Similar thing happened to us twice. First time years ago on I10 in the Fla. panhandle pulling out pop-up. Toasted the hub, shredded the tire, shredded the wheel well (plastic). Tow driver said he knew a guy to take it to. Got there, said we needed a new axle. Installing and replacing trailer axles just happened to be his business. This was on a Sunday no less. He got the new axle, we drove to get new tires. He had everything installed by noon Monday, including repairing the wheel well. Said the new axle was superior to the factory one. Charged us around $500 for the whole thing. We were back on the road in less than 24 hrs. Like you alluded to, an experience like this reinforces your faith in the goodness of humanity. He could have charged us a grand and we would have been happy. Glad you had a similar experience.
I’ll echo Wesley Richardson’s comment….replace the axel. I’ll add to that watch for tire wear on both sides of the axel. If the weld wasn’t exactly perfectly level and true the welded side tire will show you soon. Also, even if a field alignment was performed, imho you will need a professional alignment soon. Removing an axel and reinstalling it changes how the trailer will track down the road. Both tires on the replaced axel could possibly show wear soon. That said I’m very happy that y’all found an honest tech, and that you guys are all safe, sound and back on the road!😊😊
I know Hayti well. Live 2 hours from there. Good honest folks in that part of the world. Grease you axles, and a TPMS would have told you about the problem before it got bad. Would have told you it was getting hot before major damage was done. Hope you are enjoying the great state of Arkansas at this point. I live in the Ozarks, beautiful country, lots of nice places to camp.
High drama. Glad you made it out of that mess safely. The bill was about 3x less than I thought it would be. Good thing you were in Missouri and not somewhere like California where you probably would have gotten hosed.
Wow! I'm glad that everything worked out. What a crazy adventure. I can't believe it only cost $426 bucks. I feel like every mechanic shop in Wichita is a minimum of $500 for anything
Just watched Long Long Honeymoon’s video of basically the same thing happening! They heard a very weird noise. And, just FYI, that’s called The Boot heel of Missouri. Glad you are safe!
I was expecting like $2,000!!!! I think you got lucky. I had a similar thing happen last year-broke down at a Pilot, but I had to get towed; and repairs took 3 months!
Well that sucked that your axle basically exploded. Maybe this will help a little. Really enjoy the shows. You mentioned a solar system but I don’t ever remember you talking about it. Have fun.
Thank you so much! We really appreciate the support. We talked about our solar setup briefly in our full RV tour video and have a couple others where we talk about it a bit. We've never done a full solar video, though. th-cam.com/video/z5OJPvkVt-4/w-d-xo.html
I think I would consider getting a whole new axle instead of depending on the weld to hold very long, but you saw what kind of weld was done and whether or not you think it to be safe.
So next weak point the actual leaf spring hangers and the bolts there are wet bolts that can accept grease the hangers can be reinforced by a mobile welder relatively cheap and the actual hangers can e upgraded to super thick ones e trailer a good source with videos if one youres broke take it to the bank you need ro service the others maybe have them repacked with grease check the bearings seals brakes etc you guys are logging some miles don't forget the tow vehicle tranny rear diff etc
You really got off light with that mobile tech. Repack (all new grease) the bearings once a year. The bearings should be replaced after x years. When repacking check the bearings for wear and heat damage and replace it if needed. A mechanic can show you how to inspect the bearings. These are all must do's! Fuel for thought; I frequently check my hubs to see if they are hot. If you have been braking a lot then they may feel quite warm but ordinarily they won't be hot unless the bearing needs grease or is failing. Caution they can get hot enough to burn you and this indicates a problem. A bad bearing will often squeak or squeal before it actually fails. Listen for it. The damage to your spindle probably could have been avoided if you had detected the bad bearing early and were not forced to continue on with the bad bearing. The spindle gets damaged when the bearing starts to come apart and just before the wheel falls off. Driving through deep water (6" or more) can compromise the grease and is always cause for a bearing check. If your wheel had fallen off you probably could have made it on one wheel for that side long enough to get off of the road. However that is a huge stress to the one remaining axle. This is why dual axles are so helpful. Fuel for thought; I always carry a grease gun so I can add grease if necessary. I also carry a bearing set for one wheel, castlenut w/washer and cotter pin so that I can replace my own bearings, if I can get to a suitable place. Not on the side of the road. I also carry a spare spring because those can snap off. Learn how to repack and replace your bearings and you will feel a lot more confident on the road knowing that you can handle most of what can happen. P.S. the tightness of the castle nut is critical but easy to learn how to manage.
