lost an entire wheel and drum
I made a turn into a shopping center parking lot, looked back and saw one of my trailer wheels lying in the middle of the road. We have a 2011 Cougar half-ton 5th wheel. The brakes, including backing ...
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Trying to keep this short:
FW-2007 Coachmen 321T-Purchased new in 2007-Full Time Workamping
Jan. 2016-Have new wheels and tires put on 5th wheel.
Feb. 2016-Take FW to have safety inspection performed for registration renewal.
Late Feb 2016-Get Fiver ready for travel to new job in Florida.
Check tires, lugs, lights, etc., Fiver is ready to travel from Texas to Florida. Fiver is in RV Park so I left it hooked up to the power and water. Went to my S&B for few days to pick up DW to travel with me.
Travel day-hook up to TV. Check lights, tire pressure, etc. Off we go. 25 miles later the front street side wheel assembly comes off at 55 mph. Get stopped on highway shoulder. Walk back and recover wheel assembly. Look at hub- two sheared off studs. Limp to exit, find large open area to park. "Hey I can fix this, no problem."
Drive to small town- hit every autoparts place in 20 miles. Finally find enough of the correct size studs. BTW- found lugs nuts loose on Left rear wheel also. Curb side wheels are tight. No movement at all. Just like all four were six days before when checked.
Change studs, install hubs and wheels. Good to go right? Nope, less than 1 mile later I see in mirror wheel angle looks odd. Stop, check lugs, both left side wheels have loose lugs. Huh?
Tighten the **** out of them again-get 1/4 mile and see wobble. I limped to truck stop 5 miles away, stopping every 1/4 mile or less to tighten up. Problem is studs are starting to shear off.
Make it to truck stop. I have two studs left on front left wheel and four on rear left wheel. (Six Lug Hubs)
Call for road side assistance (AAA RV Plus)-No help at all.
Locate Mobile Mechanic-He was able to get to me 8 hrs later- he was out on call.
I had told him on phone that according to my build papers glued in the kitchen cabinet that the RV had "Dexter 5,200 lb axles"
Found out later that night while under the RV that I have Lippert axles. Read directly off the axle.
After all night at truck stop Mobile Mechanic has installed new hubs and bearings.
Off I go to Florida, checking my lug nuts every 25 miles for the first 100 and then at every single stop. All is good.
Fast forward to Nov 2016-Make RV road ready for trip back to Texas from FL. Trip home uneventful from the RV stand point.
While home I fix up a few things on the RV and install two new A/C units. All is good.
Jan 2017-Make ready for road trip to AZ. Do all of the checks, etc. Lugs are good. (BTW-from previous drama I am now fixated on lug nuts)
Off to AZ with DW traveling with me. Five miles from house I see smoke coming off left rear wheel. Whip into Pharmacy parking lot. Dragging brake shoe maybe?
Nope- I see at least one inch of brake pad showing between flange/shield and hub. OK, call Mobile Mech. Mech says I need new axle and it will take 3 weeks to get parts, 2K to tow to their facility, yada, yada, yada..
I pay mechanic for his call out. I jack up axle, remove tire and wheel w/o removing lug nuts. I see spindle/castle nut/three plate washers/inner bearing/grease seal. No outer bearing. Under discolored grease I find what is left of outer bearing. Just a small band of metal.
I locate parts, and for some reason decided to buy a small hub puller. Glad I did. I purchase three complete sets of hubs, bearings, seals, nuts, finger washers, etc.
Glad I did. Go to remove nut-dang it- the threads are partially stripped and the nut is only three threads from the start point. I now know why I have extra plate washers here and no finger washer.(Previous MM jury rigged it? Maybe?)
Cannot get nut to move with fingers. I am glad I keep a 3 ft long crescent on the truck. With lots of grease and care I back off the nut without further damaging threads.
Put new hub/bearings, etc on left side wheels/axles. Do a drive check for 50 miles stopping every 10 or so.
I make my trip to AZ.
