Tension device for live axle doors

A live axle tension device (15) that is suitable for adjusting the setting of a spring (16) on a live axle door (10). The tension device comprises a spring (16) that connects to a drum wheel (14) and to a spring connecting plate (22). The spring connecting plate (22) is attached to the outside of an axle housing tube (24) that houses the axle (12). The axle housing tube (24) also has two tension plates (26) connected to it which sandwich a tension bracket (20). The tension bracket (20) is fixedly attached to a supporting structure (21) and the axle (12) is free to rotate inside the bracket. The axle housing tube (24) and the plates attached to it can rotate relative to the tension bracket (20). With the spring (16) connected to the drum wheel (14) at one end and connected to the spring connecting plate (22) at the other end, the insertion of a tension pin (32) through the tension plates (26) and the tension bracket (20) fixes the position of the two ends of the spring (16) relative to each other. With the tension pin (32) in place, the door (10) can be raised and lowered in order to determine if the tension in the spring (16) is correct. If the tension in the spring (16) needs to be adjusted, a pipe wrench or other tool is attached to the outside of the axle housing tube (24) and the tube (24) is turned slightly to release the force on the tension pin (32) so that it can be removed. With the tension pin (32) removed, the axle housing tube (24) can be rotated in either direction by the wrench to increase or decrease the tension of the spring (16). Once the desired amount of tension is achieved, the tension pin (32) is placed back through the tension plates (26) and the tension bracket (20). At this point the door (10) can be raised and lowered again to determine if the spring (16) is adjusted properly.