Glad it wasn’t a catastrophic problem. I just greased the axles on our trailer for the first time and now I’m really glad I did it. Thanks for sharing the experience so we can learn from it.
That is crazy! I'm glad nothing worse happened. I have a 2014 Starcraft Launch. The axles have these "ez axles" or something. The grease fitting is right inside the hub cover. Makes greasing the axles a breeze. I second the TPMS comment. You guys move around a lot. I believe the TPMS systems also monitor tire temps. You probably would have gotten an indication that the tire was heating up. Great to see you back on the road!
This is all true and EZ lube axles can be handy in a pinch but most experts say to remove the hubs and hand pack the bearings with grease for routine maintenance, This is because the grease can leak around the seal and get on the brake shoes which will renders brakes almost useless. If you do use the EZ lube fittings then lift the wheel off the ground and pump slowly while rotating the wheel. This can help distribute the grease and possibly help avoid pushing it past the seal. The trailer in this video does not have EZ-Lube axles because you would be able to see the zerk fitting on the end of the axle.
It's me....I'm someone who left a comment previously about the bearing/axle maintenance.😅I think that was from your Fall Plans video if I remember correctly....please don't take that as an "I told you so", but rather a learning experience. I, too, had to learn the hard way on a trailer I used to own. Glad that you all didn't have a catastrophic failure while going down the road and were able to get somewhere safely for repairs. I've really enjoyed the channel and keeping up with your adventures....best of luck as you keep moving and safe travels.
yes! I linked it at that point in the video. I remember saying "should we be doing this?" and that clearly never went anywhere...We won't make that mistake again!
It doesn't get any more "real life" than this!! That is scary as all get out! Glad you guys ended up avoiding a serious catastrophe! keep on workin' for the wild and wooly ways!!
Glad to see you are safe after this incident! Sounds like you have done your research on how to grease them correctly and will maintain them in the future. I have purchased a replacement set of bearings and races with tools be able to replace them on the road. I agree a TPMS may have identified the problem earlier. It would show as a high tire temperature.
Happy to see it worked out ok for you all. About 2 years ago I was riding a motorcycle on I-95, an RV in front of me had both left rear wheels, axles, brakes and suspension come off and spew metal everywhere at 70 mph. What followed was a very stimulating few seconds of terror. Fortunately the RV was able to pull over to the shoulder, myself and other nearby vehicles did not hit the debris.
Thanks so much for this one, guys! As I built my own, this is actually the stuff I'm worried about. Everything is new except the trailer bed and axles. Thanks for the tip too, you are right around one of the areas I'm going to be through a lot when I start traveling!
Glad to hear you guys are safe and back on the road. You really need to get a TPMS system. Not sure if it would have helped in this situation, but can save you from a really bad experience down the road.
So glad y’all are okay and nothing bad bad happened!!!
Similar thing happened to us twice. First time years ago on I10 in the Fla. panhandle pulling out pop-up. Toasted the hub, shredded the tire, shredded the wheel well (plastic). Tow driver said he knew a guy to take it to. Got there, said we needed a new axle. Installing and replacing trailer axles just happened to be his business. This was on a Sunday no less. He got the new axle, we drove to get new tires. He had everything installed by noon Monday, including repairing the wheel well. Said the new axle was superior to the factory one. Charged us around $500 for the whole thing. We were back on the road in less than 24 hrs. Like you alluded to, an experience like this reinforces your faith in the goodness of humanity. He could have charged us a grand and we would have been happy. Glad you had a similar experience.
That's very similar to our experience! Minus the tow. We were definitely expecting a bigger bill, $1000 at least. We got lucky for sure!
