Lifting a Coleman

[roughin-it]

So I'm just trying to gather some info on ways to lift my Coleman Yuma and so far the easiest way is to use the Dexter Axle spring relocation kit for around $50. It relocates the leaf springs from being mounted on the under side of the axle to being mounted on top. Seems like a decent option. I wanted to share a great image I found of the under side of a Coleman E3 which some of you may know comes lifted stock. You can see that it looks pretty simple with just having spacer blocks between the leaf springs and the frame. The E3 does have the added bonus of having the shocks and the swivel pieces so the spring and pivot while it flexes.

 

[plug ugly]

from a parts cost and fab point, its easiest to do like you said and put the springs on top of the axle tube.

 

[Dusty82]

Some other models of Coleman/Fleetwood trailers may come the same way as that E3. Our '75 Coleman Patriot came from the factory with the axle mounted under the springs like the picture above. There are no provisions for shock absorbers, but I'm contemplating that - along with how much lift I really want. Personally, I'd take a look under your pup to see what you need before ordering anything.

Just a quick pointer here: On a recent trip to NAPA, I was browsing in the trailer aisle and found spring perches for solid and tubular axles in various sizes. The most expensive perch was around $6. All it would take would be measuring the diameter of your axle and buying the right spring perch - of course you'll need new U-bolts too and they had them as well - around $3 each. If you're considering a flip, this may be a less expensive option for you.

 

[mdigby]

In addition to the "axle flip" kit, Many Colemans have two spring mounting holes on the frame.

It MAY be possible to gain SOME altitude without either the blocks or the flip kit. Take a look.

Good luck

 

[mdigby]

Here is a picture of the mounting holes I am describing.

 

[cico7]

Any more pics of your lift???

 

[roughin-it]

We actually ended up trading in for an evolution to save the pain. It was going to take the following:

new axle/spring mounts
bigger wheels
bigger tires
new corner stabalizers x4 (or bring blocks with us everywhere)
a new front crank for de-hitching.
a way to add a step at the entry way


I realize some of that stuff we could get by without but we wanted a reliable off roader.

 

[roughin-it]

here is a quick guide to a few thing you will need for the lift:

The dexter Axle over/under kit:
http://www.jk-forum.com/showthread.php?148444-Pop-up-camper-lift-kit

New camper stablizers (better to get too big):
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-jacks/stabilizer-jack-rv.htm

New Wheels/Tires:
http://series06.com/distributors.html (click on all the links to see wheel options)

 

[Peters Dad]

2002 Coleman Sun Valley- Here's my homemade (no kit) axel flip result from a few years ago. Essentially I put the springs above the axel, that's about it. Make sure the bend of the axel is up- used the stock 2700lb. axel. I gained about 4.5" in height and spent maybe $15. Double nutted (w/nyloc nut) the U-bolt just for security. Here are some photos- better than I can explain it (don't ask me to! Laugh). First photo close-up. Second photo in campground- hard to see actual lift without comparison. Third photo, 15 miles off the paved road at 5400' elevation. Caught in a storm- lost the awning to wind then got three inches of snow unexpectedly. Water line almost froze, knocked snow off the canvas every couple of hours. I don't recommend camping in the snow but the trailer otherwise performed quite nicely.
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[dbhost]

2002 Coleman Sun Valley- Here's my homemade (no kit) axel flip result from a few years ago. Essentially I put the springs above the axel, that's about it. Make sure the bend of the axel is up- used the stock 2700lb. axel. I gained about 4.5" in height and spent maybe $15. Double nutted (w/nyloc nut) the U-bolt just for security. Here are some photos- better than I can explain it (don't ask me to! Laugh). First photo close-up. Second photo in campground- hard to see actual lift without comparison. Third photo, 15 miles off the paved road at 5400' elevation. Caught in a storm- lost the awning to wind then got three inches of snow unexpectedly. Water line almost froze, knocked snow off the canvas every couple of hours. I don't recommend camping in the snow but the trailer otherwise performed quite nicely.
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LOL. I have had on 2 different occasions, once in 1993, and the last time in 2004, I have been camping in the mountains, in the summer, and ended up being snowed on in July. It was really an eye opener...

I've never seen snow build up on a pop up in use like that... The snow typically melts off the bunk ends before it can build up.... Must have gotten nasty cold where you were!

 

[dbhost]

Been looking into these to get a 1996 Coleman Niagra out of the sand, and to keep from dragging the back of the trailer to hunting camp.

I saw a guy on Youtube that did an SOA on a Coleman Yukon I think it was, while swapping in a heavier axle as his original was bent. Not a bad idea as the OEM axles typically aren't rated to allow any real payload in the trailer like silly things such as food, water, fuel etc...

Anyway he used a larger tube axle, along with a taller axle perch, which meant that his SOA netted him I believe 7" and got the tires out of the wheelwells, which allowed for a wider footprint tire, good for sand / beaches...

I think for me at least, I would work with my tire guys to get appropriately wide wheels and tires with a proper load rating that would allow me some decent floation over sandy terrain. Not looking to gain lift via tires, looking for lift from the SOA, and flotation from the tires.

After that, swap out, if need be and I suspect it will, the stabilizer and leveling jacks with ones with longer reach.

