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Changing an Axle

Draggo
Explorer
Explorer
Hello,

I think I have a bent axle on my dual axle trailer because on the rear tires, the insides are wearing faster than the outsides. So I've been calling a few places locally to get it done and am realizing that I can do it a lot cheaper and on my own timeline if I do it myself. I also need to do the brakes on the trailer and plan on doing that myself as well because that looks fairly simple.

So my question is how complex is it to change an axle? From the little research I've done so far it looks fairly simple, unbolt the old one and bolt the new one on. Am I missing something or is it really that simple? Should I change out the leaf springs (they are fine as far as I can tell) or just replace the axle itself? Any suggestions? Any good YouTube videos to watch on how to do it?

Thanks,
Mike
Mike & Company
2021 GMC Sierra SLE (6.6L V-8, 3.73 rear gear)
2018 Coachmen Freedom Express 279RLDS
Reese W/D & HP DC
23 REPLIES 23

wrenchbender
Explorer
Explorer
If you plan it it's easy add a wet bolt kit to your list

yankee_camper
Explorer
Explorer
If you're mechanically inclined it's really a straight forward job, but a little labor intensive. Like others have said be prepared to cut off some very rusted bolts. I did a dual axle trailer from soup to nuts,(axles,springs,equalizers...) in about 5 1/2 hrs, last summer by myself. If I was doing it again I bet I could whittle it down to 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Buy the Dexter suspension upgrade kit that includes all the new wet bolt hardware. Only a couple bucks more and it's going to be apart anyways.

Huntindog
Explorer
Explorer
Draggo wrote:
Thanks for the info. The TT came with Lippert 3,500 lb axles but when I look at etrailer.com it looks like they only sell Dexter and they aren't "plug and play" so I wouldn't be able to just unbolt one and put the new one on. I did look at the website for Johnson Surplus and see they do carry the Lippert. Someone mentioned them, does anyone had experience with them? Honestly it almost seems too cheap compared to the Dexter or am I comparing apples to oranges?

On both the Dexter and Lippert that I've found, they all look like they mount above the leaf springs but on my current setup they are below the leaf spring. Other than lowering the trailer a few inches, any other advantages or disadvantages to going with a setup that has the axle above the leaf spring? Thinking that as long as I am doing the work it might be work replacing everything.

Also, if I replace both axles, how do I know I have them aligned currently? Doing a little reading it looks like they are supposed to be within something like 1/16th of an inch for the alignment. How can I do that at home?

I appreciate all the advice. I really want to do this myself because of the cost but need to be comfortable with it.

Thanks.
Alignment is usually set when the spring hangers are welded to the TT frame. So long as the spring perches are welded on the axle tubes correctly as well. then it is set, and no ordinary alignment is needed. Or possible for that matter. (some people believe in bending a undamaged axle to make up for errors in welding or there is at least one product that will allow for some aspects to be changed)
If you have the axles made to your specs, they can weld the perches on for you in their jig. IOW, it should be perfect. That leaves the spring hangers.You can do the measuring method, or go by by how it performed before the axles were bent... If the tire wear was OK then, that means it should be OK now.

Doing it this way means that if a future axle replacement is needed it can simply be bolted in. Vs. swapping in a axle custom bent to match the old one.. Axles can need replacing due to bearing problems, road hazards etc.
Huntindog
100% boondocking
2021 Grand Design Momentum 398M
2 bathrooms, no waiting
104 gal grey, 104 black,158 fresh
FullBodyPaint, 3,8Kaxles, DiscBrakes
17.5LRH commercial tires
1860watts solar,800 AH Battleborn batterys
2020 Silverado HighCountry CC DA 4X4 DRW

deltabravo
Nomad
Nomad
Ivylog wrote:
I would try bending the axle by jacking in the middle until it has the same amount of arch as the front one.