Really love the stress eating. All about it. Glad you guys are okay!
Classic Cole, saving the day
I’ll echo Wesley Richardson’s comment….replace the axel. I’ll add to that watch for tire wear on both sides of the axel. If the weld wasn’t exactly perfectly level and true the welded side tire will show you soon. Also, even if a field alignment was performed, imho you will need a professional alignment soon. Removing an axel and reinstalling it changes how the trailer will track down the road. Both tires on the replaced axel could possibly show wear soon. That said I’m very happy that y’all found an honest tech, and that you guys are all safe, sound and back on the road!😊😊
I know Hayti well. Live 2 hours from there. Good honest folks in that part of the world. Grease you axles, and a TPMS would have told you about the problem before it got bad. Would have told you it was getting hot before major damage was done. Hope you are enjoying the great state of Arkansas at this point. I live in the Ozarks, beautiful country, lots of nice places to camp.
High drama. Glad you made it out of that mess safely. The bill was about 3x less than I thought it would be. Good thing you were in Missouri and not somewhere like California where you probably would have gotten hosed.
Wow! I'm glad that everything worked out. What a crazy adventure. I can't believe it only cost $426 bucks. I feel like every mechanic shop in Wichita is a minimum of $500 for anything
Wow... you kids got lucky. Be darn careful. Have a good trip ahead and visit San Diego soon!
That repair guy was awesome. RV shop would have been 2k and 3 weeks. Get some hub bearing buddies worth their wait in gold.
Can’t believe you guys don’t carry Good Sam or other roadside assistance!!
Just watched Long Long Honeymoon’s video of basically the same thing happening! They heard a very weird noise. And, just FYI, that’s called The Boot heel of Missouri. Glad you are safe!
The boot heel! I think I have heard that before now that you mention it. Thanks for watching and commenting
That’s amazing that he didn’t stick it to you guys on that bill! Could have been so much worse! Glad you are safe and back on the road.
I know - we got so lucky! We were expecting to have to pay way more. He was a life saver!
Great editing and storytelling. Your video production is on point.
Thanks so much! I always appreciate these type of comments :)
I was expecting like $2,000!!!!
I think you got lucky.
I had a similar thing happen last year-broke down at a Pilot, but I had to get towed; and repairs took 3 months!
Oh no! We were really nervous we'd have to be towed as well. Really glad we were able to avoid that. Definitely got super lucky!
I don’t think we give enough credit to people like your mechanic!
True! He was a life saver
Well that sucked that your axle basically exploded. Maybe this will help a little. Really enjoy the shows. You mentioned a solar system but I don’t ever remember you talking about it. Have fun.
Thank you so much! We really appreciate the support. We talked about our solar setup briefly in our full RV tour video and have a couple others where we talk about it a bit. We've never done a full solar video, though. th-cam.com/video/z5OJPvkVt-4/w-d-xo.html
Should of took off wheel and put strap around axle to hold it up! Glad ya safe!
I think I would consider getting a whole new axle instead of depending on the weld to hold very long, but you saw what kind of weld was done and whether or not you think it to be safe.
So next weak point the actual leaf spring hangers and the bolts there are wet bolts that can accept grease the hangers can be reinforced by a mobile welder relatively cheap and the actual hangers can e upgraded to super thick ones e trailer a good source with videos if one youres broke take it to the bank you need ro service the others maybe have them repacked with grease check the bearings seals brakes etc you guys are logging some miles don't forget the tow vehicle tranny rear diff etc
You really got off light with that mobile tech. Repack (all new grease) the bearings once a year. The bearings should be replaced after x years. When repacking check the bearings for wear and heat damage and replace it if needed. A mechanic can show you how to inspect the bearings. These are all must do's! Fuel for thought; I frequently check my hubs to see if they are hot. If you have been braking a lot then they may feel quite warm but ordinarily they won't be hot unless the bearing needs grease or is failing. Caution they can get hot enough to burn you and this indicates a problem. A bad bearing will often squeak or squeal before it actually fails. Listen for it. The damage to your spindle probably could have been avoided if you had detected the bad bearing early and were not forced to continue on with the bad bearing. The spindle gets damaged when the bearing starts to come apart and just before the wheel falls off. Driving through deep water (6" or more) can compromise the grease and is always cause for a bearing check. If your wheel had fallen off you probably could have made it on one wheel for that side long enough to get off of the road. However that is a huge stress to the one remaining axle. This is why dual axles are so helpful.
