Jay Flight Axle Upgrade

[lockflower]

I wanted to share my axle mod in case anyone wanted info on the mod. I recently suffered from a bent axle. I have a 287bhsw that came with dual 3500 axels. The fully loaded sticker showed 7000+ pounds. While I never loaded more than just essentials and i never noticed I hit a**pot hole or situation where the trailer could be tweaked it happened. I think the 3500 axles were a poor choice from the factory so I upgraded to dual 6k axles from TK trailer. I kept the stock 3500 springs to insure the ride didnt get too stiff. I also opted for a straight axle as opposed to the**curved axle. Since my trailer wouldnt get more than about 60% of the axle weight, I felt the trailer would never be able to put enough downward force to make the axle ride level. The new axle was a 6 lug pattern so I also upgraded my rims and tires. This was a DIY job and took about 3 hours. Cost for 2 new 6k axles with drums and**qccesory parts from TK trailer was about $1000. New rims and tires were another $500.

[lockflower]

Pics

[Jay2504]

That looks nice. How much clearance between the top of the tires and the bottom of the camper did you lose going with bigger tires and rims. Jay

[lockflower]

Virtually no loss of clearance. It seems like it was a wash. The new axel was .5" wider than my OEM. This caused both sides to be .25" wider on each side but I still had plenty of room.

[Jay2504]

Thanks. I was talking about the top of the tires hitting the bottom of the camper when you hit a big bump. The new tires look quite a bit taller. Maybe it’s just the way the picture looks. Jay

[lockflower]

Originally Posted by Jay2504

Thanks. I was talking about the top of the tires hitting the bottom of the camper when you hit a big bump. The new tires look quite a bit taller. Maybe it’s just the way the picture looks. Jay

I understood what you meant and had that same concern but the tires actually have the same amount of clearance from the top of the tire to the trailer.

[Jay2504]

Cool, glad it worked out so well for you. Because you used the stock springs the camper should ride the same as it did before you changed the axles. Most people think that bigger is always better. Glad to see you avoided that temptation. Jay

[IamSpartacus]

This is great. Well done.

[Marcm157]

Nice Work. I've thought about doing mine as well as I find the max loaded weight of my camper concerning considering the 2- 3500 pound axles. I can't spare the cash right now but if I have a serious axle / brake failure a swap is going to be the plan.

[Gregory Peck]

My 2020 Jay Feather 27RL had less than 3K on it before I noticed a problem with the tires on the rear axle. Brought it to the dealer over a month ago and they installed a new 3500 lb. Dexter axle and 2 new Endurance tires. After that the dealer highly recommended that I take it to a spring & alignment shop to get the axles properly aligned. That I did and was charged $300.00. Fortunately, Jayco covered all my cost under warranty.
Unfortunately, 3 weeks ago on my way back to Canada from Florida I hit a series of potholes in Tennessee on I-75 in the dark. Stopped overnight at a KOA in Corbin, Kentucky and the next morning notice that the rear passenger side trailer tire had an obvious slant to it and some wear on the inside. Thank God it held out for the 8 hour drive home to Tecumseh, Ontario even though passing motorist where waving to alert me of the problem. I slowed down and kept an eye on my TPMS. I'm sure Jayco is not going to cover the cost this time. Seriously thinking of upgrading the axles and tires as I don't believe the 3500 lb. axles are sufficient. Thinking of by-passing the dealer and going directly to my spring & alignment shop to get the work done. Your thoughts? What is the model number of the 6K axles you installed? Thank you!

[Nukeproof]

Originally Posted by lockflower

Pics

Nice work.

I just picked up a 2020 287BHSW Rocky Mountain Edition. I was really wanting the "Baja" option but I couldn't find one with that option in my area. I'm now considering doing the "baja" option myself and thinking of upgrading the axles at the same time. Are you able to send the model number or a link to the 6K axles you installed? Thanks in advance

[lockflower]

Great pick! The floorplan of this model is really efficient.

https://thetrailerpartsoutlet.com/co...ic-brake-6-lug
This is what I got. The company i bought from was great and can do anything custom. Just confirm your measurements with them and also confirm if you need over or under slung. There are two posts on my build so go read that post as well for more details.

Ask questions as needed.