tow ball for 66 frankiin freeway

[jude]

Hi there everybody.... I've been checking out your site for a while now (drooling now and then!) and have finally purchased a 66 Franklin Freeway ( I think thats what it is at any rate). Had a few issues on the way home that I'm hoping for some advice on -ie 50mm tow ball under a 2 and a quarter coupling. Legally do I have to change the coupling? Or can I find a tow ball to fit? If its the latter would anyone have one they are happy to part with?

The other issue is it seems to be very very low, note the water tank clearance in the pic. I have a falcon ute and when hitched up the van does not sit straight so the rear is even closer to the ground. I understand i may need to fit a goose neck tow bar to drop the height at the front but the clearance still worries me. Were they made like this? It has 13 inch rims on it.

Any and all advice gratefully received

jude

[humpyboy]

I am no expert okay! as for your axle, is it a drop axle?bit hard to see from your pic, if so just change it to a straight axle and you'll get instant lift, if not you'll need to wait for an expert to respond I could suggest placing the axle under the spring instead of on top but I think that was discussed somewhere else and for reasons I forget it is not a foolproof solution, 2 1/4" tow balls I think are still available from trailer suppliers / caravan supply shops and the like so it shouldn't be to hard to find one.
Hope this is of some help.
Derk.

[jude]

thank you indeed humpyboy though I have no idea what a drop axle looks like - I can see i will need to take it to someone who does! The man in the autopro gave me a bum steer re tow balls - told me they weren't made that size any more. cheers

[humpyboy]

I'll stand corrected on the availability of 2 1/4" tow balls but if you were in Autopro then my guess is you were talking to a kid who wouldn't even know what an "Inch" was ;D

A drop axle? Hmmm this is where the main part of the axle is straight and the stub axles (end pieces) that the wheels attach to are mounted off centre to the main axle, does this make more sense I hope so, at least I know what I mean

[frankidownunder]

I have a '67 Franklin Caravelle which is fitted with a drop axle. have just had the springs reset and now with the van level the centre of the tow coupling is 420 mm from the ground, the tow ball on the car is the same measurement also so now the van sits level when hooked up and the rear clears the ground as I go out of the driveway.( I use a Camec load equalizer when towing as my tow car is front wheel drive, this helps heep van and car level also). I also have 8 ply light truck tyres on 13x5J rims on the van, these are somewhat larger in diameter than the old passenger tyres that were used before, this also helps with ground clearance. Keeping the van low really does help with stability, particularly in cross winds, that's why I chose not to use a straight axle but stay with the original drop type.
hope this is of help

Frankidownunder.

[Franklin1]

G'day jude,

Are you sure the coupling is 2¹/₄"? I would have thought Franklins were well and truly using the 2" coupling by 1966. Does the coupling have the words "Franklin Engineering" showing on the side(s)?

2" converts to almost 51mm, so a 50mm ball might have a little bit of "play" in the socket.

Here's a photo showing a "drop axle"...



The square axle bar is about 4" lower than the centre of the wheels. The axle looks like a very wide, flat 'U'. Franklins often have the round axle bar instead of square.

cheers,
Al.

[jude]

Thank you all tonight , lots to think about. - I will have a more thorough check of the axle in the morning. I'm pretty sure the coupling is 2 1/4, you can make out a stamp just behind the head of it. Will post more detail tomorrow. Great site!!

jude

[jude]

Ok - more detail today. Yes it is a drop axle, yes it is 2 1/4inch coupling, there is not 'franklin engineering' on the coupling - it is welded on as well as bolted on. The coupling is stamped with 30 cwt. Also there is a number, '1470-6' sort of welded onto the top of the drawbar. It measures only 320mm to the centre of the coupling from the ground when level. 'Frankidownunder', would the approach you took with your caravelle gain me 100mm?

Can you or anyone give me a thereabouts figure to get the springs reset? All the bolts appear to be seriously seized with rust I imagine they will need to be cut off and replaced.

thanks to Al., humpyboy and frankidownunder

[Franklin1]

G'day jude,

1. Chassis number: the numbers of 1470-6 on the drawbar is the chassis number. The -6 bit confirms the van was built in 1966. The 1470 bit is the consecutive number of chassis built at the time yours was started. Based on an estimate of about 2600 vans built per year, your van would have been built around July of 1966.

