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Thread: Broken Wet Bolt

  1. #11
    Site Sponsor ajg617's Avatar
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    Glad that other half stayed in place and GD authorized a tech. Looks like some rust opposite the grease channel so a crack must have been there for awhile. Curious if there was grease on the original bolt when it was removed.
    Robin & John
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  2. #12
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    If this is a very rare problem the basic design and material likely are OK. Where it broke makes some sense because this area has the least cross sectional area. If the other bolts were not checked/replaced there is some chance that the bolt was over tightened. Consider marking the other bolts then loosening them and tightening them back to specification. If the bolts do not tighten (approximately) back to the marked position or past that point they likely were over tightened. I agree with other post that the broken bolt material should be checked by the manufacture or GD and if bad, replace all bolts.

    Hopefully all the bolts were replaced, which is the proper fix. If the bolt has bad material or heat treatment the others very likely are also defective since they highly likely were made from same batch of material and heat threated in the same batch.
    Last edited by TimtheToolMan; 08-21-2022 at 08:51 AM.

  3. #13
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    We have now lost/broke 2 on the rear passenger side of our 3rd axle in the same hanger. We have a 398m and thought the first time was a fluke. Now 8 months later a second one in the same hanger! Anyone upgraded to better bolts and hangers? Is that a thing? We had wet bolts installed previously but not sure what else to do to keep it from happening. I am also going to load the ATV up front and back in the SXS to get more weight towards the nose but this is scary when your 3rd axle rotates and smokes your tires!
    Last edited by jkalafus363; 10-24-2022 at 05:50 PM.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by MTB Hauler View Post
    Just wanted to follow up, the mobile tech came out, removed the other half of the bolt from the leaf spring and replaced it with a normal bolt as he didn't have the correct wet bolt. He said he's never seen this happen either so I guess lucky me to have such a rare occurrence! Grand Design is shipping me a complete set of bolts so I'll replace the one and have some spares. Attachment 42643Attachment 42644


    Attachment 42642Attachment 42642
    When was the last time you greased these bolts. Based on the condition (pitting and rust) and wear at the outer edges, I am guessing never. The crack initiated on the opposite side of the hole (rusty area). The friction from lack of lubrication probably added to the stress the bolt was under and has likely damaged the bushings in the process.

    In addition to the wet bolts you need to replace the bushings too. Find a good trailer place (not RV) or truck center and have it fully inspected.
    2018 Reflection 150 Series 220RK 5th wheel with 6K axle upgrade. B&W 25K OEM Companion, Steadyfast system, 2022 F350 SRW 6.7 King Ranch 8' bed, Trailer reverse lights, rear spare tire holder, storage tube, sumo springs, Victron MultiPlus 12/120/3000, and Solar

  5. #15
    Long Hauler
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    Is it just my imagination or are there no splines around the bolt near the bolt head? That seems very odd.
    Howard and Peggy
    2019 Momentum 351M, and 2018 RAM Cummins dually 6-speed.
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  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hoopy Frood View Post
    Is it just my imagination or are there no splines around the bolt near the bolt head? That seems very odd.
    Howard - I suspect due to lack of lubrication the bolt got twisted during use, or it was spun during the install. But the wear pattern indicates twisting under load.

    @MTB Hauler - also check the holes on the hangers for wear (wallowing out).
    2018 Reflection 150 Series 220RK 5th wheel with 6K axle upgrade. B&W 25K OEM Companion, Steadyfast system, 2022 F350 SRW 6.7 King Ranch 8' bed, Trailer reverse lights, rear spare tire holder, storage tube, sumo springs, Victron MultiPlus 12/120/3000, and Solar

  7. #17
    Long Hauler
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    Good call to check the holes in the hangers. Not a good thing when the bolts starts turning. As smooth as that bolt is, with no hint of splines, it's been turning for quite some time.
    Howard and Peggy
    2019 Momentum 351M, and 2018 RAM Cummins dually 6-speed.
    His: 1999 Honda Interceptor
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  8. #18
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    Looking at the spring hanger and the bolt it would not much matter what bolt was installed if the OP isn't lubricating the suspension system.. The pitting and wear pattern tells me these bolts have not seen grease in many many moons

  9. #19
    Big Traveler
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    Quote Originally Posted by Viper02 View Post
    Looking at the spring hanger and the bolt it would not much matter what bolt was installed if the OP isn't lubricating the suspension system.. The pitting and wear pattern tells me these bolts have not seen grease in many many moons
    I greased my suspension a few times a year and just got finished replacing my springs. The bronze bushings were completely destroyed. I'm mentioning this because, if anything, I greased more than the recommendation (every 6 months), more like "every few trips". Still didn't hold up.

    I'm thinking that wet bolts are more like "grease before you move it" and then "every 1000 miles" on a longer trip. The recommendations from the manual, IMHO, are grossly insufficient to have long term durability. I'm going to add a shot of grease to each of them every time I hook up now and see if I can get more than the ~10K miles I got out of the first set.

  10. #20
    Rolling Along
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    Quote Originally Posted by Overtaxed View Post
    I greased my suspension a few times a year and just got finished replacing my springs. The bronze bushings were completely destroyed. I'm mentioning this because, if anything, I greased more than the recommendation (every 6 months), more like "every few trips". Still didn't hold up.

    I'm thinking that wet bolts are more like "grease before you move it" and then "every 1000 miles" on a longer trip. The recommendations from the manual, IMHO, are grossly insufficient to have long term durability. I'm going to add a shot of grease to each of them every time I hook up now and see if I can get more than the ~10K miles I got out of the first set.
    I am late to the party on this one, but my suggestion is grease on every trip! It concerns me when someone has a wet bolt break and doesen't inspect the spring bushing and spring eye. If the eye isn't round, it will never hold a bushing. If the bushing is worn badly there is no support for the bolt and the bolt will get hammered. To the OP, the outside hole in the spring hanger looks to be egg shaped which isn't good.
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