I will not use those zerc fittings for greasing my bearings. I will hand pack as I did when I rebuilt it in that parking lot.
My world is ok now.
FW-2007 Coachmen 321T-Purchased new in 2007-Full Time Workamping
Jan. 2016-Have new wheels and tires put on 5th wheel.
Feb. 2016-Take FW to have safety inspection performed for registration renewal.
Late Feb 2016-Get Fiver ready for travel to new job in Florida.
Check tires, lugs, lights, etc., Fiver is ready to travel from Texas to Florida. Fiver is in RV Park so I left it hooked up to the power and water. Went to my S&B for few days to pick up DW to travel with me.
Travel day-hook up to TV. Check lights, tire pressure, etc. Off we go. 25 miles later the front street side wheel assembly comes off at 55 mph. Get stopped on highway shoulder. Walk back and recover wheel assembly. Look at hub- two sheared off studs. Limp to exit, find large open area to park. "Hey I can fix this, no problem."
Drive to small town- hit every autoparts place in 20 miles. Finally find enough of the correct size studs. BTW- found lugs nuts loose on Left rear wheel also. Curb side wheels are tight. No movement at all. Just like all four were six days before when checked.
Change studs, install hubs and wheels. Good to go right? Nope, less than 1 mile later I see in mirror wheel angle looks odd. Stop, check lugs, both left side wheels have loose lugs. Huh?
Tighten the **** out of them again-get 1/4 mile and see wobble. I limped to truck stop 5 miles away, stopping every 1/4 mile or less to tighten up. Problem is studs are starting to shear off.
Make it to truck stop. I have two studs left on front left wheel and four on rear left wheel. (Six Lug Hubs)
Call for road side assistance (AAA RV Plus)-No help at all.
Locate Mobile Mechanic-He was able to get to me 8 hrs later- he was out on call.
I had told him on phone that according to my build papers glued in the kitchen cabinet that the RV had "Dexter 5,200 lb axles"
Found out later that night while under the RV that I have Lippert axles. Read directly off the axle.
After all night at truck stop Mobile Mechanic has installed new hubs and bearings.
Off I go to Florida, checking my lug nuts every 25 miles for the first 100 and then at every single stop. All is good.
Fast forward to Nov 2016-Make RV road ready for trip back to Texas from FL. Trip home uneventful from the RV stand point.
While home I fix up a few things on the RV and install two new A/C units. All is good.
Jan 2017-Make ready for road trip to AZ. Do all of the checks, etc. Lugs are good. (BTW-from previous drama I am now fixated on lug nuts)
Off to AZ with DW traveling with me. Five miles from house I see smoke coming off left rear wheel. Whip into Pharmacy parking lot. Dragging brake shoe maybe?
Nope- I see at least one inch of brake pad showing between flange/shield and hub. OK, call Mobile Mech. Mech says I need new axle and it will take 3 weeks to get parts, 2K to tow to their facility, yada, yada, yada..
I pay mechanic for his call out. I jack up axle, remove tire and wheel w/o removing lug nuts. I see spindle/castle nut/three plate washers/inner bearing/grease seal. No outer bearing. Under discolored grease I find what is left of outer bearing. Just a small band of metal.
I locate parts, and for some reason decided to buy a small hub puller. Glad I did. I purchase three complete sets of hubs, bearings, seals, nuts, finger washers, etc.
Glad I did. Go to remove nut-dang it- the threads are partially stripped and the nut is only three threads from the start point. I now know why I have extra plate washers here and no finger washer.(Previous MM jury rigged it? Maybe?)
Cannot get nut to move with fingers. I am glad I keep a 3 ft long crescent on the truck. With lots of grease and care I back off the nut without further damaging threads.
Put new hub/bearings, etc on left side wheels/axles. Do a drive check for 50 miles stopping every 10 or so.
I make my trip to AZ.
I will not use those zerc fittings for greasing my bearings. I will hand pack as I did when I rebuilt it in that parking lot.
My world is ok now.
