Forum Discussion

Buzzcut1's avatar
Buzzcut1
Nomad II
Sep 23, 2014

I guess I am hard on my rig

When things go bang and it sounds metallic on your rig on the highway and you pull over to look and don't find anything. Look harder, really I mean it look way harder.

Last couple of hundred miles of our trip I was fighting sway and resultant handling issues. Sunday I took the camper off because we have a short day trip on this coming Saturday to go 1.5 hours each way to pick up a horse with the trailer and its just easier to tow without the camper.

I found a nail in one of my new tires and I went to Les Schwab to have it pulled and checked for leaks, none were found. I described the handling issue and Cody started checking the tires , wheels and Suspension. That's when we found that one of 2 C Bolts that clamp the Airbag mount to the leaf springs/axle had snapped. He is ordering me new ones and I should have them installed in a few days. Did I mention that Les Schwab Livermore Rocks!!





remaining front bolt (it's getting replaced as it is probablys stressed)

Truck Campers
  • Tiger4x4RV's avatar
    Tiger4x4RV
    Nomad
    Sep 23, 2014
    It pays to know your vehicle and its behavior AND to have a knowledgeable and thorough mechanic like Cody.

    I can think of 4 times when odd noises or behaviors happened on my vehicles. The U-joint noise, the wheel bearing noise, a scraping brake noise, and a big snap noise in the DRW. Mechanic replaced U-joint at my request, VERY alert guy at a tire place found the brake noise to be something with a cotter pin which he replaced for free, snap noise diagnosed itself as broken studs when the wheel fell off. As to the wheel bearing - the mechanic at the Honda dealership (many years ago; I hope they have improved) insisted they were sealed and nothing could go wrong. I said to just humor me and replace the wheel bearings and I would pay; he did, I did, and the noise was gone.
  • poncho62's avatar
    poncho62
    Explorer
    Sep 23, 2014
    I would not use a bolt like that...I would get plates put under the leaf with 2 holes to match the top holes and grade 8 bolts...Much stronger in my mind
  • Buzzcut1's avatar
    Buzzcut1
    Nomad II
    Sep 23, 2014
    poncho62 wrote:
    I would not use a bolt like that...I would get plates put under the leaf with 2 holes to match the top holes and grade 8 bolts...Much stronger in my mind


    Well maybe but that's what Air Lift supplies in the airbag kit. Its been on there for almost 5 years now.
  • Raften's avatar
    Raften
    Explorer
    Sep 23, 2014
    Over the years I have broken air bag bracket bolts, sheared off one of the upper bracket ears and fully broken the right side frame rail. It is not a question of being hard on the truck, it is these big campers we carry around. A severe twist going into a drive, a huge pot hole, uneven off road wheeling, what have you, the heavy weight will break things.
  • Camper_Jeff___K's avatar
    Camper_Jeff___K
    Nomad III
    Sep 23, 2014
    I've had that one break on me a couple times. In fact, I noticed it had come apart again tonight. I've replaced all the supplied bolts with grade 8 frame bolts (washers integral to the head). I even had it double nuted and locked together. Tonight I picked up some grade 8 locknuts and will also use blue thread locker.
  • bka0721's avatar
    bka0721
    Explorer II
    Sep 23, 2014
    They appear to have been over torqued. Just because you can still crank on a nut, does not make it right. Thread stretch is an important part of the equation, thus the reason there are limits and requirements on Tolerances. I suspect the reason for the bolted U Clamp was/is to hold it in place. Have the installer go a little less on this with the impact wrench, as they are not the same tolerances as Wheel Studs. I have struggled many times to remove a lug nut because some monkey got a little nuts with the impact wrench. Thus creating a weak fatigue that over time fails.

    b
  • Buzzcut1's avatar
    Buzzcut1
    Nomad II
    Sep 23, 2014
    bka0721 wrote:
    They appear to have been over torqued. Just because you can still crank on a nut, does not make it right. Thread stretch is an important part of the equation, thus the reason there are limits and requirements on Tolerances. I suspect the reason for the bolted U Clamp was/is to hold it in place. Have the installer go a little less on this with the impact wrench, as they are not the same tolerances as Wheel Studs. I have struggled many times to remove a lug nut because some monkey got a little nuts with the impact wrench. Thus creating a weak fatigue that over time fails.

    b


    That would have been the Lance Dealership, Bonessa Bros in Gilroy (now Closed) Les Schwab uses a torque wrench for everything and they are doing the repair
  • bka0721's avatar
    bka0721
    Explorer II
    Sep 23, 2014
    Buzzcut1 wrote:
    bka0721 wrote:
    They appear to have been over torqued. Just because you can still crank on a nut, does not make it right. Thread stretch is an important part of the equation, thus the reason there are limits and requirements on Tolerances. I suspect the reason for the bolted U Clamp was/is to hold it in place. Have the installer go a little less on this with the impact wrench, as they are not the same tolerances as Wheel Studs. I have struggled many times to remove a lug nut because some monkey got a little nuts with the impact wrench. Thus creating a weak fatigue that over time fails.

    b


    That would have been the Lance Dealership, Bonessa Bros in Gilroy (now Closed) Les Schwab uses a torque wrench for everything and they are doing the repair
    Sounds like a good start. But I would mention to LS that the possibility of the earlier failure, by the previous installer, was over torqueing. A little heads up for LS never hurts. Sometimes you can put too much weight on reputation, like the best Kidney Surgeon in the region that operated on me. Then to find out later, during the MRI, that they operated on the wrong one. Imagine my disappointment. Things happen.

    b

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