2011 Outback 250RS - Axle Parts No Longer Available!

SoCalAngler

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2014
Messages
158
My 2011 Outback 250RS and it has AL-KO axles. They are 10" T44 axles (4400#). AL-KO was sold to Dexter several years ago. Dexter told me the axles were discontinued because there were already similar axles made by Dexter. Similar, but not the same. Parts such as brakes are different.

I am planning on doing some traveling during 2025 (several thousands of miles) and I am concerned about break downs (axles, hanger bolts, brakes, etc) and not having parts available at RV parts stores.

Bearings and seals are still available...but that's about it.
Brakes, drums, brake kits, magnets, springs...NOT available.

I did repack bearings with new seals in Oct. 2022 (approx. 1500 miles ago).
I measured brake linings then and they were:

Front Left: Primary 0.125; Secondary 0.187
Rear Left: Primary and Secondary 0.161
Right Front: Primary 0.185; Secondary 0.206
Right Rear: Primary 0.206; Secondary 0.209

I can:

1. Travel as-is and take my chances with axle break downs

2. Replace axles for approx. $1000 per axle (labor not included...can do myself).

3. Or???

Thanks!
 
Brakes and magnets "wear out" but typically don't "catastrophically fail". So, if they have been working OK for the past several years and the brake shoe linings are not "at the rivets" and the magnets do not show wear that's concerning, I'd say to take your trip and enjoy the sites.

Being prepared can't always mean having 100% reliabilty assured. Heck, even a brand new axle set can end up with a defective magnet or a bearing that destroys itself in the first 1000 miles, so there is no "guarantee changing axles is going to make all the risks go away....

AlKo axles were quality built and reliable, no need to change functional parts just because there might be a problem and parts aren't available when the failure happens. If that were the situation, nobody with an antique Thunderbird would ever go on a trip in their classic car. My 2002 TBird would be stranded "permanently" if the water pump ever went out ...
 
SoCal, it may surprise you how many companies in your area will reline your brake shoes. Google it and I’ll bet you’ll be surprised!
 
We can never be fully prepared for everything that "might" happen. The best we can do is to educate ourselves on how to address what comes up.

I was on a 5,000 mile trip a few years ago and at a gas stop checked the wheel temps as I always do, and found one to be very hot. I made sure it wasn't binding enough to drag the tire and pulled the truck and trailer off to the side and out of the way. While I was laying on the ground looking up behind the wheel, I found a broken spring hanger. We were less than an hour from our next stop for several days, so we limped slowly on back roads and got there without incident.

The next day, I called a local welding shop and they were able to send a mobile unit out to re-weld the hanger back into place and also add a small brace to strengthen the hanger. While I had the wheel off, I decided to check the bearings since they had gotten so hot (I keep a set of pre-packed bearings and seals in my tool box). When I pulled the hub, one of the brake shoe liners fell out. Turns out that is what the heating issue was, not the broken hanger. Anyways, it was simple enough to back off the adjuster on that one wheel and after everything else was fixed and reassembled, we continued our trip with brakes on three of the four trailer wheels without issue.

Once home, I was able to get a local shop to re-bond the pad to the shoe and never had another issue with the brakes in the 20,000 miles that we kept the camper after that.

The point to all this is that unless you have a catastrophic failure, it doesn't have to ruin your trip. Even if you did have a catastrophic failure, regardless of your axle type, you would still need to find a shop with the parts, knowledge and expertise to do the repair, and then wait for the parts order and the work to be done. Don't overthink the issue, get out there and enjoy your travels!
 
Thank you JRTJH, notanlines, and NH_Bulldog!

Your insight and experiences have me better prepared. I do tend to overthink things.

I do have a follow up question that is somewhat related....

What about spring hanger bolts and equalizers...

Do the bolts weaken over time (they are original)?

Should they be replaced with wet bolts?

Thanks!
 
Do the bolts and bushings wear over time?? HECK YES !!!

Do the standard shackles wear over time?? EVEN MORE EMPHATICALLY, YES!!!

