2005 Montana 2955RL Tires/Wheels

[djgodden]

My mounted rims don't have a pressure stamped on them but do have 3096 lbs on the inside. That means I have a 12,400 lb when loaded 5th wheel with marginal tires. So, I'd like to upgrade to the G614 but I'm not sure what rim I need to buy. The axles are Dexler D52-8. Which, except for the brakes, I was surprised to learn from Dexler that they are identical to the 6000 and 7000.

Anyone know?

[BB_TX]

Remember you have something in the range of 2,500 lbs on the pin. And that is supported by your truck. That leaves only around 10,000 lbs sitting on the axles. Divided by four that puts about 2,500 lbs on each tire.

[DQDick]

Many folks with your age rig have replaced the original poor tires with a good LT tire and been very happy. That way they didn't have to change their wheels. If your sure you want to change contact these folks: http://www.tredittire.com/ They most likely sold the original wheels to Keystone and they can get you a match for bolt pattern and 614's

[BB_TX]

As Dick said, many of us with lighter trailers have gone to LT tires. My 3075RL is very similar to your 2955RL in size, weight, and floorplan. I have had Michelin XPS Ribs (LT tires) for the last 7 years and 20,000 miles and they hardly show any wear. Need to replace them only because of age, not wear.

[Carl n Susan]

I happily towed a 2005 2955RL over 50,000 miles. The D52-8 means the axle is rated at 5,280 Lbs. A "good" LT tire is rated at ~3120 Lbs. Two of them gives you almost a 1,000Lbs. of extra capacity over the axle's rating. There is no need for 110 PSI tires and rims. That year 2955 was originally delivered with Larado LT E rated tires and I just replaced them with Toyo's from Les Schwab when it was time.

I was concerned that others were bending the D52-8 axles so I upgraded them to the 7K ones. I also installed wet bolts with the axle change. Those are the two things I would recommend over 110 PSI tires and rims (and cheaper too).

[kdeiss]

Our 02 2955Rl came with LT tires that is what I have been running for all these years never a problem.load range E if I remember correctly
G rated total ovdr kill JMO

[kdeiss]

quote:Originally posted by kdeiss

Our 02 2955Rl came with LT tires that is what I have been running for all these years never a problem.load range E if I remember correctly
G rated total ovdr kill JMO


In addition I have been running Uniroyal Laredo HDH Load Range E all these years replacing every 5 years or so as mentioed on age not wear never an issue with Axles

[djgodden]

Just before our last trip I CAT scaled on departure and got 9520 on the trailer. So, 2380 on each tire and 4760 on each axle. Drive weight was 6240 which was to close to my limit for me so I upgraded on the next tire change from 265/70 R17 to 285/70 R17. Increased drive axle capability to 7500.

[djgodden]

Forgot to mention that in Oct last year I put on 4 Yokohama YK-HTX LT235/85R16s. 3500 miles on them and they're like new yet.

[djgodden]

quote:Originally posted by carl n susan

I happily towed a 2005 2955RL over 50,000 miles. The D52-8 means the axle is rated at 5,280 Lbs. A "good" LT tire is rated at ~3120 Lbs. Two of them gives you almost a 1,000Lbs. of extra capacity over the axle's rating. There is no need for 110 PSI tires and rims. That year 2955 was originally delivered with Larado LT E rated tires and I just replaced them with Toyo's from Les Schwab when it was time.

I was concerned that others were bending the D52-8 axles so I upgraded them to the 7K ones. I also installed wet bolts with the axle change. Those are the two things I would recommend over 110 PSI tires and rims (and cheaper too).


Out of curiosity, with the D52-8 being the same axle as the 6000 and 7000 why did you change? Comfort or was it recommended? Also, what's a wet bolt? Is that the never lube bearing?

[Carl n Susan]

quote:Originally posted by djgodden
Out of curiosity, with the D52-8 being the same axle as the 6000 and 7000 why did you change? Comfort or was it recommended? Also, what's a wet bolt? Is that the never lube bearing?

