Utility trailer help please

So I'm building a small utility trailer that will have a hydraulic ram that attaches to my tractor that will lift and dump the box of the trailer. This is about as complex as anything I've made from scratch so far and I'm stuck on something with the leaf springs. As it sits now, the rear shackle bolts sit about 1/8" from the tire (the top shackle bolt is the only one this close). I can't move the leaf assembly or U-bolts towards the inside because the leaf perches were already welded to the axle when I bought it. The only thing I can think of is wheel spacers to push the tire further out away from the bolts. Any better ideas? I sure would appreciate it !!
Here's the pics:



and the problem:

 

Whats the other end of that bolt look like ? Can you swap it head for tail and gain some clearance that way ?

OZ

 

That's definitely give him and extra 10th of an inch clearance.

But seriously to OP, try that before spacing the wheels out.

 

yeah, flip the bolt around for a little more clearance. thats probably still not enough though, so maybe just a thin spacer (1/4"? If there is enough thread on the stud...) also?

 

I'll get a couple more pictures of the other side of the bolt this morning. the head of the bolt has splines on the first inch of the shaft. The splines wont fit into the holes in the spring hangers so they stick out just as far if not further than the nut side. I guess I could swap that bolt around and drill out that one hole so that the splines of that bolt would slide in..........that would buy me at least a 1/4", but I'm not sure if those splines serve any purpose?!. Thanks for the suggestions guys!

 

unless you are going to pull this down the highway i don't think it will matter, around the yard/farm you should be ok you're not going to be moving fast, can you flip the rim around, i did that to a tractor to get a wider wheel base

 

Fixed it. I just cut the tack welds on the spring hangers and tapped them over about a quarter inch. Then ground down the nut and extra length of the bolt a little and now I think there is plenty of room for the tire to move. The only other question I have is about the axle. It came pre-bent upward (I'm assuming to compensate for weight from above). If I wanted to run the springs on top, I would just have to weld on new spring perches on the top of the axle.......right? This would get me some height for the dump box that would be nice to have. Also, it's a 2000 lb. axle, if I put some gussets on the underside of the bend, would that allow me to carry more weight or is that just a dumb idea? Thanks again for the ideas guys!

 

I think the weight capacity is dependent on the bearings moreso, so i would say not to try and haul more than its intended on a regular basis.