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1/14 Truck Trailer Suspension Problem

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Hi guys

I just assembled my double axle Box trailer (flatbed at the moment) and the suspension is really sloppy one wheel front bottoms out and hits the screw that holds the shock to the trailer chassis and one wheel on the rear does the same both wheels are opposite each other diagonal the other 2 wheels diagonal are fine the shocks hold their own I have checked everything twice undone the shocks checked the springs inside checked the leaf suspension everything is assembled right but one front wheel and one back wheel bottoms out on the shock screw on the trailer chassis.

I used the Truck shock casing as I got hop up for the Truck but I used the springs that came with the trailer(not the springs that came with the truck the ones that came with the trailer) as they were larger than the Truck shock springs and a bit more solid looking the trailer and truck shock casing are the same the pins are the same inside the truck and trailer shock casing I just wanted a different colour shock rather than the bland alloy ones that came with the trailer but apart from the casings everything is from the trailer box parts.

As you can see in the pics both axles are not alligned and the wheels hit the shock casing screw on the chassis it weird as they are both opposite wheels doing this

I hope I have not confused anybody

any ideas what could have gone wrong Iam at a complete loss >sitting here scratching my head :)

Thanx in advance

Stuart

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Hard to see from these pictures to be fair!

Using the outer-shock body''s should not mather.

but.. check both leafs are in there proper mounting ( plastic retainers good way up ? )

- step 10 in your manual -

( not to tight ? ) you can "forse" the axle's out of alignment there

Check if you mounted the B13's correct way (step 13)

all i can think of , sorry

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Hard to see from these pictures to be fair!

Using the outer-shock body''s should not mather.

but.. check both leafs are in there proper mounting ( plastic retainers good way up ? )

- step 10 in your manual -

( not to tight ? ) you can "forse" the axle's out of alignment there

Check if you mounted the B13's correct way (step 13)

all i can think of , sorry

Thanx Stefan for your reply sorry about the pics they are a bit dodgy .I checked the leaf mountings they are ok and the plastic retainers are good too,I loosened up the retainers anyway just to be sure ,I also took off the B13's,B14's as soon as I did that the shocks sprang back to normal even though B13,B14 were installed correctly I put them back on loose even thou you cant over tighten them as the threads on the screws are only half threaded but as soon as I put them back on same problem shocks bottom out in 2 places 1 front wheel and same back wheel it has really got me stumped .

Can you get hop up shocks for the trailer ?or wont they fit ?

I kind of get the feeling that maybe 2 of the springs in the shocks in question might be damaged in some way even thou they all looked the same but then again when I took off B13,B14 they sat normal might be it was because they had no load on them .

Its getting to the point where I might moth ball the truck for a spell and start another build got 4 waiting to do but I like to finish one before I start another ...Thanx again mate for your help I appreciate it ..Take care buddy

Stuart

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Odd one maistro , odd one..

Bring em by, i've a look then < kauch .. getting the plane tonight? > :unsure:

Very hard to say from pictures , i blamed it on a overtight leaf spring..

Yes, the oil shocks will fit ( from the regular truck ) , but.. you have to add some spacers between the wheels -> axle ,

( i use spare brass bearings size 1150 if not mistaken "stock 1/14 axle size"

But i only did that on a very heavy custom trailer < it actually killed the stock shocks by it weight >

Something is wrong , but what..

The trailer suspention ain't rocket enginering, it must be something so ovious that not a human can see it ...

Got to think about it.. - sorry no help for now -

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I would take all the wheels off and see if one end is still higher or lower, than you will know if it is the spring. It may be one end is too tight so it won't bounce up. you may have to swap parts from front to back, left to right etc. to see if the same problem occurs and isolate the problem. Or check the same parts are all the same size or any extra bits on the parts that does not belong.

I guess that is why 1:1 car repair shops hate it when customer bring their car in and say there is a noise or some rubbing sound coming from the back of the car and they have to go through the process of isolating the problem.

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Thanx guys for your help I have put the trailer on the back burner for a spell ,Doing a VW beetle with my daughter her first build so brought x2 to do piece by piece together she is 20 and loving the build so its good to spend time with her and to do something I like as well ,but I think I have created a monster as she ordered a Tamiya BMW Z4 M Coupe Racing TT01 w/LED Lights to do as a build after the VW Beetle and now the wife piped up and said tonight I think I would like to do one as well I suggested she buy the re re frog (as I would to make a sand scorcher) but didnt tell her that hehe......But thanx again guys maybe hitting a brick wall with this truck trailer has been a good thing as I might get more NiB's ...I mean we might get some more NiB's ...cheers ;)

Stuart

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Judging from your pictures everything appears correct.

Does the trailer sit on one side once you place it on the ground? If so, it might also be that the support legs are not 100 % equally tall once fully extended and the springs inside are fully compressed. This is an easy mistake to make with the motorized support legs. If your trailer sit on one side even when you have raised the legs and hooked it up to a tractor truck you should look into the trailer suspension one more time.

If all parts are correctly mounted according to the manual you should loosen some of the screws/nuts. When my tanker trailer is belly up I can freely compress the shocks of both axles. When I only press one axle, it goes down without any resistance. If any of the four shocks is harder to compress than the others that is where I would start loosening screws and nuts. Does it leave one wheel "hanging" even when you have only placed the screws in place?

If you suspect your trailer to be cursed, why not try using the aluminum coloured shock casings that came with the trailer? Perhaps Tamiya's karma wants it that way? :D

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Judging from your pictures everything appears correct.

Does the trailer sit on one side once you place it on the ground? If so, it might also be that the support legs are not 100 % equally tall once fully extended and the springs inside are fully compressed. This is an easy mistake to make with the motorized support legs. If your trailer sit on one side even when you have raised the legs and hooked it up to a tractor truck you should look into the trailer suspension one more time.

If all parts are correctly mounted according to the manual you should loosen some of the screws/nuts. When my tanker trailer is belly up I can freely compress the shocks of both axles. When I only press one axle, it goes down without any resistance. If any of the four shocks is harder to compress than the others that is where I would start loosening screws and nuts. Does it leave one wheel "hanging" even when you have only placed the screws in place?

If you suspect your trailer to be cursed, why not try using the aluminum coloured shock casings that came with the trailer? Perhaps Tamiya's karma wants it that way? :D

The trailer sits evenly when its on the ground and I checked motorised legs fully extended ( with trailer upside down) with a spirit level and they are perfect the trailer does not sit to one side with the legs raised she sit evenly ,Maybe its me trying too hard I might be looking for problems ,Iam going to finish it off as I want to put it on my showroom page ..Thanx again guys for all your help I will let you know if it comes out okay with the sides and top on ,see if the weight has any effect on the shocks,leaf suspension or anything else .Cheers guys

Stuart

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