Wheel Bearing and Brake Assistance

[SoCalAngler]

Hello all--

Preparing to service bearings, seals, and brakes.
2011 Outback 250RS
AL-KO 4400# Axles

NOTE...I used a Trailer Aid Plus and it did a great job of lifting adjacent wheel of the ground 1"-2". Great and easy to use product. If I ever get a flat and need to change tire/wheel, this will come in very handy! NO jacking involved!

I did purchase a race and seal driver (HF ICON brand) and already had a Lisle bearing packer. I may not have needed the race and seal driver, but I wanted it!!

I was able to pull wheels and inspect everything. Bearings and races appear good (no pits, gouges, or signs of blueing/overheating). Bearings are made in China and sizes are L68149 and L67048.
I have AL-KO 4400# axles.

I've attached a few pics of brakes, hubs, etc.

Upon inspection, I have a few questions. My brake references are based on the attached pic of backing plate of drivers/left side of trailer - front/forward drum:

1. I noticed that the magnet arm appears loose, and when I push/move it to the left, only the right side brake shoe moves outwards towards drum. Is this correct? If so, when does the left shoe move?

2. Right brake show mentioned above, is down to approx. 1/16" of lining. Left shoe has approx double the lining. This is probably due to right shoe moving and not sure if left show is moving at all.

3. Wear holes in magnet appear to still have some depth. I believe they are good.

4. There are no gouges and deep scratches in the drums wear surfaces. Also, no blueing or signs of overheating. I believe they are good.

5. I do see the brake wires plastic/rubber cover has split. Is there something better than electrical tape for covering these wires? I am unable to get heat shrink tubing over wires.

6. Checked spindle and small hole where grease exits (from EZ lube zirc fitting) and all appears in good shape and no gouges and sharp edges.

What else am I missing?
Is there more to be inspected?

Was considering changing bearings/races over to Made in USA Timkens. Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[chuckster57]

The magnet arm will have some play, it rotates in both directions (forward and backwards). IMHO if the bearings look good, use them, Quality grease and double lip seals.

You can get liquid electrical tape and use it.

 

[bsmith0404]

Everything looks normal and good to me. As mentioned, you can change the bearings if you want, but good maintenance is more important.

 

[SoCalAngler]

What about the brake lining on right side? It is about 1/16" in center. Left side looks fine. At what thickness should they be replaced?

Do magnets look ok?

How is magnet moved forward and backward? I tried moving it left and would not move. It does move right and expands right shoe.

Lucas Red n tacky for grease and double lip/spring seals.

 

[Jake's Keystone]

So here was my experience about a year ago with our 260FL Outback, same axels. I'm in canada, and these axels are discontinued after being sold to another manufacturer. The shop had a hard time sourcing the parts for brakes as they had 3500# brakes on the axels. The brakes were not direct replacement so the shop had to do some machining of the drums to stop rubbing. In the end it was all good. Just letting you know of my situation, hope your local suppliers have parts, I'd get a couple spares, just in case, if you plan on keeping the rig for a few years.

 

[bsmith0404]

You can replace the shoes now since the one is worn so close. A little bit of uneven wear from one side to the other isn’t that big of a deal.

Red n tacky is good grease and a lot of people like it. I prefer Sta Lube. Really it just comes down to personal preference as long as it meets the required specs. There are several good quality available. Of the different ones I’ve used, the only one I didn’t like was Mobil 1. Got tired of the red puddle on the floor under my grease gun. I really liked Amsoil#2 grease and still use it in my grease gun for the front end of my truck, just can’t get it in the small 2 lb tub.

 

[chuckster57]

The magnet arm should move in both directions. It will move a little bit before making a shoe move but it should do it in both directions.

 

[SoCalAngler]

So here was my experience about a year ago with our 260FL Outback, same axels. I'm in canada, and these axels are discontinued after being sold to another manufacturer. The shop had a hard time sourcing the parts for brakes as they had 3500# brakes on the axels. The brakes were not direct replacement so the shop had to do some machining of the drums to stop rubbing. In the end it was all good. Just letting you know of my situation, hope your local suppliers have parts, I'd get a couple spares, just in case, if you plan on keeping the rig for a few years.

Yes, I was looking to find some brake shoes and found some information related to 4400# AL-KP axles being discontinued after dexter purchased AL-KO.

So, are all brake parts for the 4400# AL-KO (shoes, magnets, springs, drums, etc.) obsolete? Checked e trailer and didn't see any parts for my axle.

This is a bummer!

Guess I'll just have to grease bearings and add new seals and be done with it!
Sad that I'd have to replace both axles just to source regular maintenance parts.

