First axle was bad from the factory and replaced under warranty. The new axle solved the sway problems. But the other day, driving back from New Brunswick Canada I noticed sway again. The weather was bad and winds were high so I thought it was that, but at the next fuel stop I took a look. Good thing I did since the wheel was about to fall off. The bearings were totally destroyed. Found a nearby motel and made it to an auto repair shop the next morning. The entire hub assembly was fried. Bearings, brakes, even the retainer nut. In removing the nut the spindle threads were destroyed and couldn't be re-tapped, so had to leave the rig in northern Maine and order a new axle. That's where things stands. Looking at the damage the guy at the shop thinks the brakes froze (since the brake pads were totally gone) and the heat and drag from that killed the bearings and spindle. Ugh. We checked the brakes and bearings on the other side and they were totally fine. My best guess is when the new axle was installed last year they did not assemble the brake assy correctly. We couldn't find one of the small springs on the side that blew. Eventually that destroyed the brakes which destroyed the bearings which almost killed us. For want of a nail! (or spring). Still love the MPG and keep it as light as possible, but I'm starting to think it might be a little much for a single 3500 lb axle.
Lost another axle :-(
- Thread starter bigmaho
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