Need some maintenance advice

[guinness1]

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.

[Cummins12V98]

Hiking Hunter wrote:
Let me guess - it's to bolt a 2X6 on the bottom!!

It could be!

I have not removed one to see how long the bolt is.

[Hiking_Hunter]

Let me guess - it's to bolt a 2X6 on the bottom!!

[Hiking_Hunter]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
And I add a 2X under mine to get the other tire off the ground with my TrailAir Suspension. Still want to know what the bolts are for on the bottom?

I still haven't dug mine out to look at them again yet, but YES, tell me.

[Cummins12V98]

Hiking Hunter wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
I have the "plus". Mine has 4 bolt heads on the bottom and the bottom looks like saw teeth where the plastic hits the ground.

Does yours look like that?

I think it does have the 4 bolts sticking down. And that's probably what was "skating" on the smooth concrete. I doubt my sawtooth bottom was contacting because the bolts were holding it up. I've repacked mine in the camper now, so I can't inspect it closely, but I don't remember any reason for the bolts. I wonder now if they are removable to allow more contact area for smooth surfaces? I wonder why they are there at all unless it is to provide a better "cleat" in regular ground?

I looked at the Trailer-Aid website. Mine is an older model - the standard Trailer-Aid, not the "Plus" unit. I've had mine about 10 years, probably before the Plus unit was available. According to the description on the website the Trailer-Aid Plus is 1" taller than the older standard unit (and costs $10 more). So, what we have found out is consistent with their models. I have to add more 2-by material under my unit to get the same height as yours.

And I add a 2X under mine to get the other tire off the ground with my TrailAir Suspension. Still want to know what the bolts are for on the bottom?

[Hiking_Hunter]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
I have the "plus". Mine has 4 bolt heads on the bottom and the bottom looks like saw teeth where the plastic hits the ground.

Does yours look like that?

I think it does have the 4 bolts sticking down. And that's probably what was "skating" on the smooth concrete. I doubt my sawtooth bottom was contacting because the bolts were holding it up. I've repacked mine in the camper now, so I can't inspect it closely, but I don't remember any reason for the bolts. I wonder now if they are removable to allow more contact area for smooth surfaces? I wonder why they are there at all unless it is to provide a better "cleat" in regular ground?

I looked at the Trailer-Aid website. Mine is an older model - the standard Trailer-Aid, not the "Plus" unit. I've had mine about 10 years, probably before the Plus unit was available. According to the description on the website the Trailer-Aid Plus is 1" taller than the older standard unit (and costs $10 more). So, what we have found out is consistent with their models. I have to add more 2-by material under my unit to get the same height as yours.

[Cummins12V98]

Hiking Hunter wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
That makes a lot more sense!

Yeah, I went back and read my first comment - it was misleading...my bad.

It's a pretty day outside and I had a few minutes, so I hooked up, dug out the old TrailerAid, and confirmed my problem - wouldn't lift the free wheel high enough. So then I added a 2X6 under it and tried again. I had trouble keeping the TrailerAid from slipping on the board, and the board from slipping on a smooth concrete floor, so I pulled the trailer out on a rough concrete driveway. Same problem with the TrailerAid slipping on the 2X6. Using a tapered board and matching the tapers though, I got the wheel to ride up the TrailerAid. The free wheel cleared by about 1/2". I would need two boards to get a good clearance, especially if the ground were soft. So, I screwed two 2X6s together, staggering the ends to provide a "step up". It worked that time on rough concrete providing about an 1 1/2" clearance. I may have to screw the TrailerAid to my 2X6s to keep the slipping down, but this may work - thanx for the idea.
I'm still going to keep my bottle jacks handy, though!

Interesting!

I have the "plus". Mine has 4 bolt heads on the bottom and the bottom looks like saw teeth where the plastic hits the ground.

Does yours look like that?

No slipping here.

Anyone know what the bolts are for?

[raytronx]

larry barnhart wrote:
We had a 32 ft alfa fifthwheel and this story came in for changing a tire. I made up a similar product as the trailer aid. In my driveway I tested it and all it did was JAM the tire up into the wheel well and nothing for the tire I would be changing. It did not look like a good thing so I never bought the trailer aid. So when a fella tells me they work I wonder if they really used theirs. Please come back if you have. I like to know everything. It could be that my experience's doesn't always match others
chevman

Used mine to rotate the tires on my fifth wheel, used the spare so I could switch the tires around so I changed every one of the 4 tires with the Trailer aid. Had to use a 2x6 under it to get the lift like others have said due to my equalizer in the suspension.

Worked great, made the process easy.

[Hiking_Hunter]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
That makes a lot more sense!

Yeah, I went back and read my first comment - it was misleading...my bad.

It's a pretty day outside and I had a few minutes, so I hooked up, dug out the old TrailerAid, and confirmed my problem - wouldn't lift the free wheel high enough. So then I added a 2X6 under it and tried again. I had trouble keeping the TrailerAid from slipping on the board, and the board from slipping on a smooth concrete floor, so I pulled the trailer out on a rough concrete driveway. Same problem with the TrailerAid slipping on the 2X6. Using a tapered board and matching the tapers though, I got the wheel to ride up the TrailerAid. The free wheel cleared by about 1/2". I would need two boards to get a good clearance, especially if the ground were soft. So, I screwed two 2X6s together, staggering the ends to provide a "step up". It worked that time on rough concrete providing about an 1 1/2" clearance. I may have to screw the TrailerAid to my 2X6s to keep the slipping down, but this may work - thanx for the idea.
I'm still going to keep my bottle jacks handy, though!

[Cummins12V98]

larry barnhart wrote:
We had a 32 ft alfa fifthwheel and this story came in for changing a tire. I made up a similar product as the trailer aid. In my driveway I tested it and all it did was JAM the tire up into the wheel well and nothing for the tire I would be changing. It did not look like a good thing so I never bought the trailer aid. So when a fella tells me they work I wonder if they really used theirs. Please come back if you have. I like to know everything. It could be that my experience's doesn't always match others
chevman

I have used my TrailerAid many times, once on the road, in a campground to replace a bad rotor and in my driveway at home to change out tires and wheels when I upgraded to 17.5's and for general maintenance on the calipers/brakes.

I do add a 2X under mine to get clearance to remove the hanging tire.

I think you just were not high enough on your blocks.

[larry_barnhart]

We had a 32 ft alfa fifthwheel and this story came in for changing a tire. I made up a similar product as the trailer aid. In my driveway I tested it and all it did was JAM the tire up into the wheel well and nothing for the tire I would be changing. It did not look like a good thing so I never bought the trailer aid. So when a fella tells me they work I wonder if they really used theirs. Please come back if you have. I like to know everything. It could be that my experience's doesn't always match others
chevman

[Cummins12V98]

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!

[Okie1]

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]

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

[Cummins12V98]

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?