Very bad idea.
It will cause more damage than it fixes.
2009 Silverado 3500HD Dually, D/A, CCLB 4x4 (bought new 8/30/09)
2018 Arctic Fox 992 with an Onan 2500i "quiet" model generator

fairfaxjim
Explorer
Explorer
I bent the axles on my Milan 18CK. It is 4200 lbs. dry, 7K GVWR with 2 3500 lb. axles. I had already flipped the axles for ground clearance and added shocks. I ended up replacing the two bent 3500 lb. 2 3/8" tube axles with 3" tube axles that had the 3500 lb. #84 spindles and brake flanges. They were made to order by AL-KO to exactly match my axle length. Check the AL-KO catalogue, I believe they are in it.

Keeping the 3500 lb. spindles/flanges allowed me to simply transfer the brakes and hubs, and retain the same wheels. The axles I received did not have spring perches, and those had to be welded on. The spring perches can be welded for over or under mounting. I had to get new larger U-bolts to accommodate the larger 3" tube. You may need larger mounting plates too. The shock kit plates I had already installed were good for the 3" tube.

I have had this arrangement for 5 seasons now and have had no more axle problems. I make several trips a year into the Nevada desert on fairly rough dirt roads (the same roads that bent the stock OEM axles!)
Jim & JoAnne
2016 Toyota Tundra SR5 TRD Double Cab
2004 Starcraft 11RT (Replaced by)
2011 Eclipse Milan 18CK Travel Trailer

Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Explorer
Let me talk about a few things:

#1. I don't know about the different makes of axels.

#2. If you go to an above spring arrangement you will lose space above the tire. IOW's the tire may (or may not) rub on the wheel well. I would not do this but if you do make sure you check and recheck for clearance.

#3. You cross measure the axels. You measure on an X. You can measure with a tape or even a string. I doubt most trailers are within 1/16th of an inch. More than likely a U-tube vid on it?

Good luck and have fun!
~ Too many freaks & not enough circuses ~


"Life is not tried ~ it is merely survived ~ if you're standing
outside the fire"

"The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly."- Abraham Lincoln

Mont_G_J
Explorer
Explorer
You might consider the trailer alignment kit from etrailer.com.

Draggo
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks for the info. The TT came with Lippert 3,500 lb axles but when I look at etrailer.com it looks like they only sell Dexter and they aren't "plug and play" so I wouldn't be able to just unbolt one and put the new one on. I did look at the website for Johnson Surplus and see they do carry the Lippert. Someone mentioned them, does anyone had experience with them? Honestly it almost seems too cheap compared to the Dexter or am I comparing apples to oranges?

On both the Dexter and Lippert that I've found, they all look like they mount above the leaf springs but on my current setup they are below the leaf spring. Other than lowering the trailer a few inches, any other advantages or disadvantages to going with a setup that has the axle above the leaf spring? Thinking that as long as I am doing the work it might be work replacing everything.

Also, if I replace both axles, how do I know I have them aligned currently? Doing a little reading it looks like they are supposed to be within something like 1/16th of an inch for the alignment. How can I do that at home?

I appreciate all the advice. I really want to do this myself because of the cost but need to be comfortable with it.

Thanks.
Mike & Company
2021 GMC Sierra SLE (6.6L V-8, 3.73 rear gear)
2018 Coachmen Freedom Express 279RLDS
Reese W/D & HP DC

myredracer
Explorer II
Explorer II
Draggo wrote:
Hello,
Any suggestions?
As noted above, replacing an axle is fairly easy (providing you have the needed space and tools). Have you weighed the TT and know what the actual weight on the axles is?

I see that like us, you have a KZ Spree and know about some of their frame issues. They build these using a frame that has I-beams made from 3 pieces of 1/8" mild steel welded together and *look* like a regular I-beam. They flex a LOT and that could be a contributing factor in a bent axle. Check that the spring hangers are perfectly vertical and not bent to one side. I'd also inspect for cracks in the vertical part of the I-beams above the spring hangers. We had bent spring hangers on a previous Spree we owned and it came from the factory like that! We no longer own that TT due to frame issues...

