I purchased this trailer in 1999 after losing a rear driveshaft at Truck Haven and being forced to drive back to Arizona with front wheel drive. I have performed regular maintenance of the wheel bearings and brakes, but never did anything to the suspension other than check the hardware to make sure it's tight.
The last time I did wheel bearings I noticed some gouges in the spindles which I felt could lead to them breaking, so I knew I was going to have to replace the axles soon. In preparation for our January Truck Haven trip I started working on the trailer early. I pulled the trailer out from the spot it's been sitting for the past three years and moved it next to the back garage so I could work on it. When I pulled the tires off I saw that one of the springs had broken.
The spring had barely been holding on. It got me home from my last trip and said that was all I could take. LOL
When I pulled the suspension apart I found massive wear to the equalizer, some bolts and some shackles. When I bought the new axles I learned that they come with plastic bushings which are considered replaceable wear items. I will be pulling checking them every couple years from here on.
I found a local distributor for Rockwell axles and was able to pick up two 5200# axles with brakes and hardware for $1300.00 out the door. I felt that was a very good price considering I had seen them go for between $1700 and $2300 when sold through trailer shops.
I plan on cleaning the spring mounts with a sand blaster and painting with POR 15 before reassembly. The whole trailer could use a paint job at some point.
If I get another 23 years from the new axles that will put me at 83 years old. It's hard to imagine loading the Pumpkin on the trailer at 83, but you never know!