AL-KO Axle Service

[Montana_657]

I just got the manual from Al-ko. Does everyone realize....

Repack wheel bearings,
Inspect springs, seals, brake magnets and suspension components,

EVERY 6 MONTHS OR 6,000 MILES .......

Now they tell me. Dealer and Keystone provided no axle service information. To inspect the brake magnets involves removeing the wheel and brake drum so you can see it.

[lightningjack11]

I just try to do what is common sense. Before each trip I run a full tube of greese through each wheel. Even after one trip the greese sure stinks which indicates some breakdown.

I am not going to pull off the hub without good reason.

I check my brakes individually with the wheel jacked up. I make sure the drag is the same. If not I will remove the hub. I also make sure I have positive locking with the wheel in the air and actuated by the truck. Positive lock and positive release.

I see no need to visually inspect the magnets unless my brake test has failed.

I am not a fulltimer and I might do things a little different if I were.

[Montana_464]

I have only had mine for a year Hey actually today is the one year anniversary!! I towed it home on the 21st last year. Well anyway
I have done what Lightningjack said. I grease the hubs before every trip and every summer the dealer where I purchased it from has a $125 special where they pull all the wheels and do all that maintenance that I can not do anymore. I can't wait til they come up with disk replacements for the spine.

[sreigle]

Thanks for that information, Gruffy. I sure wasn't aware of it. It's probably in my manual but haven't read it in awhile. Here recently I was thinking the brake shoes should go somewhere close to what cars with drum brakes used to do. Maybe I was wrong. It's a pain for us when I want to do this kind of maintenance because most rv parks don't allow you to do this work in their park. And we have to close the slides to do this. Since we're fulltiming I can't just wait until we finish a trip and get the rig home. I thought about making an appt at our dealer's on our way out of town next time but sure hate to pay him to do this. So I was going to hold off until we get back here in November. Maybe I better rethink that. Thanks.

[lightningjack11]

Steve,

I know a lot of parks have restrictions and I guess that makes it rough on full timers. But I don't see how they could object to putting grease in the axles.

For example, every site I have been to objects to washing the RV but all of them have allowed me to wash the bugs off the front cap. I do ask everytime.

If I were fulltiming and moving around a lot I think I would do one at time. They don't have to be done at the same time. In other words don't make a mess or be unsightly.

One thing for sure that old greese is replaced because it stinks (burnt) and it needs to come out.

Another thing I have noticed is that the greese when it is hot will seep out of the metal dust cover. At first glance it appears to be a rear seal but a close inspection shows the flow is coming from the dust cover. Just a thought. Thats why I take the dust cover off and keep unnecessary greese out of it. I am now putting a small amount of sealant on the metal dust cover.

[ken]

We pack the wheel bearing once a year since were not full timers. i let Campers World in Orlando do it while I am there in the winter months. If you pack them with a grease gun, besure not to put too much grease in each axle and not to fast. i tried to do that one time and lost a seal. The grease got all over the brakes and had to be cleaned off so they would work. The mechanics at CAmpers World said if I was going to make a long trip, a couple of pumps in each wheel was all they needed after packing the bearings. I know the instructions are very vage in the manual for the wheel bearings. Everyone in our camping group, we belong to, does the same thing I do annualy.
Ken And Velda
Dahlgren Va
2003 3655FL Montana/Ford F350 Diesel

quote:Originally posted by Gruffy

I just got the manual from Al-ko. Does everyone realize....

Repack wheel bearings,
Inspect springs, seals, brake magnets and suspension components,

EVERY 6 MONTHS OR 6,000 MILES .......

Now they tell me. Dealer and Keystone provided no axle service information. To inspect the brake magnets involves removeing the wheel and brake drum so you can see it.

[NJ Hillbilly]

Steve, the brakes don't last nearly as long as vehicle brakes. They wear even faster if the controller is set pretty aggressive. I have worn trailer brakes out before and they are relatively cheap $35-$40 an axle, it's the seals (I have paid from $2 for Dexter ones from my horse trailer mfg. to $15 from NAPA) and the labor that get expensive.

John

[sreigle]

THanks, everyone. Shooting some grease isn't a problem. I was thinking more about pulling the bearings and manually repacking them. I will probably fire up the grease gun while we're here. Last time was in November.

To jack the thing up to work on bearings or brakes requires the slides to be in. When fulltiming that's not real comfortable for the person inside. I'd do it when she goes shopping for the day but we have just the one vehicle and I'd prefer to have the Montana hitched to the truck when I do this. When we were weekenders I could do this kind of thing between trips when nobody is living in it. I may just make an appt with our dealer for the day we leave here and we'll go do some shopping while he's doing the brakes. Hate to pay his prices, but...

Thanks everyone.