Bicycle Mechanics - Longer axle required - any ideas?

Hi,

i'm currently rebuilding my old Saracen Tufftrax and have a bit of a problem.
The rear hub is the stock Shimano STX that came on the bike from new. It has a 10 x146 hollow axle with a quick release.

This year i've started doing our grocery shopping by bike pulling a trailer, the hitch being the type that mounts to the rear axle.
The problem is that which the hitch attached, the quick release is now attached by quite a few threads less, and although it hasn't yet failed in service, i'd sleep better with a bit of safety built in - i.e a longer axle.

Looking on Shimano's website I found what looks like a candidate from their 'Hone' groupset, fitted to the FH M600 hub. This axle has an extra 40mm of length which should do the trick on the face of it. At £18 plus delivery from bonthronebikes.co.uk, i'd rather be 100% sure before ordering so my first query should anyone be in the know is - taking into account the section of the axle with its threads ground down, will this give me enough thread on the opposite side of the axle from the cassette? (at least 40mm is needed to be worthwhile)

Or even better - does anyone know of any less costly alternatives? I'm not being a tightwad (honest!) if its going to be the Hone axle then so be it, but it pays to shop around doesn't it? lol
I'd like to retain the quick release for convenience.

Cheers in advance for any ideas!

Ian...

An axle 40 mm longer than for standard 135 mm dropout spacing (146 mm axle) almost has to be a nutted axle, not a quick release axle.

http://www.loosescrews.com/index.cgi?d=single&c=Hub&sc=Axles&tc=Rear&item_id=WB-AXLE29&id=840460622243


http://www.loosescrews.com/index.cgi?d=single&c=Hub&sc=Axles&tc=Rear&item_id=WB-101168&id=840460622243


But I too would go with a solid axle conversion as suggested.

A quick release axle cannot extend past the bicycle frame dropout by even a tiny amount. If it does, the QR will bottom against the axle and won't tighten against the frame.

A quick release axle cannot extend past the bicycle frame dropout by even a tiny amount. If it does, the QR will bottom against the axle and won't tighten against the frame.
Soz, should've explained a bit more here - I intended to either knock up some spacers or just remove the excess length, just so long as the towhitch is supported by the axle & the quick release couplings have a decent amount of thread to grab onto.

I don't know what kind of trailer you have but burley offers this alternative hitch http://www.lickbike.com/productpage.aspx?PART_NUM_SUB=%273794-16%27 , it's a skewer with a built in hitch also offered in a longer version.

it sounds like you mainly want a longer Q/R skewer, not a longer axle. You'd do fine with a longer skewer so that the quick release is engaged on enough threads, then it can generate sufficient clamping force.

I should have asked this sooner but how many full turns of the nut on your current QR skewer can you get with the trailer hitch installed?

As long as you can get at least a diameter or two of the skewer inserted, the strength is adequate. Skewers are threaded M5x.8 mm so 6 turns will draw in a full diameter and 12 turns will include two diameters. If you can get more than 6 turns, you are good.

BTW, use a steel skewer nut or a nut with a steel threaded insert. Don't use a Al nut or boutique skewer.