Axle and hub question - Montana Owners Club

cgaskins · 05-19-2012, 10:27 AM

Hello. I have a "stupid" question....

I have a 2007 Montana 3400RL that we bought used 2 years ago. I am trying to figure out what type of axle and hubs I have. In the documentation set that was in the trailer, I found two books referring to Axle and Hubs:
- ALKO
- Dexter Axle

So how do I identify what I have?

My reason for asking is I am trying to determine what type maintenance I might need to do on the axle and the wheel bearings. I have never done any in the two years I have owned the trailer so any guidance would be great.

The ALKO book refers to an Ultralube and a Perma-lube type system but again, I did a quick look at my trailer and couldn't tell what I have. The Dexter book refers to an E-Z Lube and a Nev-R-Lube system.

Any help our guidance would be greatly appreciated. We leave for our trip from Austin to Wyoming in July and I want to make sure the C.O.W. (Condo On Wheels) is in tip top shape.

Thank,s
Chris

awaywego · 05-19-2012, 11:12 AM

If you look under the trailer on the axle you should have a metal band around the axle with all the info stamped on it.

8.1al · 05-19-2012, 03:37 PM

Our Dexter axles have the info stamped on them

1retired06 · 05-20-2012, 02:01 AM

No stupid questions on this forum. Tags as described specify your axle. With the Dexter axle, if EZ lube, there is a grease fitting at the hub.

dieselguy · 05-20-2012, 02:32 AM

It doesn't really matter if they are ALKO or Dexter ... bearing maintenance is basically the same as well as checking the brake shoes. About every couple of years (unless you put a ton of miles on each year) jack each wheel up individually, remove the tire, remove the wheel, clean the bearings in solvent or suitable liquid, repack bearings, replace wheel seal, install wheel back on spindle, install tire and torque to specs in criss cross pattern. While the brake hub is off take a look at your brake shoes and springs. If the shoes are worn or excessively cracked (they all have a few minor cracks in the brake material)... replace them. If a spring is broken ... replace it. If the magnet is excessively worn out of square on the brake drum contact face ... replace it. Or .... pull it to a shop and pay for the service. If you have self lubing spindles as in a grease jerk in the middle ... don't waste your time pumping grease into these. The design is flawed and you'll usually end up blowing out the rear seal and getting grease all over your brake shoes. If you feel you must use the jerk ... a couple of pumps a season for your peace of mind. There is a bit more to all this as in safety, preference of wheel bearing grease, and actual wheel torque and retorquing, but these points vary with each individual.

DonPd · 05-20-2012, 03:27 AM

If you want to know what is on the RV. All you have to do is call Keystone. When you call have your Vehicle Identification Number of the RV. They can tell you what parts were used to build your RV.

cgaskins · 05-28-2012, 02:30 AM

Thanks for the tips...

I found the stamp on the Axel (Dexter) and once I cleaned up everything (washed the wheels and mounts, I found the "E-Z Lube" name. So I have the Dexter E-Z Lube system. So I looked in my Dexter Axel manual and see that I only have to use a greese gun. However the book was not clear on getting access to the greese port. I assume the end cap comes off (without having to remove the wheel). Does it just pull off or is there something special I need to know?

Thanks,
Chris

pineranch · 05-28-2012, 03:31 AM

Chris,
You may want to leave that "feature" alone. Some use it, most cuss it. I recently hand lubed my bearings and checked out the system. The designer meant well but fell short of success. They forgot the rear seal limitations. If you do use it, pump no more that 3 times and move on. More is not a good thing.
Mike

cgaskins · 05-28-2012, 05:44 AM

Mike,

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll do a little more research before taking any action....

-Chris

Fire5er · 05-28-2012, 05:46 AM

The only way to truly know what axels you have is to crawl under the rig and see what is stamped on them. The reason I say that is because in 2007 the 3400RL (and others I think) went from 6K to 7K axels. The early 2007 3400RL made in 2006 had 6K, where the later 2007 made in early 2007 like ours had 7K axels. The reason I know this is because our 3400RL was ordered and made in March 2007 and was marked on the trailer label as having 6K axels when it arrived at the dealers. I knew it was supposed to have come with 7K axels (by reading the MOC Forum) and told the dealer so. The dealer said thats what Keystone sent so thats what you get. I told the dealer no sale if it didn’t have 7K axels. So I crawled under and found the stamp (that the others have been talking about in this thread) and sure enough the axels were 7K. Keystone had used the old label on the side of our trailer. So the dealer contacted Keystone (at my insistence) and had them send a corrected label to put on the trailer.
So the only way to truly know is to look, don’t believe what others tell you…not even Keystone.

dieselguy · 05-29-2012, 03:29 AM

Chris ... like I mentioned in my earlier replay ... the EZ lube is someone's marketing gimmick that is pretty much a dud. Hand pack them every other year, check the brakes over, and enjoy your travels. This is not just a random opinion from a poster ... this is cold hard fact. If you insist on using the grease jerk feature ... 2-3 pumps a season will give you peace of mind, but will do absolutely nothing in the real world. A pump equals about a fingernail dab ... the inside of the hub is never completely full ... the grease hole in the spindle is near the rear bearing ... figure it out.

cgaskins · 05-29-2012, 03:36 AM

Dieselguy,

Thanks. I am gonna leave it until I get back from our Wyoming trip then repack. I appreciate the info on the E-Z Lube. My previous trailer didn't have it and none of the trailers we had on the farm growing up had it so it is new to me. We always repacked everything by hand then as well. The last thing I wanted to do was making something worse or screw something up right before our trip. Again, thanks for the info. Glad I asked....

-Chris

clarkandsheila · 05-31-2012, 06:03 PM

If you do use the E Z Lube feature then at the very least jack up the wheel so it can be rotated by hand and then slowly put in two or three shots.

cgaskins · 06-01-2012, 03:59 AM

Thanks! I really, really, really appreciate the wonderful help and great attitude of all of the people on the forum. This place is an invaluable resource!!!

Art-n-Marge · 06-01-2012, 10:00 AM

Another thing, if you feel the need to lube. As mentioned the black rubber cap pulls off and the zerk is revealed. Use ONLY a hand pump for this fitting (no heavy duty or pressure driven grease guns). Like other members' warnings too much grease at too much force can blow out the rear seals and then you've got grease on the brakes, NOT GOOD, since you can't see this happen! I use a small grease gun and do 2-3 squirts at a time per wheel.

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