If you suspect your second hand Bushtracker has been abused, overloaded, or run too hard, you can now upgrade the axle stubs and whole suspension arms. The new 4140 Axle Stubs 60 tonne tensile strength, that are standard equipment now, are available for an upgrade on your (new) second hand Bushtracker....
Now I would not bother unless you see some of the following:
1) Spring packs flattened out, so there is say less than 60 mm average between the bump stops and chassis.. I mean this suspension has the longest travel of any 4x4 trailer suspension out there, but when sitting level it should have a minimum of about 60 mm clear.. OR
2) Or the bump stops show wear or are gone altogether.... ???
3) There is a wear spot on the chassis where the bump stops have been bottoming out...
The rest of van will look a bit beat up if it has been run too hard, but usually the suspension will tell the story. If you pull off a brake drum, if they have not let tyre pressure down, you can also see extreme wear on the magnet and brake actuating arms... Just a word to the wise, a good enough buy and it is well worth restoring and upgrading OK? I have a collection of axle stubs in my office, that are distinct in that half of the axle stub is crystalized looking where it sheared off. The troubling bit is that the other half is worn smooth where on a microscopic level it had been wearing and they were running on a cracked axle stub for an unknown time!!
Sometimes it is hitting a curb or rock or deep rut, or just running over loaded, you just do not know with second hand Bushtrackers. These pictures are of stubs we have investigated, that were already fractured and work hardened, with the Engineering involved. Most we have investigate were waaay overloaded, with only a few having a collision, pothole, or curb hit hard as the suspected fracturing impact.
In these pictures you can see the partial fracture occurs, then the rest of the axle "work hardens and crystalizes" until some innocent move makes it finally fail. The fractured part has been flattened out, compressing and wearing on a molecular level, the balance is that crystal look
These are just some of the causes, that it has been overloaded, or run hard, or run too fast... If you see some or all of this, looking at the suspension, springs, hangers, pivot blocks, suspension bottoming out on the chassis: Then I suggest you could think about this upgrade for peace of mind.
Cost? It depends on the condition of the brakes, and the bearings, when we tear it down. On average I would say less than $2800, plus or minus 10% according to what we find on the tear down if things are badly worn...
If the spring packs are flattened out, I suggest that NO ONE these days (hardly anyone) hot tempers springs anymore... I would not suggest anyone do the normal cold bend arc back in springs because they would do it every year. Labour costs as much as the springs.. On this refit I can replace the springs if abused and flattened out, for NEW for about $600. Again, labour on top of that would be nearly as much $300-400, but the labour is already included in the full tear down to swap out the axle stub and a-frames...
Kind regards, Steven Gibbs, Director
And as I always say "In Your Best Interests"...
