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Old 11-15-2009, 10:34 PM   #1
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I installed the "Wet Bolt Kit" over the weekend. It really was not that difficult but it did take me about 4 hours total. I ordered my kit from Tweetys. It was directly shipped from Trail-Air in Indiana. All I got was a box of 14 bolts, 14 nuts, and 8 brass bushings. No "instructions" or other paperwork. That was OK because it is not really that complicated but I had no info on the torque specs. I called Trail-Air and the person on the phone said they had nothing specific about the torque for the wet bolts but the "dry" bolts are torqued to 50lbs and they could not see any reason the wet bolts would be any different. Hereis what I learned about doing this install...

1) Don't try to do this "one tire at a time". I did the first side this way and it took me twice as long as the second side. Just jack up the frame and remove both tires. This takes all the tension off the suspension and allows you to line things up freely. I worry about things falling on my while I am working under them and I was worried about supporting the camper properly but if you use strong jacks and additional jack stands for safetythey will do that just fine.



2) I used 6 inch longblocks of 4X4 between the top of my jacks and the frame to spread the weight a little and allow for good contact between the frame and the jack. I placed the jacks just outside the spring hangars (I think that is what they are called). I had to be careful on thecurb side because the gas line ran right along the frame so I had to move my jack placementslightly. Make sure your jacks have enough lifting height toreach the frame.One of mine was too short so I borrowed a tallerjack. I used 4 jacks and 2 stands total.2 large jacks for the frame and 2 smaller jacks to support the axles once the tires where off (as well as lift them enough to get the tires off and back on).

3) Make sure the grease holes in the bolts are placed into the frame at 3 or 9 o'clock so they can easily take grease once installed. Also, check them before you install to make certain they will take grease and are not blocked.

4) The3 bolts that go into the spring hangars and the4 that go into the shackles must be "pressed" in. I was able to hammer the ones into the shackles on a vise using a deep well socket. This was easier than using my "C" press. The bolts that go into the spring hangars on the frame must be pressed using a "C" type press. I bought one at Harbor Freight for $49.99 (there was a coupon in this months Readers Digest for 20% off any item so that saved me some money.) This tool is priceless for this install. Iprobably could have beaten the old bolts out but there is no way I could have beaten the new ones in. I don't mean to insult anyones intelligence but the reason these bolts have to be forced in is that they are "grooved" near the bolt head. This keeps them in place once installed.

5) I put the bolts in with the grease fittings on the "inside". This is the way the original bolts where installed and it will make it easier to grease them later because I won't have to work around the tires to get to the fittings. (easier once I crawl under the camper)

6) The 4 new bushings go into the 2 holes in each spring. The holes in the Equa-Flex itself already have metal bushings in them. I used a smalldeep well socket to beat the old nylon bushings out. I only had 2 that were at all difficult to remove. They actually came outOK it just took a few more "whacks" to get them out.The new bushings just slid right in without any trouble.



















That is about it. I did hook up and move the camper forward and backward a few times to allow the suspension to release any torquingor twisting that may have occured while I was doing the install. I am a little sore and my knees hurt from crawling on the concrete but I am hopeful it will pay off down the road (no pun intended)



Lonnie
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Old 11-16-2009, 12:29 AM   #2
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Couple things I would add. From Lonnie's install story I could not determine if he had his 5th hitched to his TV. I would recommend this as it takes strain off of the landing gear. Be sure to set TV parking brake and I added chocks on TV front wheels. I do not like to put the side stress on my gear when jacking up one side of the trailer. I have never heard of one collapsing but my luck would be I would be the first. After I had the trailer jacked up and on the jack stands I did lower the landing gear with a little pressure on each leg for added stability. Be sure to raise the gear before removing the jack stands. I second the ball joint press from Harbor Freight. (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=38335) Several of my bolts took some serious pressure to get them to seat. Also second checking the bolts to be sure they were drilled correct. I had one bolt that had not been drilled completely. Lippert sent me a replacement in short order. I found two of my plastic spring bushings almost worn through. My 2010 26RK Cruiser had less than 2000 miles on it.