And since I will be frequenting the beach, apply copious amounts of lube to the jacks... And frequently inspect for, and treat any rust...

 

[WVhillbilly]

You'll need bigger tires just to fill up the space under the newly lifted camper.
But you'll gain quite a few inched that way, not to mention you'll have room for wider tires which will help with flotation.
Try to find a dry lube (teflon) for your jacks so that sand doesn't stick to the threads.
We found blocks to put under our jacks, as our camper sits tall from the factory and the jacks just barely reached the ground.
They were fairly cheap and stack together so they don't take up much room.

 

[Nikwho]

If your trailer doesn't have brakes, you shouldn't need a flip kit, to flip your axle. You should be able to remove the tires, un-bolt the u-bolts and literally flip the axle upside-down and bolt the axle back up, under the springs. Ive seen people paying to have new perches welded onto an axle that don't need to. No reason to have two sets of spring hangers on an axle that doesn't care which end is up.

Nik

 

[the-one1]

............. Ive seen people paying to have new perches welded onto an axle that don't need to. No reason to have two sets of spring hangers on an axle that doesn't care which end is up.

Nik

Correct, *IF* the axle is straight and not bent for camber.

If the axle is bent for camber, then you can't just flip it or else the camber will be the wrong angle and will lead to premature tire wear.

Mine don't have brakes and has a camber bend to it. I just bought new perches and U bolts, didn't need to weld it.

 

[Nikwho]

That is very true! Though, most light weight axles without brakes do not have camber built into them, but that is a VERY good point!

 

[Robmoo]

C&S trailer relocated the trailer to the top of the axle and only charged $150. I considered that a VERY fair deal to enjoy my weekend.

 

[Fish N Farm]

2002 Coleman Sun Valley- Here's my homemade (no kit) axel flip result from a few years ago. Essentially I put the springs above the axel, that's about it. Make sure the bend of the axel is up- used the stock 2700lb. axel. I gained about 4.5" in height and spent maybe $15. Double nutted (w/nyloc nut) the U-bolt just for security. Here are some photos- better than I can explain it (don't ask me to! Laugh). First photo close-up. Second photo in campground- hard to see actual lift without comparison. Third photo, 15 miles off the paved road at 5400' elevation. Caught in a storm- lost the awning to wind then got three inches of snow unexpectedly. Water line almost froze, knocked snow off the canvas every couple of hours. I don't recommend camping in the snow but the trailer otherwise performed quite nicely.
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Yes this one is done right. The axle was simply not just flipped over. New spring perches were put on top. Using just the adjustment bolts will work but also welding the saddles are better. Flipping the axle over throws the geometry off and will cause axle wear the tires. That is what Peters Dad is talking about the bend in the axle. That keeps the camber where it needs to be when loaded. Some axle manufactures also build slight toe-in when they weld the spindles on. You can gain some more lift by making a longer shackle but, you have to be careful and not make it to long or it can flip over backwards.
The best lifts I have seen are the Dexter torsion axles. If you have one of those just unbolt the axle and stick the Dexter spacer block in and done. I think they make two sizes. I had a Little Guy Ruff Rider and it used a Dexter axle with a fabricated spacer welded on the frame. I could have added a Dexter spacer and got more lift. The way they designed the underside of the trailer once off road you could drag it anywhere w/o any wheels. A skid plate went from the front to the back and the axle was completely covered by it. If they had made the outer frame rails wider than the body it would have been completely bullet proof. You could tow it on the Rubicon Trail with no damage.

 

[Fish N Farm]

So I'm just trying to gather some info on ways to lift my Coleman Yuma and so far the easiest way is to use the Dexter Axle spring relocation kit for around $50. It relocates the leaf springs from being mounted on the under side of the axle to being mounted on top. Seems like a decent option. I wanted to share a great image I found of the under side of a Coleman E3 which some of you may know comes lifted stock. You can see that it looks pretty simple with just having spacer blocks between the leaf springs and the frame. The E3 does have the added bonus of having the shocks and the swivel pieces so the spring and pivot while it flexes.

The Dexter stuff will work great if the frame builder used Dexter mounting brackets when the frame was built. I recommend contacting Dexter and sending some pictures of what you have to them. See my reply to Peters Dad in this thread.

 

[Novarich]

Order the kit and flip the axle and the you can switch to larger tires. You can make simple wooden spacer blocks for under the stabilizers and the front jack. You'll need a new draw bar to lift your ball up if flipping it doesn't level the camper out.

 

[KBull]

2002 Coleman Sun Valley- Here's my homemade (no kit) axel flip result from a few years ago. Essentially I put the springs above the axel, that's about it. Make sure the bend of the axel is up- used the stock 2700lb. axel. I gained about 4.5" in height and spent maybe $15. Double nutted (w/nyloc nut) the U-bolt just for security. Here are some photos- better than I can explain it (don't ask me to! Laugh). First photo close-up. Second photo in campground- hard to see actual lift without comparison. Third photo, 15 miles off the paved road at 5400' elevation. Caught in a storm- lost the awning to wind then got three inches of snow unexpectedly. Water line almost froze, knocked snow off the canvas every couple of hours. I don't recommend camping in the snow but the trailer otherwise performed quite nicely.
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Hello Peter's Dad, what is the purpose of the adjustment screws between the old and new spring perches? Thanks.