Axles underrated?

Rhoe1 · 07-09-2018, 08:31 PM

Recently coming home from a trip my left front tire on the trailer, the bearings seized and caught fire. I got it to a repair shop, They said the axles were rated for actually 6280lbs, but the GVW is 16,100.

I haven’t been on this forum in years, just curious if I could get some tech support or any info. I’m having them put new 8K axles on it.

Thanks

r time soon · 07-09-2018, 09:15 PM

7,000 lb axles sounds correct. Upgrade available is the 8,000 lb axles. Perhaps the max load on your tires is slightly less than the 7,000 lbs per axle combined. Don't forget that anywhere from 10 to 15 or 18% of the entire coaches weight is either on the king pin or the front landing gear. It is a shame you lost a wheel and bearing. Hope everyone is safe. If upgrading to the 8,000 lb axles be 100% sure that the spring/ axle hangers have the same distance, center of spring eye to center of spring eye, as the 7,000 lb axles you are replacing, if not the hangers will be required to be moved also.

I am sure othere will chime in later to helpm with your questions.

Chris & Maria
2012 36RL

xtasee · 07-09-2018, 09:15 PM

I think this is how it works....

2 7,000 lb axles would carry 14,000 lbs and having a pin weight on the hitch of 3,000 lbs would mean you could carry a theoretical 17,000 lbs. However the GVW you mention of 16,100 would be dependent on several other things like the hitch pin box etc.

I have not heard of a 6280 and have only heard of Redwoods built with standard 7,000 or optional 8,000. I chose to overbuild mine with the 8,000, Disc brakes and H rated tires..

Rhoe1 · 07-09-2018, 09:48 PM

OK, thanks for the info. I forgot about the pin wait and It really does affect the weight. And also mentioning about the springs if they have to be moved for the bigger axles

XCMARK · 07-10-2018, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhoe1

OK, thanks for the info. I forgot about the pin wait and It really does affect the weight. And also mentioning about the springs if they have to be moved for the bigger axles

If you don't have some type of rubber or air center trunnions you should really consider how harsh the ride is for the coach. 8000 lb spring are going to make for a rougher ride both for you and the coach. The moryde 4000 series has good reviews , the trail air trunnions have a air bag mounted on the back side to soften the ride. I have a problem in my coach the some times the door open on the cabnets and dump out on the floor. For me I feel Morryde independent suspension is how think I am going to solve these issues . cost , well that's not going to be easy to swallow but we plan on keeping this unit for 10~15 years so its not as bad when you look at it like that.

mstan · 07-10-2018, 06:36 AM

I just went through having to change the axels on my 38GK. The 7K axels are really not enough for our loaded rigs. My axels were bent and could not be fixed. So I upgraded to the Dexter 8K axels with the moryde CRE 300 plus wet the brass wet bolts. I also upgraded from the G614 Goodyear G rated tires to the Goodyear H rated tires. My advice to you would be to consider the ride before you do it. Mark has told you right. I immediately noticed a stiffer ride. Now that is good and bad. You might consider keeping the 7k axels and upgrade your shackles and the Moryde 4000 series. Then look up the video "Boar Wheels and tires. Just a thought and might even save you a few bucks. If money is not the issue upgrade to the Moryde IS system. That in my opinion is the ultimate upgrade.

Tom's38GK · 07-11-2018, 09:18 PM

If you check with performance trailer braking Mike can get you the heavy duty 7000 axles and 8000 pound springs then you can transfer all your brake hardware to the new axles instead of replacing it. Ron the former owner put this together for his and all of our 38GKs as an option. The axle tubes are the same gage as the 8000 pound axles.

DragonWagon · 07-21-2018, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhoe1

Recently coming home from a trip my left front tire on the trailer, the bearings seized and caught fire. I got it to a repair shop, They said the axles were rated for actually 6280lbs, but the GVW is 16,100.

I haven’t been on this forum in years, just curious if I could get some tech support or any info. I’m having them put new 8K axles on it.

Thanks

We have a 38 foot Redwood purchased in 2012. We have lost three axles since 2012, one about every other year. The bearings on one wheel get hot, overload, and burn up. Sometimes it is the drivers side, sometimes the passenger side; sometimes the front axle, sometimes the back.

Luckily the last time it happened in Kansas we were only a few miles away from a machine shop who could re-do our spindle and repair the axle. We had already carried a spare set of brakes and bearings from our previous instances. Very frustrating. We have higher rated axles now and I am studiously pumping axle grease into each wheel before any major trip (once on the way there and once or more on the way back). I also have slowed down from my normal speed limit+ to 2-3 miles under the speed limit.

I suspect that the axles are not sufficient for the load or for very high speeds. So be warned. All that being said, we are often told that we have the prettiest 5th wheel most folks have ever seen. Good paint job, bad axles.

travelin' texans · 07-22-2018, 01:16 AM

Just curious what you weigh?
I'm at 16.5k with 60k+/- miles on the original axles, the original bearings were changed out Nov '17 when I upgraded to disc & had 50k+/- on them.
Upgraded to MorRyde heavy shackles & wet bolts with bronze bushing when the RW had about 5k miles, plastic bushings worn out & all 4 brakes contaminated with grease from pumping into the spindles, will NEVER use that method again on any rv, hand pack only.

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