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Thread: Bearings and suspension work
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09-24-2022, 04:27 PM #11
I have had some issues in the past with bearings and am religious about checking and repacking each year. Also, I live in the Pacific North West and with that comes a lot of rain so want to keep the moisture out of the grease. I am probably over cautious, but have been stranded before and would like to avoid it. I also agree about doing it yourself so you know it is done right. I used to take mine to one of the major tire dealers that did that type of work and had an issue with the torque or lack there of on one of the tires....also, the idea of a quick brake check is a good thing. Good luck and happy travels.
Scott O.
2018 Ram 2500 Big Horn Edition 4X4, 6.7 Cummins
2019 28G Momentum
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01-14-2023, 05:41 PM #12
think mind never had grease either ..i thought the creaking when lifting was normal since it was that way from the get go.
one of my zurk did not work either until i raised the axle changing the angle of the bolts and the grease went in ..so much for the bolts being installed with the grease hole at the 3 or 9 oclock position
needless to say i did grease the bolts and a lot quieter now....Last edited by ForBruce; 01-14-2023 at 05:44 PM.
2022 Solitude 378mbs-r with 3rd air and solar package, Flux Capacitor pending, Removed Nautilus and replaced with the Bruce Select-A-Matic
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01-14-2023, 06:23 PM #13
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Same here. Embarrassing noise when suspension was squealing with each bump pulling out of campgrounds. Greased the wet bolts when we got back from first trip. Only Red-n-Tacky came out. If there was anything in there from the factory, it must have been invisible grease.
Robin & John
2020 Ram 3500 LB SRW 4WD Crew Laramie 6.7HO Aisin, 55gal Titan 4014 payload
2022 Solitude 310GK-R - Dual pane, factory solar & Onan, 8K axles with discs, 18K GVWR, W/D, Heat Pump, Goosebox, Battleborn
2023 stays
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01-14-2023, 06:25 PM #14
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700 miles is not enough to warrant repacking normally. But....you just got it new. Do the repack yourself now so you KNOW it is done properly. If you put 700 on again next year....skip the maintenance for a couple years. That's my opinion, manual still says every 12 months.
I do mine every two years.2018 Dodge 3500 6.7 Cummins SRW w/Aisin
2021 Reflection 303RLS
New to RV'ing since 1997
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01-21-2023, 10:45 AM #15
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I agree to getting a baseline. I would at least pull one wheel and examine the brake lining and adjustment. Jack up all 4 wheels and make sure there is no bearing play and test each brake for operation and proper adjustment. Determine the color of grease in the hub and if it is RED there is a good chance you can add any premium red grease and be ok. At this point I use Lucas Red and Tacky and it works well. I make it a habbit to grease wet bolts on every trip! The bronze bushings on my 310gk were shot when I did my first check up after purchasing the 310 and driving it 400 miles home. I found grease on two brakes, non effective braking and several bronze bushings worn all the way through. My guess is that the wet bolts weren't greased at the factory, but I also found that the leaf spring eyes we not round and they were letting the bronze bushings get oblonged and distorted right away. GD wasn't much help and I purchased some replacement springs and added Moreryde heavy duty shackles as well as disc brakes. I was lucking I didn't crash my new truck and trailer when I picked it up at the dealer in Longmont CO because the brakes were totally useless. I also turned my wet bolts around so that I can get a 90 degree grease fitting on them from the outside so I don't have to crawl on the ground to grease them. I also added wet bolts to the spring ends in the hangers, because they had bronze bushings, but no wet bolts.
2023 GMC 3500HD CCLB DRW Duramax L5P, Banks Derringer/Idash/CAI 60 gallon fuel transfer tank
2018 Solitude 310GK with Kodiak disc brakes 4000 lb Dexter springs, frame stiffeners
RETIRED Maint Supervisor, Certified Welder, ASE Master Tech, Owner tire shop
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03-20-2023, 12:16 AM #16
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03-20-2023, 07:34 AM #17
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Some, probably most, but not all, suspensions ( springs and equalizers that bolt to the springs and frames) are attached with bolts that have a grease Zerk on the end of the bolt. The bolts are drilled to allow for grease to be pumped through the bolt into the bushings that surround the bolts inside of the spring eyes and other attach points for the equalizers. These drilled and zerked bolts are called wet bolts.
2021 Reflection 312 BHTS, Silverado 2500 Duramax
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03-20-2023, 08:44 AM #18
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We put a LOT of miles on our GD, about 10,000 miles a year since 2020. It's been to the west coast 4 times and so it has about 30,000 miles. In all those miles I have never had a problem on a trip with the suspension, hubs, brakes or tires. However this is more a result of intensive maintenance than anything the manufacturer did. When I took delivery I had the suspension, tires, brakes and hubs inspected. The hubs hardly had any grease and had to be repacked. The Chinese junk Westlake tires that GD put on my trailer were replaced with Goodyears after less than one year because two of them started to leak despite the fact that there was plenty of tread left and absolutely no puncture or other damage.
So, I have the tires, hubs, brakes and suspension inspected/greased every spring. Doing this is more important than ANY other maintenance in my opinion. I would say that you should do this every year even if you are not putting much mileage on.... The suspension is exposed to rain, dust, stones thrown up from the road and frankly there is nothing about an RV suspension that resembles anything made with quality components!
I have a trusted local auto and trailer shop do it. I wouldn't myself or let any RV dealer near anything as critical as these parts.Doug, Patti and our puppy Leo are from upstate NY.
Imagine 2019 XLS 18RBE
2021 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel
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03-21-2023, 07:46 AM #19
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The week after we picked up new 2022 2970RL, I inspected all and replaced all bearings & seals. I really wanted piece of mind, and got it! I found all (4) wheels had a big "dab" of grease near the inner bearing; pretty much no grease on outer bearings. Yes, this was consistent with each wheel. I put in the CRE3000 and wet bolts then pumped Red-n-Tacky till it oozed out of each outer bearing and each wet bolt. Now I feel better......
2024 Brinkley z2900
2019 F350 Platinum, Shorter bed, Diesel, SRW, 3.55 rear, 55gal tank!
2016 F150 Platinum (traded in for F350 fall 2019)
2022 GD 2970RL (Sold, 2023-Oct)
2016 GD 2600rb (Sold. 2022-May)
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03-21-2023, 07:51 AM #20
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Using the zerk to pump grease into the bearings isn't really the best way to do it. If there is a nick or rough spot where the seal lip rides, the seal could be compromised. This will lead to grease infiltrating into the brake shoe area. Honestly, the best way is to hand pack the bearings before you assemble everything. That way you know there's no grease anywhere except where it's supposed to be.
I don't mean to be a Debby Downer, but your best bet would be to ignore the EZ Lube feature, do a good hand pack, and you'll be good for lots of time and miles.Howard and Peggy
2019 Momentum 351M, and 2018 RAM Cummins dually 6-speed.
His: 1999 Honda Interceptor
Hers: 2013 Spyder ST-S
What changed for the new GD...
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