Should they be replaced? If it were my trailer, they'd have been gone "a long time ago"

What to use? My recommendation is a Morryde wet bolt kit. There are several different styles, but that's based on "fit" not "function"... They all use similar or the same components, the difference is in how many of each, if an equalizer is needed, which one and how long the arms are on the equalizer.

Go to the Morryde site and if you get confused, ask here or just contact their customer service to get the correct kit for your trailer. Usually, eTrailer.com or Amazon is less expensive than buying from the manufacturer's website.

Here's some photos of examples of "why you need to change out the OEM "dry bolt system". Note the thickness of the "wet bolt shackles" as well as the durability of the "greased bronze bushing" compared to the plastic OEM bushing". Once that plastic bushing wears out (quickly in most cases) you have "metal on metal wear that leads to shackle failure and "loose wobbly suspension" which leads to abnormal tire wear and braking problems"...

The photo of the three bushings is one I found on another forum several years ago. It shows an OEM bushing at 20K miles, a new Lippert bushing and that same Lippert bushing at 20K miles. That kind of wear can occur much sooner under "real world towing conditions" (sand, road salt and dust, heavy angle backing, etc)

Remember that ANY bushing, no matter how good, will wear unless it's kept lubricated, so if you change out to a wet bolt system, remember to keep the new bushing lubed and happy.
 

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I would suggest the MorRyde kit with cushioned equalizer (CRE3000) I like that the MorRyde comes with brass bushings as opposed to plastic ones.

Although my Cougar came with the Road Armor cushioned equalizers, they didn’t bother installing wet bolts, so that is on my early spring to-do list.
 
I would suggest the MorRyde kit with cushioned equalizer (CRE3000) I like that the MorRyde comes with brass bushings as opposed to plastic ones.

Although my Cougar came with the Road Armor cushioned equalizers, they didn’t bother installing wet bolts, so that is on my early spring to-do list.

You did the same thing I did last week... Those bushings are bronze, not brass. It's a small error, but ..... Brass doesn't saturate with grease, bronze is porous and fills with grease which is why it's able to lubricate as readily as it does.
 
Bushings and Future Fitment?

So sounds like the MORryde CRE3000 is the kit to use.

Now, I can measure and follow the MORryde Qualification Guide.....

However, don't I have to remove one of the current spring hanger bolts to determine OD size for bronze bushings that fit inside eye of spring?
The Qualification Guide does not mention spring eye hole OD size?

Also,...if I ever do decide to change out my AL-KO axles, would my CRE3000 kist still be useable on new axle and new springs?

Thanks!
 
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So sounds like the MORryde CRE3000 is the kit to use.

Now, I can measure and follow the MORryde Qualification Guide.....

However, don't I have to remove one of the current spring hanger bolts to determine OD size for bronze bushings that fit inside eye of spring?
The Qualification Guide does not mention spring eye hole OD size?

Also,...if I ever do decide to change out my AL-KO axles, would my CRE3000 kist still be useable on new axle and new springs?

Thanks!

I believe the "hole size in the spring eyelets is standardized in all RV/utility trailer spring sets using the standard spring sets. I believe every Keystone trailer with leaf springs has the same size hole. Same with FR and Jayco, etc.
 
1. If I ever do decide to change out my AL-KO axles, would my CRE3000 kit still be useable on new axle and new springs?

2. How are new bolts, that have a knurled section just below bolt head, installed?

I would assume they are pounded straight in using a socket (that fits just around zirc fitting).

3. Also, how to remove same bolts that have the knurled feature....pounded straight out?

I ask, as I have seen videos of people installing / removing bolts with sockets on both ratchets and on impacts.

Thanks!
 
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Critical top of tire to bottom of trailer floor measurement

Just got off the phone with MORryde.
One measurement that my trailer is not meeting is the top of tire to bottom trailer floor (trailer loaded). This is step 7B in the Qualification Guide.

I measure 3" at front tires and 2-3/4" at rear tires. I do have a rear slide and a rear 30gal water tank (currently empty but do travel with 1/2 to full).

