Dave I have had two friends who have broken those trailer spindles as tire swing outs, so keep an eye on them. I think they determined that it was due to the weld being to close to the bearing surface and messing with the hardness?
Not trying to scare you just making you aware of a possibility. Both we were well supported when closed also.
I like the latch at a 45, that should hold it nicely. The bumper on my cherokee has the same style latch but its on top of the swingout and hooks on the forward side of the stop/locator. It works well but I think the 45 degree idea would hold it even more stable.
I appreciate your concern and the advice, but this shaft is beefier than the average trailer spindle. In addition, it is not welded on, just a couple of tack welds at the base is all it needs, so the hardness of the shaft isn't affected. The shaft slides into that machined sleeve, and its the sleeve that is welded to the bumper. Once fully welded in, the sleeve shrinks a tiny bit, and locks the shaft in place, hence only a couple tacks added to the base of the shaft just make sure it never moves.
Gone to the dark side with an LS3 powered '57 Chevy 210
