crshman
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Wheel Assembly Advice
I finally got the time (and courage) to pop off one of the wheel hubs on my 5th wheel toy hauler. The trailer in question is a 2004 32ft Sandpiper Sport. The intention was to get all the bearing/seal part numbers I needed and to do a general inspection. Fortunately I only popped off one wheel as I could only source a single inner seal locally. I've never popped a wheel off to inspect so I wasn't sure what to expect but I have a few questions to accomodate my photos: https://goo.gl/photos/yAKeQqoMgNVzFW257 First questions are around this photo: 1) It had this stuff on it (In the red square) that I couldn't get off with a rag or my nails, it was pretty hard. I think it's baked on grease but I'm not sure. It wasn't as hard as the metal spindle but I didn't want to start scraping the spindle to get it off. Any ideas on what this is? 2) I ran my fingernail across the top green section and it didn't catch, it was very smooth at the top. However, the bottom blue section there was a slight lip as I ran my fingernail over the spindle. This lip was only on the top side of the spindle, the bottom side of the outer spindle edge was perfectly smooth. Is this cause for concern or should it be ok? The next question is around this photo: The drum looked pretty beat up and old, but it didn't seem to be falling apart or broken. I want to replace all 4 drums with new self adjusting sets from etrailer (Brake Assembly) for peace of mind. Do I need to replace the hub assembly when I do this or can I just do the brake assembly? Lastly, while I had the wheel apart I re-packed the bearings with fresh grease. They seemed to spin freely and I didn't see anything overly wrong with them. The trailer is 12+ years old and the grease smelled a little burnt/old. I doubt the previous owner did any maintenance to the wheel assemblies. How do I know if I need to replace them? I ordered a bunch of seals so I can take apart the rest of the wheels and inspect, that'll come in the next few weekends as I have time and/or it stops raining.1.8KViews0likes7CommentsRe: Andersen/B&W 5th wheel hitch pics/review with heavy 40ft
twvette wrote: Also need to do some further clearance testing for when I am turning and transitioning over an angle as my kingpin does get close to the side rails. Here are some pics if curious but these are not at the proper ball height which might help a bit too. I had a similar issue with my bed rails. I actually ended up hitting the rail for my tonneau cover when making a really tight backing turn. (Much cheaper to replace that then the actual bed) The solution for me was to flip the coupler so that the kingpin sits in front of the ball. With this the back of the pinbox doesn't hit the bed rails of my truck anymore, however I did lose out on a few inches of cab clearance. I tested my setup and I can still do 90 degree turns, it just gets really close to the cab so I go slow at it. Might end up notching the back of the pinbox so I can return the coupler to being in front of the kingpin. But we'll see.258Views0likes0CommentsRe: ready for a better hitch...B&W or Anderson Ultimate
crcr wrote: A couple of questions: Some said the Andersen sits back farther than a standard fifth wheel hitch, but wouldn't that put it behind the axle? How much farther back Is anyone here who has an Andersen hitch using it on a short bed? I have a 6'4" bed. I know it depends on the shape of the front of your fifth wheel, but is there a greater chance the front cap of the 5th will clear the cab with an Andersen than with a standard fifth wheel non-slider hitch? I use my Andersen on a short bed f250. I bought my trailer with a slider hitch. With the slider all the way forward (like a normal hitch) my trailer would hit the cab on tight turns. With it in the back position I would clear. (As expected) I run my Andersen hitch (rail version) with the ball closest to the rear rails. I also flipped my coupler to be behind the pin. It was originally in front of the pin and it gave me lots of room up front but on tight turns the rear of my pin box would hit my truck bed rails. A few on this forum recommended flipping the coupler to solve this issue and it has. As a note, with the ball towards the rear rail and the coupler behind the pin the actual pin sits about 1-2 inches behind the axle. With the coupler in front of the pin the actual pin sits 5-6 inches behind the axle. I've towed my trailer fully loaded in both positions and haven't noticed a difference in performance or sway. With my current Andersen setup I can make more than 90 degree turns. I could cut the rear of my pinbox and fold up the corners (as some have done on this forum) and that would allow me to run the coupler in front of the pin giving me even more room between the trailer and the cab but I haven't needed to. Where I store my trailer I need to jack the trailer a bit more than 90 degrees to get in my spot so I know the trailer won't hit the cab....I test it at least once a month. :)312Views0likes0CommentsRe: Fridge-Fix by Smart RV Products - has anyone installed?
I have one, it was definitely pricey for what it was (and I hadn't seen this thread for the DIY ideas) but it works well and definitely keeps the fridge cooler. I also noticed that the cool down time is substantially reduced when running with fans over the cooling fins. Would I buy it again? For the price probably not, I'd DIY. But the concept is great!762Views0likes0CommentsRe: 12v 24" TV found, pricy at $523
Tom_M wrote: Best Buy has a 32" Insignia for $159.99. Insignia 32" Specs I too bought one of these TVs along with one of these to plug the tv into my 5th wheel: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DVZYA20/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1430Views0likes0CommentsRe: So light a child can remove it from the truck
hbillsmith wrote: 10,000 Andersen Ultimate Fifth Wheel Hitches on the road since 2012 and not a single failure. Not a single, actual owner/user has ever bought one and reported to this forum or any other forum with a complaint or usage issue. I've been looking and haven't found any. None. I checked Forest River's forum, GMTruck forum, Diesel Truck forum, Grand Design forum, Jayco forum, and a few others I can't remember. Oh yea, Google search and Bing search. But you can find many that report back how good it tows and how easy it is to deal with. I'm happy owner too, but I've given up on the nay sayers. It's not worth my time or energy to dispute things with them since they have no experience with the platform. Arguing facts against opinion is pointless.118Views0likes0CommentsRe: So light a child can remove it from the truck
N-Trouble wrote: 1) Andersen doesn't recommend flipping the GN attach version around. This is only recommended for the universal rail version Good to know! I have the rail version and I wasn't sure if it was possible with the GN version.111Views0likes0CommentsRe: So light a child can remove it from the truck
psuce wrote: My question on the Anderson gooseneck to fifth wheel adapter is can the Anderson hitch be flipped front to back? Looking at pics of it, when you install it the hitch base is centered 5-6" behind your gooseneck ball. Then when you add the kingpin adapter you're another 5-6" behind that, so when it's all said and done the king pin is now 10-12" behind center of axle (assuming your gooseneck is installed within centerline of your axle). In my long bed I would rather be centered, does anyone know if this can be accommodated on the Anderson? Here is a pic for reference: Is there a reason you don't flip the aluminum coupler and/or the actual hitch to get it closer to where you want to be? I have the rail version and I can move the ball closer to the front or rear of my bed by just flipping the hitch. Similarly I can move the kingpin of my trailer closer to the ball by just flipping the aluminum coupler around.125Views0likes0Comments
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