 

[chuckster57]

Yes, I was looking to find some brake shoes and found some information related to 4400# AL-KP axles being discontinued after dexter purchased AL-KO.

So, are all brake parts for the 4400# AL-KO (shoes, magnets, springs, drums, etc.) obsolete? Checked e trailer and didn't see any parts for my axle.

This is a bummer!

Guess I'll just have to grease bearings and add new seals and be done with it!
Sad that I'd have to replace both axles just to source regular maintenance parts.

It would suprise (anger you) if you knew who was buying who and not supporting that line anymore. I could make a long list. Fridge and AC parts, slide out controllers, leveling systems…the list goes on and on.

 

[fjr vfr]

You can check on https://www.etrailer.com/ for brake parts. They have lots of brake parts for different axles. They can also answer questions as to what fits what.

 

[SoCalAngler]

Per etrailer.....

https://www.etrailer.com/question-216461.html

 

[SoCalAngler]

So here was my experience about a year ago with our 260FL Outback, same axels. I'm in canada, and these axels are discontinued after being sold to another manufacturer. The shop had a hard time sourcing the parts for brakes as they had 3500# brakes on the axels. The brakes were not direct replacement so the shop had to do some machining of the drums to stop rubbing. In the end it was all good. Just letting you know of my situation, hope your local suppliers have parts, I'd get a couple spares, just in case, if you plan on keeping the rig for a few years.

There are 10"x2 1/4" 4400# brake assemblies by Dexter. However the 4400# models have a different mounting hole pattern than mine. The Dexter model that has my bolt pattern (2 7/8" x 2 7/8" square) is for a 3500# axle.

Is this the brake assemblies you used? If so, do you know model # of what was used and also what machining was needed on the drum?

Did/Are you considering axle replacement to avoid future parts issues?

Thanks!

 

[SoCalAngler]

Just got off the phone with Dexter.

AL-KO T44 (4400#) axles are OBSOLETE! No parts or axles are available and NO Dexter parts are interchangeable!

 

[JRTJH]

If you choose to replace the axle, I'd recommend replacing both at the same time. It may cost more, but sooner or later, you're going to need brake shoes, magnets or a hub for the other one and the cost to replace both axles isn't as much as replacing one, then later replacing the other.... In other words, if you do them one at a time, the prep charges to jack the trailer, crawl under it, replace one axle will be charged for the second one when you do it. Doing both now only gets you one "prep charge"...

Along with that, after reading the eTrailer response to that FAQ, none of the axles they listed will fit your trailer. I'd almost guarantee you that the hubface measurement for your trailer is 86.5" and the spring hanger plate is 68.5". That information should be on the axle tag located on the center of the axle beam, but if it isn't there (lost tag, etc) then you'll need to measure the axles before ordering replacements. When I ordered mine, NOBODY stocked "RV axles" which are almost all 86.5/68.5 measurements. I had to special order them to be "custom made" since Keystone would not sell the dealership an "upgrade axle kit" for my trailer and they didn't have axles to fit it without special ordering them. It was about half the price for ME to special order them from an axle supplier than to have Keystone or the dealer order them.

Your in for some frustrating discoveries in this "journey"..... Be prepared and it'll go well, but take a flatbed trailer dealership's promises or even an RV service department's promises and you'll be disappointed in the outcome...

 

[Jake's Keystone]

So I'll reach out to the shop and PM you. I'M not sure what brand he used but will ask...

 

[Texas Steve]

Just thinking out loud here, but could SoCalAngler change to a disk brake system and not change out his axle's?

 

[SoCalAngler]

Just thinking out loud here, but could SoCalAngler change to a disk brake system and not change out his axle's?

I thought of that but couldn't find any kits to do this. But wouldn't discs be hydraulic?

 

[Travelin' Texans]

I thought of that but couldn't find any kits to do this. But wouldn't discs be hydraulic?

Contact Performance Trailer Braking, they have kits available & at your site installers if needed. They have great products, do absolutely great installation with great customer service. They also do axle swaps & suspension repairs also.
Yes disc brakes are hydraulic, the kit comes with all parts & hardware.
It's very similar towing with a diesel as opposed to gas, once you have disc brakes on a rv you'll never want drums again or a gas tow vehicle.

 

[flybouy]

The disc brakes are electric over hydraulic. Not all brake controllers will work with those conversions so you'd need to verify if your does.

 

[SoCalAngler]

On Performance Trailer Braking Website:

"Unfortunately disc brake conversion kits do not support 4.4k axles. In order to use disc brakes, you'll also need to upgrade your axles. We can help you out with that, too!"

Plus the cost per axle for discs is over $2K!!!!!

IMO, these appear best suited for larger rigs, such as heavy 5ers.