You will want to verify this for yourself but the three axles are not the same. Yes they look the same and they each accept the same brakes and mounting gear. But the thickness of the internal axle walls increase as the rating goes up. I used to have the numbers but where they are now is anybody's guess. Too many of us were bending the D52 axles. I went to the 7K axles which has the thickest walls to minimize the chance of bending.

Wet bolts are now standard on Montanas (and most other upscale RVs). They are the pieces that attach the spring ends to the shackles. In 2005 you got a threaded bolt with a plastic bushing and thin material shackle plates. Wet bolts are drilled to allow grease through it and out to the bronze bushings, There is a zerk fitting on each bolt which is used to lubricate the assembly. The shackle plates are twice as thick.

The plastic bushings wore out easily and allowed the bolt to wear through the holes in the shackle plates. There was lots of discussion here on the MOC about this problem.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/312qOWllUYL.jpg

[djgodden]

Hey, thanks for the explanation. As for the axle I spoke directly with a Dexter tech about getting brakes and when I mentioned upgrading the axle he told me not to bother, "all three axles are identical except for hub and brake magnet."

[djgodden]

As for wet bolts... is there a retrofit set I can get or is it piecemeal puchased?

[Justme44]

Just yesterday I installed (Well, WalMart did the install) two B F Goodrich Commercial AT AS2 load E. They replaced two very old (according to the DOT label) and just looked well worn Uniroyal Laredo tires. $167 each at WalMart. I have 7K axles on my 2000 3280. I also asked about going to the Goodyear tires and I got a very loud "not needed" from the people that know (here).
Dennis

[jcurtis934]

Yes you can buy the wet bolt kit. That was the picture that carl showed in his reply. John

[Carl n Susan]

quote:Originally posted by djgodden

Hey, thanks for the explanation. As for the axle I spoke directly with a Dexter tech about getting brakes and when I mentioned upgrading the axle he told me not to bother, "all three axles are identical except for hub and brake magnet."

What we have here is a failure to communicate. The external dimensions of all three axles (D52, 6K, and 7K) are all the same and are interchangeable with each other. When you ask about brakes, they will tell you the same brakes (12" x 2") go on each axle regardless of the rating. But why are there three different axles if everything is the same?

The different axles have different weight ratings. How do they do this if they are all the same? Obviously they are not. While the external interfaces (tube O.D., bearing surfaces, hub assembly, etc.) are consistent, one thing is different - the wall thickness of the axle tube.

It has been a few years since I did all the research but here is what I recall. The D52 used to be a separate product using a wall thickness of 3/16". Today it appears to be a de-rated 6K axle with a wall thickness 1/4". The standard 6K axle also uses a 1/4" tube. http://www.easternmarine.com/dexter-94-round-tube-straight-trailer-axle-6000-lb-4766705

The 7K axle uses a 5/16" wall tube. http://www.easternmarine.com/dexter-94-round-tube-straight-trailer-axle-7000-lb-4766716

The extra wall thickness and weight capacity is what made me upgrade my axles.

As for the wet bolts, I just clipped a picture of the pieces parts of a kit. There are several kits available depending on your equalizer. Here is a basic kit. http://www.dexteraxle.com/inc/sdetail/1050

[djgodden]

Again, terrific info. I'll be keeping an eye on my axles to see if there's any deformation or sagging. Since there's only 9500ish on the axles with the rest being on the pin, I should be ok.

The link to the wet bolts and kit is greatly appreciated.

Happy RVing!!

[djgodden]

BTW, the bolt kit is on Amazon. $118

[h2ojocky]

I have the same year and model as you. I put Bridgestone Duravis R500 tires as recommended by Lonnie who runs a tire shop and is a Montana owner. I also upgraded to wet bolts like Carl suggested. That was a great upgrade! The new wet bolts and shackles are Much beefier. I don't want to break down on the road!

[Winmagbar]

Carl,

Where do you go to acquire wet bolts and have them installed?

Robert

[Carl n Susan]

quote:Originally posted by Winmagbar

Carl,

Where do you go to acquire wet bolts and have them installed?

