I guess I am hard on my rig

[Buzzcut1]

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)

[Buzzcut1]

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

[time2roll]

+1 for verifying the torque spec and using the torque wrench.

[bka0721]

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

[Camper_Jeff___K]

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.

[Raften]

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.

[Buzzcut1]

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.

[poncho62]

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

[ed6713]

T

[Tiger4x4RV]

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.