Lonnie had a very good description of the install and I agree do one complete side at a time. I had very little trouble getting things to line up that way.
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Old 11-16-2009, 03:22 AM   #3
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Nice write up Lonnie Thanks for taking the time to post. I am going to be tackling this job next spring. I'll be keeping an eye the c press tool at Harbor Freight, maybe I'll get lucky and they'll put on sale over the winter.
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Old 11-16-2009, 05:07 AM   #4
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Nice write up. You will see a differance.
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Old 11-16-2009, 09:51 AM   #5
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I am looking forward to pulling the camper. We are taking it to Disney World for Christmas so I will be testing it out pretty soon!

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Old 11-16-2009, 10:08 AM   #6
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Anyone tried lowering the front of the trailer as much as possible with the landing gear to raise the rear of the trailer. Then positioning a jack stand on either side behind the rear axle and using the landing gear to lift the front of the trailer. My thought would be that this would eliminate any twisting of the frame that could result from doing one side at a time.
I will likely be adding the wet bolt kit in the spring and am trying to figure out the best way to lift the trailer. The last time I tried to lift one side it was somewhat concerning.


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Old 11-16-2009, 02:10 PM   #7
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Great write up Lonnie. I will be filing this awayfor my install next spring also.



Canucklehead, I don't think your landing gear motor will like lifting that much weight. When you lift from a pivot point behind the wheels it is going to put a lot more load on the landing gear than you normally get with the wheels sharing the load.

Your motor has a built in clutch that will likely start slipping when overloaded to prevent burning out the motor. But I wouldn't try it. You may be able to use your procedure with a couple of big jacks under the front of the frame members vice using the jacking gear. Just a thought.
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Old 11-16-2009, 05:08 PM   #8
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Good info, thanks. Doing ours this spring, appreciate the info. Definitely helps!
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Old 11-16-2009, 09:53 PM   #9
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I agree with Ridgeman, I tried this and it didn't work.
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Old 11-17-2009, 11:33 AM   #10
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Thanks for the heads up. I will try two heavy duty floor jacks at the front of the trailer to avoid potentially damaging the landing gear.

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Old 11-23-2009, 10:41 AM   #11
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Had an appointment at the service facility abouut a month ago. They installed a Mor-Ryde suspension with the wet bolt kit along with other items that needed service. Randy and his crew were great and they were done including repacking the bearings, repairimg a hairline crack in the front cap. adjusting 1 slide and my entry door and replacing the skiting on the drivers side in about 4 hours.



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Old 11-28-2009, 12:37 AM   #12
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Has anyone heard of any issues with the wet bolts breaking under normal use. The fact that they have been drilled out makes me think that they would not be as strong as normal bolts.
Also, are you regreasing the bolts on every trip? Does the grease simply work its way out quite easily seeing as how there are no seals to retain it?
I would appreciate your thoughts.


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Old 11-28-2009, 03:37 AM   #13
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I grease mine about every 2 to 3 ,000 miles same time I do a break adjustment. No you don't lose much grease past the shackel plates. I never gave the bolts much thought. Kind of figured they must be safe and tested, this is not a new product.
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Old 02-28-2010, 01:05 PM   #14
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Going to order these hopefully this week. Is there anything I need to know about my trailer before calling? I assume everything is Lippert under there, but not sure if there is anything I should check first?



Thanks!
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Old 02-28-2010, 10:03 PM   #15
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I don't remember anything specific I had to tell them when I ordered mine other than if the trailer was a tandem or triple axle. I got mine from "Tweetys" if I remember correctly. It really is pretty straightforward.

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Old 03-01-2010, 11:23 AM   #16
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Excellent, thank you!
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Old 03-02-2010, 09:35 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Canucklehead
Has anyone heard of any issues with the wet bolts breaking under normal use. The fact that they have been drilled out makes me think that they would not be as strong as normal bolts.


The set I installed appeared to be a heat treated bolt compared to the ones I removed. The black oxide coating is typical of heat treated fasteners. In addition, the "file" test was also a good indication. (flat file cuts more on softer bolts).



Heat treatment typically indicates harder (better wear) and stronger.
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Old 05-17-2010, 08:42 AM   #18
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Lonnie:
Thanks for the write up it made this install a breeze.Got the wet bolts installed today no problems.The trailer has a lot of miles and the nylon bushings were not to worn,so it took a little beating to drive them all out.Also if We have not thanked the rest of you in awhile for all your input and Ideas we would like to now. We really like this forum. Almost as much as we love our Cruiser


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Old 05-17-2010, 10:46 AM   #19
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Glad it was helpful!
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