2. Coupling: It seems odd that there's no manufacturer's name on the coupling, even if it's not a Franklin. Maybe if you can post a couple of close-up photos, one taken from either side showing the whole coupling including the bolts, that might help trying to sort out what it is and whether it's worthwhile keeping. If you can't navigate the Photobucket method of posting photos, just add them to your post as attachments, but you'll need to do one new post for each photo attached (ie. you can only do one attachment per post).

3. Springs: seeshell has just had the springs on her van refurbished, so she might be able to supply a ballpark figure. I'm waiting for mine to be done (4 weeks now..."Hopefully this week" ), and my fingers are crossed it will be less than the cost of new bloody bearings!

4. Height of your van off the ground: The introduction of the Freeway model was Franklin's attempt to build an "aerodynamically designed" van that slipped through the airstream. They wanted to maintain a good internal height (6ft 4ins, if I remember the adverts), and so the way to achieve all of this was to have the van as low to the ground as possible. The following photo is of chassis number 1552-6, about 80 vans after yours on the production line...



You can see that if you draw a line along the bottom edge of the van, it passes through the centre of the wheel, which means the van is about half the wheel diameter off the ground. With the 13" wheels they put on them, it doesn't leave much clearance underneath. Certainly not a van for off-road touring, but is also probably a challenge to get into service station driveways without bottoming out.

I see in your photo above that the axle is sitting on top of the springs. You might be able to see if your local trailer/caravan specialist could put the axle under the springs to lift the height up a couple of inches, without causing any design/safety issues. I'm not sure how the round bar axles would go in that situation. More expertise than mine required for this situation.

If all else fails, you might have to explore a new straight axle. Ballpark costs for 'supply only' are up around the $600 to $1000 mark, depending on braking system included with the axle. Check your local reputable suppliers for prices if necessary, and then compare with the internet prices for axles delivered to your door.

ps. Did you notice in my photo above that the coupling has been changed to a later model standard trailer coupling? No indication of whether the van has brakes on it or not any more. I think the two bushies towing this van probably didn't worry about the finer points of braking. Maybe it had electric brakes fitted...



cheers,
Al.

[frankidownunder]

jude, have you looked through the "old tow couplings" thread in the technical section, nearly every tow coupling made is shown there, some with a lot of detail about ball sizes etc.
Resetting springs got me about 25 mm increase in height but that included another leaf being added. Job was done by Carrols Suspension Solutions in melbourne, they are east coast wide company. new "U" bolts are almost mandatory after spring repairs as old ones are stretched and possibly fatigued,(Carrols would not entertain re-using old ones due to above reasons) also Franklin welded the bolts to the axle just for good measure.
Cost breakdown was.
New extra leaf (x2) $87.27
Reset existing springs (x2) $145.45
U bolts to order(x4) $36.36
Labour to remove & refit $145.00
+ donation to Govt & incidentals Total $480.00

I am happy with the price and worth the cost of having the whole job done. It's a pain removing old springs & axles unless you have a good workshop with all the gear and plenty of time to spare.

Frankidownunder.

[jude]

Hi there Al and frankidownunder

thanks for taking the time to provide so much information - all really useful and allows me to make some decisions armed with some good info. Yep its a freeway for sure and in time will look not unlike the lovely one shown above. Not sure I'll bother with brakes either - been towing horses for years so am seriously careful when towing otherwise the sods won't go back on!

Just checked out the old tow couplings - its a Dymwood for sure - it looks pretty sound as well. Do you think the rear supports can be found secondhand? I also will be on the hunt for the front metal awning at some stage.

Bette go do some work, Cheers

Jude

[Franklin1]

G'day jude,

You might find you actually need brakes for rego. The "Rules" require brakes on trailers (includes caravans) weighing 750kgs or more. I would have thought your Freeway at 14ft 9ins would be up around that weight?

Not sure how easy it would be to find second hand rear jacks. Sometimes they appear on the UNO auction site, but are not necessarily Franklin ones. You can buy the latest designs brand new from caravan parts suppliers. Depends on how keen you are to maintain 'originality'.

Keep plodding along with the job.

cheers,
Al.

[philouise]

Hi.

This is a picture of a drop axle reversed to gain height.
(or is it a lift axle)


Then lowered with blocks to get less height.

Then heated and bent by me to get the stub axle level.

It's on a 1976 Franklin with hydraulic brakes.

Cheers.

Phil