Lift-Axle for flatbed

No, no valves it's just the brackets and bags. There's so many different ways you could plumb one I wouldn't spend the money on their valve kit. When I bought the first one Hendrickson wanted $500 for the valve kit, I used two solenoid valves for about $160. The last one i just put on I used a 4-way spool valve and activated it with a normally close solenoid valve because I already had them laying around. You could make it go up with air or electric, you could make it be normally up and go down with air or electric. You can even make it be normally up and automatically go down when a certain weight is added to the trailer (not recommended). They offer spool valves that operate with either air or electric, lift the axle from the trailer or from the cab (pic below). All are cheaper than the Hendrickson air kit. I didn't post the entire invoice because it's 4 pages long and hard to read.

 

SHC,that 1125lbs is for the entire axle mount,not just the liftaxle system.
And that would explain the 1500$ price tag

 

Yea you don't need that. You can lift any HT or Intraax axle with the Under Beam Lift. http://www.hendrickson-intl.com/Trailer/Value-Added-Options/UBL-Under-Beam-Lift The guys I know that have ordered their trailers with a factory front lift usually have the "underslung" axles so they get a few inches more ground clearance. The normal "top mount" suspensions don't give as much ground clearance as the under slung versions but for an empty trailer it's more than enough. If a trailer Mfg won't install a front lift axle I would as them why. Kind of scary if they don't trust their trailers to be strong enough to handle a lift. Even if you lifted it loaded the rear axle will only support 30k (if it's a 30k suspension) so it's going to bottom out and be sitting on both axles anyway. I usually install a free wheel valve also to kill the brakes on the lifted axle. They're about $40, not required. http://www.sealcocvp.com/prod/catalog/110591/index.htm or here's another version http://www.sealcocvp.com/prod/catalog/780215/index.htm

 

Good info. As far as the factory not installing a lift, it's the college edjumacated engineers that say no. I remember ordering my '88 T-600 and wanted a dump valve on the suspension. The engineers said no, now it's hard to find a tractor without that feature.

 

I would bet its the Intraxx. You can tell if the brake chambers are mounted clear out by the tires and the axle tube is welded to the trailing arms. The HT series used to be standard but they're heavier, they have the chambers mounted together in the center of the axle tube and the tube is bolted to the trailing arms with "U" bolts. Really doesn't matter because the UBL works on either. Took me a few hours to weld the kit on and plumb it up, really easy to do. I would bet the salesman you talked to just didn't know what you were talking about. There's a quad axle Revolution on truck paper with a fixed front lift and a rear steerable lift so it's not like they won't do them. If it was me I would push the issue, it's your money tell them to build what you want or tell them you'll call someone else. You'd be surprised what they can come up with when they think they're losing a sale.

 

It's been over 2 years since i ordered mine and had it built, so they may have changed their minds by now. Mine is Intraxx, but I'll have to look at my literature for the model number.

 

I think it's a bad idea to use electric for an air lift axle. Sooner or later there's gonna be a corrosion problem in the wire or solenoid. I'm also not sure some solenoids were designed to be energized constantly.
Depending on your valving, in an electric failure you might have lift bags fighting against ride bags.

To be safe use manual valves for lift bags and electric for temporary axle dump only.

 

I pull an 01 reitnour big bubba with front lift an rear dump that is run by me via 2 switches on the dash replaced the aux trailer connector once and thats as far as corrosion ever got into the axle wiring. Not sure exactly what its called but mine has a valve that opens straight from the air tank puts full pressure to the front bags when I dump the rear. and a short air cylinder in place of the leveler rod that is spliced into the lift bag air line, charge the lift bags and it automaticly pressures the air cylinder to get the front tires off the ground a few more inches.