We’ve been having a problem with the back end of the RV hitting the ground when we drive into a steep driveway.  The problem was so bad that I welded a set of skid wheels onto the back of the RV.  Last time they hit, we were going around a corner, and while the wheels held up, the sideways force bent the frame member to which one of the wheels is attached.

I decided more drastic action was in order, namely removing the axles from being mounted above the leaf springs and mounting then below the leaf springs.  This move would increase the trailer clearance by about 5.5 inches, which should be enough to eliminate any bottoming out issues on steep driveways.

The first step was to remove the axle:

Next I removed the hub:

Next, the brake plate comes off:

Finally, the axle is removed:

The axle has some bend in it so that it is flat when under load.  Therefore the axle has to stay in the same orientation as before.  This means that the axle perch, the component that meshes the axle to the springs, is facing the wrong way, as the axle used to mesh to the springs on the axle’s bottom.  Now that the axle is below the springs, the axle perch needs to be on top of the axle.  This problem is solved by adding a second axel perch.

Here’s the difference for between the modified axle (left), and the original axle (rght):

I did all four axles.  Now that it’s done, I hope we will never have to deal with the back-end of the trailer dragging along the ground.