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one of the draws to this camper was its low profile, however now i see there is a cost.  the transition from street to our driveway is a geometric oddity  that causes either drag bar drag, tongue drag or both when backing in or pulling. this is not bad however annoying.  i am really not interested in "flipping the axle" because i don't like the look, so i have been wondering if there were other options short of using boards on the street.  has anyone experimented with air bags or ? to give a little on demand clearance? another thought would be a taller tire, but i am not sure if they would fit the wheel wells.  ie. 14″ wheel?  thanks.

The roller suggestion is a good one.  Not enough room for 14″ wheels, they would rub on the wheel wells when you hit bumps. 

If your jack is hitting, you can replace it with a swing-away jack that mounts to the side of the tongue and doesn't hang down at all when swung sideways.  Harbor Freight sells them for $25.  The added advantage: once the jack is swung down for use, it takes very little cranking because the wheel almost (or already) is on the ground.

wow, thanks folks.  when i was a kid, i had wheelie bars on my bike, now that  i am approaching 55, it looks like its time for a new set  I will definitely order a set of the little wheels tonight.  we were thinking about numbering the scrape marks on the driveway and associating them with our trips out but that kind of impacts the resale value of the house…

Post edited 5:42 pm – March 30, 2011 by pfidahospud

Interesting thread here.  Before purchasing my 14RB, I had basically come to the conclusion that I'd also be doing the spring-over-axle conversion — I had the parts kit picked out and everything.  However, after using the trailer a few times, I haven't had a single scrape; either at the back V-skids or at the jack.  I did make sure I have the ball set to a height that makes the trailer level when traveling, but what's the difference here between scrape versus no scrape?  I have gone successfully over speed bumps (slowly) and I also have a driveway that goes up over a curb. 

wrenchist – your mods are awesome!  I wish I had half the welding/shop skills you have!  I am still scratching my head over why you'd have clearance issues even with a weight distributing hitch.  Maybe the minivan just has a really low receiver?  But I thought my RAV had a low receiver (relatively) as well…

Happy camping!

Stephen

wrenchist said:

   I am still scratching my head over why you'd have clearance issues even with a weight distributing hitch.  Maybe the minivan just has a really low receiver?  But I though my RAV had a low receiver (relatively) as well…

Happy camping!

Stephen

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I have a much longer wheel base than you as well as sitting close to the ground.  I think those things contribute to my scrapping your set up not scrapping. I too like the lower look of my set up and do not plan to flip my axle.

Thanks for the compliment Stephan. A close look at my welds and a pro may scoff. I turn up the heat and make sure there is plenty of penitration. I learned by just doing it with tips from welders. Inexpensive welders can be had via craigs list. Get one and some scrap metal and with a bit of practice you could do it. Anything that may be a safety issue I have my professional welder buddy weld for me.

I am looking at installing two max-air shocks to my SV6 Montana to get a few more inches of clearance .I have torsion bars that scrape some times. They can give about 8 or 10 nches and can be inflated with a hand pump or 12V compressor.

sandersmr said: I also want to see if I can remove one link from each of my chains, we have dragging issues with those as well.

Just a thought/suggestion about the dragging safety chains…  Seems obvious, but I wouldn't have thought of it myself.  I had the same issue with my trailer when I initially bought it.  The dealer's mechanic just twisted the chains a bit to increase the tension.  He also put the emergency brake activator line through the safety chain to prevent it from dragging, but I have since take it out of the safety chain.  I was concerned the emergency brake might not activate if it was restrained by the chain (hope that make sense).  I wrapped it around the receiver so it would be appropriately tighter.

Happy camping!

Stephen