I have a 2014 14dbs, and I want to grease, do maintenance on my wheel bearings. I did not get a dexter manual with my unit.
How can I determine the type axles that I have? I guess this is the first step in the process. I want to do this myself, as I am capable, and we do not have any overly competent techs at our local Rv dealers. Nearest CL dealer is 250 miles away.
I saw a 6 minute video on the dexter site.
Any other suggestions for resources to show how this is done are welcome.
Taylor and Christian, can the LL Factory shed any light on my specific type of axle from their manufacturing records?
The model number should be on a sticker on the axle itself.
But nearly all trailer axle maintenance is the same. I had a Lippert axle on my previous trailer and it's pretty much identical to the Dexter on my CL. Just make sure you have spare seals and bearings. The rear seals will always get destroyed when you pry them out to get the inner bearing. They should be replaced regularly anyways to make sure none of the grease ends up in your brakes. You probably won't need to use the bearings, but it's better to have them in case you find something during your inspection than to leave your trailer on a jack for a undetermined amount of time while you drive around town looking for the proper replacement. Watch lots of videos and read up to make sure you understand everything before you get started. It's pretty easy once you understand it, and it's a piece of cake once you've done it.
One warning: Nobody will tell you where to jack up the trailer. The axle manual will tell you not to use the axle itself because it's actually a tube and could dent or collapse. LL will tell you not to use the frame because it will dent or collapse... hmmmm. Since you've got a double axle you can drive one wheel over a ramp or pile of blocks and it will raise the other, but for the single axle folks I'd try to put my jack on the axle bracket and spread the force over the largest area you can with a block of wood.
Good info, I'll look for a model number then a source for parts. Mine is a double axle, so the boards work to raise one wheel at a time. I have seen this happen if I have to use two 2x6"x3' long boards to level the trailer, as the first wheel comes on the board the other dangles in the air.
How about this, I cut a piece if 4x4 that fits snugly between the two axles, and I have used this to spread the jack pressure to the CL aluminum frame as I raise the camper. It is 13" long so I spread the jack pressure over this distance between the two axles. Your thoughts? Better to just use my ramp and do one wheel at a time?
I am a bit tentative about knocking out that inner bearing, and more so about how much pressure to use to re tighten the entire thing .....too loose and you get wheel wobble and destroyed bearings, and too tight and I get overheating?
One more while I have your expertise.
I look to be averaging 3000 miles in spring and fall, no summer hot camping for me. Should I still be doing this annually?
Thank you for your knowledge and time.
[p]Hello again, I just searched my computer files, and back when I purchase this, my first camper, I put a ton of info in the files and ....., well, simply forgot I had these resources. .
But I think I have stumbled upon some good reading material. Wish I had the dexter manual in print format, but I may bite the print cost and print the necessary pages.
Many thanks again.
http://livinlite.com/pdf/600-8K_DexterAxleServiceManual.pdf
QS Dexter axle lubrication maintenance by rsdata June, 2013 rsdata@yahoo.com
A full maintenance manual for all Dexter axles is provided on the www.livinlite.com website at
http://livinlite.com/pdf/600-8K_DexterAxleServiceManual.pdf
VIDEO LINK to Dexter axle greasing here: [a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzW1kK8oWkc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzW1kK8oWkc[/a][/p][p][em]
[/em][/p][p][em]As I look at my post, I see a video is now playing, now I need to determine if I have this type of axle.[/em][/p][p][em]
[/em][/p]
Hi There!
Am reading through the thread, but can't quite determine if you found the info you are looking for. Would you still like me to check on anything from our end? Just say the word! :-)
Christian
Hi Christian, thanks for the reply. I tentatively think I have the information. Between the video and the huge online dexter manual and the 8 page article I have, I think I am OK. I will read all of this over the next few weeks. We are planning to be out a ton before Christmas. I will probably run my trailer wheels up on a board and check each one for proper rotation, and hopefully finding nothing wrong, I will look to do these bearings after this camping season.
Thanks for getting back to me on this.