MORryde says that this 3" clearance is MINIMUM and critical.

So.....either
1. my springs (14 years old) have lost arc

OR

?????

NOTE: My trailer is parked on decomposed gravel that is pretty level. Tires sit on 3/4" plywood sheets on each side.

I could pull trailer to concrete driveway (or a nearby parking lot that is very level) and measure again. Perhaps when backing into it current parking spot the axles and equalizers have flexed in a way that puts rear axle up higher.

Not sure I want to install this nice CRE3000 kit only to find my springs have lost their arc and I do. not meet specs. Replacing springs perhaps is not an option since I may have to one day replace entire axle, springs, brakes, etc.

Now what?

https://morryde.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/MOR367-CRE3000-Qualifier_v9-1.pdf
 
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Just got off the phone with MORryde.
One measurement that my trailer is not meeting is the top of tire to bottom trailer floor (trailer loaded). This is step 7B.

I measure 3" at front tires and 2-3/4" at rear tires. I do have a rear slide and a rear 30gal water tank (currently empty but do travel with 1/2 to full).

MORryde says that this 3" clearance is MINIMUM and critical.

So.....either
1. my springs (14 years old) have lost arc

OR

?????

NOTE: My trailer is parked on decomposed gravel that is pretty level. Tires sit on 3/4" plywood sheets on each side.

I could pull trailer to concrete driveway (or a nearby parking lot that is very level) and measure again. Perhaps when backing into it current parking spot the axles and equalizers have flexed in a way that puts rear axle up higher.

Not sure I want to install this nice CRE3000 kit only to find my springs have lost their arc and I do. not meet specs. Replacing springs perhaps is not an option since I may have to one day replace entire axle, springs, brakes, etc.

Now what?

The minimum 3" clearance is important, but there are more potential ways for that to be reduced than just "worn/flat springs"... On a trailer almost 15 years old, my first inclination is that the shackles, if they're the OEM ones, are probably worn and a 1/4" elongation of the bolt holes in the shackles is not uncommon. So, do a thorough inspection of your trailer suspension. I think you'll find that if the trailer is level and there's a difference in tire clearance, shackles is one way it may be reduced, flat springs is another, a warped/sagging wheelwell above the tire is another.

As for springs, 15 years of weight is a big potentual to cause "flat springs". You'd be surprised how inexpensive changing out springs is when you're doing the wet bolt kit and installing a CRE3000 equalizer compared to getting all that finished, and then having to "rework much of it to change out springs in a year. Just for some "quick pricing", Amazon has Lippert 2200 lb springs for $40. A set of four 3000 lb springs with shackles, nuts, mounting plates and "basic equalizers" is $220 from Trailer Parts Outlet.

So, replacing questionable springs along with the wet bolt/shackle/equalizer changeout is not "prohibitively expensive"...
 
Seeing as the springs are completely off when adding the CRE3000 and wet bolt kit, it makes sense to change springs. As mentioned, not prohibitively expensive, even if I had to change out both axles at a later time.
 
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New axles....maybe

I am now considering changing out the axles with 5200# or 6000#.
My current OEM axles are 4400#.

Trying to find a hired hand to do the swap at my house. Local RV repair shop wants $1200-$1600 (labor only) to swap both axles (I buy the axles).

If no hired hand can be found, I may do it myself. I have never done an axle swap so I don't know how difficult it is. I have all tools for this job and am somewhat mechanically inclined. SAFETY FIRST for me!!

Luckily, I have both Dexter and Freidl axle manufacturers within 1.5hrs of my home. Dexter takes 3-4 weeks for custom axles. Freidl takes 24hrs.

I would like to remove one of axles and take it in so they can have exact measurements ( I prefer to take it in vs measuring the axle myself).

Both quoted $980 per axle including new drums, brakes, springs and U bolt kits.

I already purchased the MORryde CRE 3000 and MORryde wet bolt kit.

Such a shame that axles have to be replaced just because AL-KO parts are not available.:facepalm:
 

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