Specs say that the 318BHS is 32'-9" and has a GVWR of 7K lbs. Our 262RKS is 29', has a 6800 lb GVWR and weighs just a few lbs under the GVWR (fully loaded for 2 plus some mods). Just one full holding tank would put us over the GVWR. I would suspect that you have been running your TT close to or over the GVWR which would also be a factor in a bent axle.

I would definitely upgrade the 3500 lb 2-3/8" dia. axles to larger 4400/5200 lb axles. This would mean upgrading to 6-lug wheels and you'd obviously need to replace both axles. You'd get 12" brakes which would be a bonus. I'd also upgrade the spring ratings and would recommend installing a Dexter wet bolt kit while in there, or at a min. Dexter's never-fail bushings. If the original bushings have never been replaced, I doubt there'd be much left of them. Our were totally shot after just the 2K mile trip from Indiana to the dealer. Our current Spree 262RKS has a special one-off heavy duty frame with 5200 lb axles. The improvement from the standard setup is absolutely amazing.

If you have LRC tires they may have been running close to their max. load capacity rating. I'd upgrade to LRD to get more reserve load capacity.

If you do upgrade the axle rating and want optimize the work, I'd consider adding gussets above the spring hangers and possibly "boxing" the spring hangers to add strength. Doing all of the above work would of course add more expense.

Ski_Pro_3
Explorer
Explorer
My dad's 5'er had a bent axle when he cut a corner too sharp and dropped the rear wheel on the 2nd axle in a ditch. I removed the axle and took it to a machine shop. For about $50 they straightened it for me and now it's perfect. I didn't have to do anything to the brakes either, as I didn't need to remove them from the axle prior to the shop straightening the axle.

Huntindog
Explorer
Explorer
Downwindtracker2 wrote:
I did the upgrade,from 3500#s to 5200#s. It wasn't so simple. A quote from Captain Obvious," If it bent, it wasn't heavy enough. "

The 3500#s were over axle, the 5200# were under. 5200#s took 6 bolt 16" wheels and the shock mounts angled the other way.


Well I went from 5200# to 7000#. It was a direct easy bolt in swap.

The point is that the OP has a bent axle. So simply changing nothing other than just replacing it with the same one is a waste of money.

Some axle upgrades will be harder than others. Just the nature of things mechanical... But if what you have is failing now... A change needs to be made.
Huntindog
100% boondocking
2021 Grand Design Momentum 398M
2 bathrooms, no waiting
104 gal grey, 104 black,158 fresh
FullBodyPaint, 3,8Kaxles, DiscBrakes
17.5LRH commercial tires
1860watts solar,800 AH Battleborn batterys
2020 Silverado HighCountry CC DA 4X4 DRW

Downwindtracke1
Explorer
Explorer
I did the upgrade,from 3500#s to 5200#s. It wasn't so simple. A quote from Captain Obvious," If it bent, it wasn't heavy enough. "

The 3500#s were over axle, the 5200# were under. 5200#s took 6 bolt 16" wheels and the shock mounts angled the other way.
Adventure before dementia

Huntindog
Explorer
Explorer
Replacement is the way to go. While you are at it, upgrade to the next size up weight rating.

Your present axle is telling you something... It was overloaded. So you need to upgrade the axle or off load some weight... Since you are in it this far, an upgrade is peanuts.
Huntindog
100% boondocking
2021 Grand Design Momentum 398M
2 bathrooms, no waiting
104 gal grey, 104 black,158 fresh
FullBodyPaint, 3,8Kaxles, DiscBrakes
17.5LRH commercial tires
1860watts solar,800 AH Battleborn batterys
2020 Silverado HighCountry CC DA 4X4 DRW

drsteve
Explorer
Explorer
Johnson's Surplus has Lippert axles in a huge assortment of sizes, complete with springs, brakes, and drums, for $200-$325.
2006 Silverado 1500HD Crew Cab 2WD 6.0L 3.73 8600 GVWR
2018 Coachmen Catalina Legacy Edition 223RBS
1991 Palomino Filly PUP