only 2 mounting ears.
The 2 bushing design likely uses a off-the-shelf bolt length, 4 bushing inserts, and 4 mount tabs, but may give up some pivot area rigidity.
Were I building it I'd go with 2 bushing tubes & 4 tabs. Design the arms so that one fixture builds either of them (& the spare!). Use a long, straight bar or some similar method to maintain the tab alignment.
Just had a thought, what is the argument against the rubber torsion suspensions? One of those could be used with a shackle to the arm rather than actually having the wheel & tire mounted to it. Probably the "stuffing it's a__ with bricks" method, but it sure would make people scratch their heads trying to figure it out. Could even easily make the shackle length adjustable to vary ride height.
