Wetbolt upgrade advise

[jpgale]

Hi all,

On Sunday I started working on repacking my wheel bearings and upgrading to the wetbolt kit and CRE3000 Equalizer. After 6 hours I had almost finished 1 side. I will be completing the work next weekend. The wheel bearings went well and I don't foresee any issues getting the other 2 wheels done. The issues I had were with the wetbolts and equalizer. I had real issues removing the bolts. The rear most hanger bolt I was not able to remove at all. I have an impact wrench but all that did was to move the bolt and not the nut, I suspect the nut was either put on with an air impact or cross threaded with an air impact. I have ordered a nut splitter for that nut. I am hoping to not have any other issues removing nuts. The rear wheel suspension bolts were impossible to remove.

The biggest problem I had was aligning the holes in the suspension to the hanger holes and to the equalizer, I had to jack and pull hard to get things to align. