Axle question

[RoyBell]

This winter I had the place storing my camper grease the axles on my camper. Last weekend was the first trip of the year and when I got to the campsite, the center of my axle was popped out and the cover thing was flopping around.

I tried to push it back on through the hole but had no luck. I figured I would just take a look when I got it back home. It looks like it just pushes on? I have never taken one of these apart to see how it works.

Does it just push back on? Could it flopping around cause any damage? I would like to know what I am dealing with before I talk to the mechanic about this.





It looks like it just pushes in? Why would it even come out in the first place? I have roughly 5K miles which is why I had them address the bearing. It's been fine until they went in.

[JBarca]

mike-s wrote:
The holes for the cotter pins are drilled off to the side. If they were drilled straight through, they'd hit the hole the grease goes through with the ez-lube system.

Yes, that is the reason, EZ lube. The older axles never had EZ lube so never a concern.

[goducks10]

mike-s wrote:
The holes for the cotter pins are drilled off to the side. If they were drilled straight through, they'd hit the hole the grease goes through with the ez-lube system.

x2. I have AL-KO easy lube type spindles. The cotter pin is offset from the grease hole.

[mike-s]

The holes for the cotter pins are drilled off to the side. If they were drilled straight through, they'd hit the hole the grease goes through with the ez-lube system.

[JBarca]

Jackfate wrote:
The hole that the cotter pin went through was drilled way off center on mine .I believe the tail of the cotter pin caused the cap to come off , that and the fact that the cap may have not been set in completely . I pulled off the wheel in the mud at the first campsite for this brand new unit. It’s hard to get good help!

Some axle brands the cotter pin hole is "not" drilled straight across to the other side. It is more drilled down, hard to describe but it is not straight in line with the opposite slot of the castle nut. When you insert the cotter pin on these types of drilled axles, the end of the pin comes out one castle nut slot off from directly across. The ends of the cotter pin should be wrapped up to not interfere with the grease cap. My older Alko axles are drilled like this off center. I do not know if all Alko's are like this but my 6,000# and the 5,200# I had where.

Dexter often uses a clip and no cotter pin castle nut. Lippert axles I forget exactly, I think they had a cotter pin.

[Jackfate]

this happened to me also . The hole that the cotter pin went through was drilled way off center on mine .I believe the tail of the cotter pin caused the cap to come off , that and the fact that the cap may have not been set in completely . I pulled off the wheel in the mud at the first campsite for this brand new unit. It’s hard to get good help!

[dodge_guy]

I know those types of caps don’t seat as tight as the ones that don’t have the fittings.

And yes it does look off center because of the cap comes off it is no longer centered in the wheel.

I’m sure it just wasn’t seated properly.

[mordecai81]

E-trailer sells a grease cap pounder-back-onner. I got one after "gently" tapping my caps back in place and distorted the top rim enough to where water intruded around the rubber insert and got into the outer bearing. Not the end of the world but no water is better than some.

[RoyBell]

I had to really get the caps lined up and pounded on. I don't think they are going anywhere.

[azrving]

Get new caps

[ford_truck_guy]

RoyBell wrote:
You can see the head of it around the 1:00 position. They were on both axles I inspected.

I feel better ! 🙂

[RoyBell]

You can see the head of it around the 1:00 position. They were on both axles I inspected.

[troubledwaters]

Should have a cotter pin through the nut or a retainer that looks like this

[ford_truck_guy]

I DO NOT see a retainer clip, or cotter pin to stop that hex nut from backing off....??

[RoyBell]

I pulled the wheel off. The cap was just loose. Everything looks OK from what I can tell. I cleaned off the exccess grease and pounded the cap back on. I pulled off the other wheel on the same side and the cap was also not attached. Cleaned it up and pounded back on.

Both caps on the other side were on snug. Someone must had been lazy on one side.





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