Need some maintenance advice

I always used a bottle jack on the leaf spring pads. Not a good idea to jack the axle directly.

Easiest is to place the jack directly under the apring perci. I do one wheel at a time. That way i only need one jack and there are still three wheels blocked.

Don't use the suspension system to jack the trailer up. The manufacturer recommends using the frame. Those that recommend using the suspension system will not pay for your damages.

guinness1 wrote:
I am preparing to repack my bearings for the first time. This will also be the first time I do this job on a tandem axle trailer. Where/How do I jack up the trailer? I would like to get one side off the ground so I can do two wheels at a time.

My owners manual says to jack only from the frame rails but even the tire shops jack at the axle under the u clamps. Usually I drive up onto a ramp so I don't need to do any jacking.

Ray

Buy a TrailerAid plus, do one wheel at a time keep it in your RV they are great for on the road tire repair.

I recently repacked mine for the first time. On the first side, I used a bottle jack under the frame and a jack stand under an axle U-bolt (my axles are "under slung" so I couldn't use the spring perch). That got both wheels off the ground. My manual says to jack under the frame anyway. By the time I got to the second side, I went ahead and purchased another bottle jack - $30 at Harbor Freight for an 8 ton with plenty of extension. So, on the second side, I stayed under the frame and only used the jack stands as a safety under the U-bolts. Both methods seem fine (it was a good excuse to buy another bottle jack).

Some folks use a "TrailerAid" ramp. I have one, but the spacing between my wheels does not lift one wheel completely without contacting the other.

Be sure to replace your inside seals - but be sure they fit right. I have Dexter 6K pound axles and the Dexter part number associated with the seals did not cross properly to an after market seal (several vendors). Had to get a smaller seal to fit snug so it would not leak grease. Recommendation: try (feel) the seal by hand before you seat it in the back of the hub and assume it to be right; or, go by the real Dexter number stamped on the seal and replace it with original Dexter parts (if that is what yours is).

Hiking Hunter wrote:
I recently repacked mine for the first time. On the first side, I used a bottle jack under the frame and a jack stand under an axle U-bolt (my axles are "under slung" so I couldn't use the spring perch). That got both wheels off the ground. My manual says to jack under the frame anyway. By the time I got to the second side, I went ahead and purchased another bottle jack - $30 at Harbor Freight for an 8 ton with plenty of extension. So, on the second side, I stayed under the frame and only used the jack stands as a safety under the U-bolts. Both methods seem fine (it was a good excuse to buy another bottle jack).

Some folks use a "TrailerAid" ramp. I have one, but the spacing between my wheels does not lift one wheel completely without contacting the other.

Be sure to replace your inside seals - but be sure they fit right. I have Dexter 6K pound axles and the Dexter part number associated with the seals did not cross properly to an after market seal (several vendors). Had to get a smaller seal to fit snug so it would not leak grease. Recommendation: try (feel) the seal by hand before you seat it in the back of the hub and assume it to be right; or, go by the real Dexter number stamped on the seal and replace it with original Dexter parts (if that is what yours is).

Are you saying if you go over a curb your tires will touch?

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Are you saying if you go over a curb your tires will touch?

No.

I had the TrailerAid left over from my pull behind TT, and it worked well for those wheels. But the wheels are closer together and the suspension is such on my fifth wheel, that if I pull (or back) onto the TrailerAid, the wheel that should be suspended is not off the ground by about an inch. That would prohibit me from changing a wheel without backing up, out of the "cup" of the TrailerAid to get more height.

I have a form of "Tandem Axle Bogie" suspension so if one wheel goes down the other goes up a bit. Clicky

Just remember when jacking only put the weight at the same place that the trailer itself does and you can not have a problem.

Hiking Hunter wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Are you saying if you go over a curb your tires will touch?

No.

I had the TrailerAid left over from my pull behind TT, and it worked well for those wheels. But the wheels are closer together and the suspension is such on my fifth wheel, that if I pull (or back) onto the TrailerAid, the wheel that should be suspended is not off the ground by about an inch. That would prohibit me from changing a wheel without backing up, out of the "cup" of the TrailerAid to get more height.

I have a form of "Tandem Axle Bogie" suspension so if one wheel goes down the other goes up a bit. Clicky

That makes a lot more sense!

If i use the TrailerAid only the other tire won't hand without touching the ground. I put 2X material under it and the tire to be worked on clears the ground fine. I have the TrailAire suspension,

TrailerAid Plus works great!