axle full of water?

[marknewbill]

hello. it appears my axles may be full of water. it appears to slosh out going around curves or hitting bumps through the holes where wires for brakes come out.

2 questions
should i drill a small 1/4 hole in the bottom of the tube to drain the water?

should i silicone the place where the wires go to prevent this? or does this not matter and just leave everything alone?

ok so it was 3 questions. thanks 😊 mark

 

[2psnapod2]

hello. it appears my axles may be full of water. it appears to slosh out going around curves or hitting bumps through the holes where wires for brakes come out.

2 questions
should i drill a small 1/4 hole in the bottom of the tube to drain the water?

should i silicone the place where the wires go to prevent this? or does this not matter and just leave everything alone?

ok so it was 3 questions. thanks 😊 mark

Mark, you have a issue that is unusual for sure. I am not an expert on axles, but do upgrade many RVers with larger axles. I would drill a small hole in the bottom of your axles to drain the water. Maybe 1/8 inch or so. I have seen many people drill into their axles to support steel brake lines. So a couple of holes should be ok. I would make sure and seal the holes for the brake wires, and the new holes with some silicon to keep it from happening again, and help with rust.

 

[centerline]

Yes drain the water, but dont seal them up..
If they are not completely dry inside, you will be sealing ang chance of them drying out....ventilation is good along as moisture cant be trapped..

as an example, a tin roof on a building can get wet all the time for months at a time, and doesnt rust, but set something small or large on it to trap the water so it cant readily drain away, and you will begin to see the first signs of rust forming under that object in a month or so..... its not the water itself as much as it is the "confinement" of it in a steel vessel.

 

[2psnapod2]

I would seal the upper holes where the wires are, but by leaving the lower ones open, but painted without sealing would allow for any water that is in the axles or drain out of them, to drain. Stopping the water from going into the axle tube would be best.

 

[marknewbill]

I would seal the upper holes where the wires are, but by leaving the lower ones open, but painted without sealing would allow for any water that is in the axles or drain out of them, to drain. Stopping the water from going into the axle tube would be best.

Since nobody seems to hear of this I have to wonder if my trailer frame was somehow involved in a flood before it was built? It's a brand new camper and I have not had it in any deep water and only pulled in rain a few minutes on time. Not sure how the axle can fill up like that?

 

[danemayer]

Since nobody seems to hear of this I have to wonder if my trailer frame was somehow involved in a flood before it was built? It's a brand new camper and I have not had it in any deep water and only pulled in rain a few minutes on time. Not sure how the axle can fill up like that?

Maybe it was transported through a heavy rainstorm.

 

[JohnDar]

More likely it was immersed (flooded). Either pulled through deep eater or stored somewhere that flooded before you got it.


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[jbeletti]

Since nobody seems to hear of this I have to wonder if my trailer frame was somehow involved in a flood before it was built? It's a brand new camper and I have not had it in any deep water and only pulled in rain a few minutes on time. Not sure how the axle can fill up like that?

In the plant where your RV is built, the frames enter the building without axles. At the first station inside the building, axles, suspension, tires/wheels, steps and the underbelly are installed.

It's possible the axle, sitting outside the plant for hours or over a weekend could have gotten wet from rain or snow. Unsure if that could introduce the amount of moisture your finding.

I'm wondering if it's more likely the finished RV was parked or stored where the water came above the axle. Perhaps in a dispatch lot or at the dealership.

 

[2psnapod2]

I would seal the upper holes where the wires are, but by leaving the lower ones open, but painted without sealing would allow for any water that is in the axles or drain out of them, to drain. Stopping the water from going into the axle tube would be best.

Since nobody seems to hear of this I have to wonder if my trailer frame was somehow involved in a flood before it was built? It's a brand new camper and I have not had it in any deep water and only pulled in rain a few minutes on time. Not sure how the axle can fill up like that?

The axles are added after the fact. as the Frame is Built by Lippert and the axles are from Dexter. So I doubt they were flooded. Maybe some rain or snow that melted. Not sure what time of the year your trailer was built. I have not heard of any flooding that happened to either Heartland or Dexter. I know that Elkhart did have some flooding issues last summer.

 

[lynndiwagoner]

Aren't those axles installed with a slight bow....going up in the middle?

 

[marknewbill]

Aren't those axles installed with a slight bow....going up in the middle?

I cant see the BOW, if there is one it would be determined by what made the wheels run true. but just in case, i will make the drain hole near one end so that it can drain for sure - because sooner or later it will sit long enough at some incline to get to the selected side. I will avoid any weld when I make the hole just to be sure i don't weaken anything. according to the stains around the area, there sure is a lot of rusting going on in there. I just have to figure out how to keep the water out of my nice drill during this....

 

[2psnapod2]

Yes they are supposed to have about an inch of camber to them. A good way to tell if they have lost their camber is to tape a small string to each end by the springs. You should have about an inch of space between the axle beam and the string.

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[2psnapod2]

I cant see the BOW, if there is one it would be determined by what made the wheels run true. but just in case, i will make the drain hole near one end so that it can drain for sure - because sooner or later it will sit long enough at some incline to get to the selected side. I will avoid any weld when I make the hole just to be sure i don't weaken anything. according to the stains around the area, there sure is a lot of rusting going on in there. I just have to figure out how to keep the water out of my nice drill during this....

Just drill a hole on each end.

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