Fabricated drop axle and method of manufacturing same

A fabricated drop axle assembly, comprising:

• a pair of opposed and spaced apart axle stub ends, each having a saddle end and a spindle end;
• a saddle arcuately formed about an axis to coaxially retain therein the saddle ends of the respective axle stub ends, and defining a recess that substantially bisects the axis;
• a top plate comprising:
• a pair of opposed tab segments, each tab segment abutting and mated to one of the saddle ends of the opposed stub ends;
• and
• a bridge segment joining the tab segments, having a span defined by the recess, the span having two longitudinal edges each of which abuts and mates with the saddle;
• and
• a bottom plate comprising first and second ends to abut and mate the saddle end of each of the axle stub ends, and further comprising a span longitudinally abutting and mating with the saddle along a bottom portion thereof spaced apart from the recess.