This Saturday, with the help of my two Son-in-laws, we completed the Dexter Suspension Upgrade on my 2011 Outback 277RL. Now I should be set with the new Maxxis Tires and Dexter Suspension.
I want to thank everyone on this forum for all your info and support. Special thanks to Dan (TwoElkhounds)from Outbackers.com for his tips, advice and encouragement to replace the 4-Leaf springs with new 5-Leaf Springs.
All your experiences allowed me to plan, plan, plan, plan and prepare, making the actual upgrade work go quite smoothly with little effort. Replacing the springs at the same time allowed me to do the bushing replacement on the bench (yup… the new springs come with plastic bushings). This saves a lot of time and strain under the trailer. We started at about 9:00 AM and completed both sides by 2:30 PM (that includes a couple breaks and lunch).
The Basics:
• Soaked the nuts/bolts with penetrating oil each day for a week before we started.
• Assembled all the parts and tools on a cart beforehand.
• Loosened all nuts/bolts before jacking the trailer.
• We jacked the trailer one side at a time with bottle jacks.
• Supported the frame with jack stands.
• Used two floor jacks to support and maneuver the axles.
• Removed the spring u-bolts then the spring eye bolts and equalizer bolt. Then removed the whole suspension as an assembly.
• Basically reversed the process for the new parts. Assembled the springs and equalizer on the bench then set the whole thing on the trailer.
• Attached the springs to the axles with new u-bolts then the spring eye and equalizer bolts to the hangers. The ball joint tool to do to press in the bolts is a must. Used the floor jacks to adjust the axles to line up for the hanger bolts.
• Torqued everything down, added some grease and we are done.
• Second side went a little smoother.
• 10 mile test drive went very well.
Excellent and worthwhile upgrade. Just do your research. Too bad Keystone can’t spend $300 to put the good stuff on in the beginning.
