6x4 Trailer with Kombi suspension

Before I headed off to WA I fitted Kombi suspension to my 6x4 trailer (for various reasons) and was rapt in the way it handled and the load it carried. The suspension is from a '70 Bay and was cut in the middle and widended 60mm to suit the width of the trailer. I fitted later hubs and fitted standard Bay shockers as well. By doing this, gave me a full set of rear suspension components, wheel bearings, shockers, etc. as spares for the Desert Splitty as well it has 16x6.5 BA Ford/VW rims same as the Splitty. The trailer rides the corrugated roads up here far better than it would with leaf springs.
This conversion took 2 days to complete.
Cheers, Ian.

2nd pic.

3rd pic.

looks a little different, obviously works, any reason for it like than
david

G'day David,
Re: Shocker angle.
Main reason was to use stock Bay rear shocker and this was the only way I could fit it in and still work well. I have noticed some front wheel drive cars have the rear shockers at similar angles. Also note I have fitted AEON rubber springs as bump stops to help when carrying heavy loads.
Cheers, Ian.

with the shock on that angle you would gets progressive dampening in a bad way. With no load and a lot of suspension height it will have the most dampening. Then as it goes through the travel the dampening will get less and less until you basically have no dampening during the final bit of the travel. If fact it must almost reach the point where the shock will start extended as the suspension is still compressing (it won't but you see what I'm talking about).

On a trailer you probably don't notice it much, but you wouldn't want your car set-up like that.

Is what you're saying, it'd be better to relocate the top shocky mount??

yep, higher

or use a shorter shock, like off a beetle, and move the top shock mount further forward.

The suspension is tilted further back than it is on a kombi so it's probably no huge issue.

Thanks for the photos, gives me an idea for the kombi rear end I have in the yard.

[Edited on 21-7-2004 by MikeM]

i think that would be a neat set up ,i will keep it logged in my little brain

probably has great clearance advantages too with the lack of live axle through the middle. probably one of the only 6x4s around with independent suspension!

G'day,
Thanks for all the comments, yes the torsion tube is tilted back more than in the Kombi and Wes, at full travel the bottom shocker mount is still approx 200mm lower than the top one so the senario you mentioned doesn't come close to happening.
Fitting shorter shocks doen't work due to the position of the bottom mounting point being behind the axle line thefore it travels further than on a Beetle where the shocker is in front of the axle.
I tried all posibillities beore fitting the torsion bars so that I could move the hub through it's full travel arc and I believe the current setup to be the best option.
This setup has the best dampening when the trailer is empty which stops it bouncing around and when loaded as in top pic (approx 1 tonne of gear) the suspension was sitting just below the bump stops and the dampening of the shocks worked well as there was no bounce at all.

It Works!!!

Cheers, Ian.

I would be putting brakes on mine .
nice job

Ian , does the lat model hubs * water boxer * fit straight on the old seies axels ? ta neil

I have the late model unit and axels , but no late model irs CRY 🙁

Hi Neil,
Sorry can't tell you, never owned one, I thought T3s had coil suspension.
By later model, I was talking about later Bays, 112 mm PCD.
Cheers, Ian.

Great trailer ! Original and Ingenious. You should be in business for yourself.

But, how does your poor little Kombi cope with towing that load?

There's a crowd down here in Vic. making off-road trailers with independent suspension, but in a very complicated fashion, and with high ground clearance to suit 4 x 4 Drongowagons. Seen 'em at a powder coating joint in Bayswater, coupla years ago. Probably very expensive, too.
Yours is better, and simpler. Cheers.

some of those campers go for $25 > 30 k mad prices .

Ian I looked at the bus hubs I have the ford wheels drop on .I need to move the holes out , no probs .

I have also started the ford disk brake conversion , I post some photos in a new thread as I go .

G'day Paul,
If I went into bussiness doing this it wouldn't be a hobby any more cause I'd have to deal with the general public and I'd rather build them for myself and pass the ideas on so other VW nuts can have a go at them.
The Desert Splitty coped very well towing the trailer with that load on it (about a tonne) check previous Topic about the trip to WA.
I've looked at those offroad trailer suspensions at 4x4 shows and always thought that VW had that years ago, so it was an easy choice when the time came to do it.
Cheers, Ian.