Robert

I assume you have no interest in searching the internet for pieces parts and then installing them yourself. For a turnkey replacement, I would find a local trailer supply/repair shop. One that does all kinds of trailers and not just a RV dealer (although they may be OK) where they deal with trailer suspensions on a regular basis. They will have the technical knowledge to obtain the correct kit and the tools and experience to install them.

In my experience, RV dealers and their knuckle-dragging repair staff don't do enough wet bolts to really know the tricks. I am sure there are some who do, but it is more likely to find a trailer repair shop better prepared.

IMHO, The best repair is done by me, assuming I have the resources. I did farm this job out to a local RV supplies and repair shop (not a dealer) as I had other work done at the same time (axles and springs).

[PatnRich]

My 2955 came with Tacoma LT tires. When it came time to change them out I replaced them with Firestone Transforce HT tires. My choice was made based on MOC tire guru Lonnie's recommended list and what was available at the time.

[djgodden]

An entire kit with wet bolts is on Amazon (Dexter Axle (K71-359-00) Heavy Duty Suspension Kit), watch a YouTube video on install.

[djgodden]

Carl... did you ever experience the inside of the fender rubbing the outside wall of the tire? We went over a particularly rough spot crossing the CA AZ order. The Montana bounced pretty good and I stopped to check things out. Noticed a rub spot on the sidewall. No damage, just evidence of a rub.

[Carl n Susan]

quote:Originally posted by djgodden

Carl... did you ever experience the inside of the fender rubbing the outside wall of the tire?

Yup, I had a spot on the curb side fender (in the center where the plastic drops down between the tire area) where the tire rubbed. As I recall it was only the curb side (which was the heavy side?) and only occurred after a severe bump or running over extremely uneven ground.

It has been a while but I remember that the white surface was rubbed away exposing the underlying material. In one case, the brace on the back had come loose which let the fender flex enough to cause some contact. In any event, there was no damage to the tire or the fender.

[djgodden]

Same as I experienced. After your comment I went inside the well to look for evidence of wear and there isn't any significant wear. Some black from where it rubbed but that came right off. It's something for me to keep an eye on.

[djgodden]

Another question. The Montana has original wheels on it and for the life of me I can't find anything on the wheels to indicate if they can take the G614 tire pressures. Crawled underneath and looked on the inside of the wheel on all four. Having had one, do you know?

[Carl n Susan]

Sorry but the 2005 wheels are *NOT* rated for 110 PSI that the G614's go up to. However, you can run the G614s (or Sailuns) at the rim max of 80 PSI and probably have more than enough carry capacity for your rig.

The G614s or Sailuns are great tires for those with 7K axles. Your 2955 has 5280 axles and are just as well served running a good quality (and less expensive) LT E rated tire. The Duravis 250 or Michelin XPS Ribs are a couple of ones everyone seems to like.

[djgodden]

I thought as much. Thanks. I did just what you suggested but a few months back. Running with US made Yokohama YK-HTX LT235/85R16. 80 psi 2780 lbs gives me 11120 lbs on the axles. Will CAT scale again just before we leave on our Yellowstone trip this Thursday. Will upgrade to the Sailun next time.

Thanks again. I may pick you brain again sometime.

[Carl n Susan]

As long as you are running a *GOOD* LT Load Range E tire made in the USA (or anywhere but China), you should be good to go for a long time. And when it is time, replacing them with the same type of tire would not be a mistake.

The Yokohama YK-HTX LT235/85R16 actually is rated at 3042 Lbs. @ 80 PSI as a single tire installation. Dual tire installations (such a dually truck axle) drops the capacity to 2780. So you have will have 12,168 Lbs. (4 x 3280) of carry capacity (with an undocumented ~20% reserve capacity) on axles rated for 10,560 Lbs. (2 x 5280). Many, many of us ran LTs back in the day of 6K axles and if you had a tire problem, it was due to a road hazard.

Feel free to ask me about your 2955. I pretty much knew ours forwards and backwards. If you email me I am more likely to respond timely.