Ewan McDonell wrote:

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sawdust64@aol.com[mailto:Sawdust64@aol.com]
> Sent: Saturday, March 20, 1999 9:11 PM
> To: ewan@airstream.net
> Subject: Axle
>
> I originally sent this E. Mail to vintage and it has not appearedon the
> format, so I will try to send it to Ewan like you told us to in your
> instructions.
> I have a l973, 22,' Airstream with dual axles. All four wheels have
> electric
> brakes and the pads are in good shape. There are two shock absorberson
> each
> side and they have to be replaced. The problem is that this trailerhas
> been
> sitting up for more than two years in a damp site in Florida, andthe rust
> has
> reached an advanced state.
> The shock absorber at one end is attached to the frame, the otherend is
> attached to what appears to be a cast iron swing arm. This arm isan
> extension of the axle and moves up and down with the shock absorber
> restricting the movement. The arm was rusted tight, but with theuse of WD
> 40
> and some leverage I was able to produce some movement. The nut onthe swing
> arm faces into the frame so I believe that the swing arm will rotateall the
> way down so that area would be exposed. I do not want to force thisarm and
> break something. Does the arm rotate around or is it restricted tothe
> movement allowed by the shock absorber?
> Also, I looked for a grease fitting on the swing arm and there isnone. How
> do you grease this thing? I hope that someone can answer these questions.
> Thank you. Sawdust (RDusan) Jacksonville, Fla.

The Dura Torque axle was developed and first used on Airstreams startingin
1961. It is made up of a hollow square tube into which four round rubberbillets
are inserted in to each side after being frozen with nitrogen to shrinkthem.
The spindle is inserted in the middle of the four billets. The portionof the
spindle that is inserted into the axle tube is tapered with short vanesthat
engage the rubbers. The greater the load, the greater the resistance.The
resulting spring action is very linear and the rebound, with the shockis very
even and gentle. The Dura Torque axle is considered in the trailerindustry to
be the smoothest riding and therefore a premium axle. They can actuallybe
rebuilt if necessary.

Charlie
'61 Bambi