Fuel for thought; I always carry a grease gun so I can add grease if necessary. I also carry a bearing set for one wheel, castlenut w/washer and cotter pin so that I can replace my own bearings, if I can get to a suitable place. Not on the side of the road. I also carry a spare spring because those can snap off. Learn how to repack and replace your bearings and you will feel a lot more confident on the road knowing that you can handle most of what can happen. P.S. the tightness of the castle nut is critical but easy to learn how to manage.
Glad it wasn’t a catastrophic problem. I just greased the axles on our trailer for the first time and now I’m really glad I did it. Thanks for sharing the experience so we can learn from it.
That is crazy! I'm glad nothing worse happened. I have a 2014 Starcraft Launch. The axles have these "ez axles" or something. The grease fitting is right inside the hub cover. Makes greasing the axles a breeze. I second the TPMS comment. You guys move around a lot. I believe the TPMS systems also monitor tire temps. You probably would have gotten an indication that the tire was heating up. Great to see you back on the road!
This is all true and EZ lube axles can be handy in a pinch but most experts say to remove the hubs and hand pack the bearings with grease for routine maintenance, This is because the grease can leak around the seal and get on the brake shoes which will renders brakes almost useless. If you do use the EZ lube fittings then lift the wheel off the ground and pump slowly while rotating the wheel. This can help distribute the grease and possibly help avoid pushing it past the seal. The trailer in this video does not have EZ-Lube axles because you would be able to see the zerk fitting on the end of the axle.
It's me....I'm someone who left a comment previously about the bearing/axle maintenance.😅I think that was from your Fall Plans video if I remember correctly....please don't take that as an "I told you so", but rather a learning experience. I, too, had to learn the hard way on a trailer I used to own.
Glad that you all didn't have a catastrophic failure while going down the road and were able to get somewhere safely for repairs. I've really enjoyed the channel and keeping up with your adventures....best of luck as you keep moving and safe travels.
yes! I linked it at that point in the video. I remember saying "should we be doing this?" and that clearly never went anywhere...We won't make that mistake again!
It doesn't get any more "real life" than this!! That is scary as all get out! Glad you guys ended up avoiding a serious catastrophe! keep on workin' for the wild and wooly ways!!
Glad to see you are safe after this incident! Sounds like you have done your research on how to grease them correctly and will maintain them in the future. I have purchased a replacement set of bearings and races with tools be able to replace them on the road. I agree a TPMS may have identified the problem earlier. It would show as a high tire temperature.
Happy to see it worked out ok for you all. About 2 years ago I was riding a motorcycle on I-95, an RV in front of me had both left rear wheels, axles, brakes and suspension come off and spew metal everywhere at 70 mph. What followed was a very stimulating few seconds of terror. Fortunately the RV was able to pull over to the shoulder, myself and other nearby vehicles did not hit the debris.
That's terrifying...we were very nervous that was about to happen to us but we were going much slower, as you can see in the video.
Thanks so much for this one, guys! As I built my own, this is actually the stuff I'm worried about. Everything is new except the trailer bed and axles. Thanks for the tip too, you are right around one of the areas I'm going to be through a lot when I start traveling!
I'd replace that tire. You ran it way hot for hours?
We had him take a close look at the tire and it seems to be okay. They were brand new in September.
Glad to hear you guys are safe and back on the road. You really need to get a TPMS system. Not sure if it would have helped in this situation, but can save you from a really bad experience down the road.
In my opinion that was ridiculously cheap for the work that was done. I was expecting the bill to be $1000+. GREASE YOUR AXLES!! hahaha
Yes we got a deal! We were expecting a $1000+ repair
hold your tongue and say Grease My Axles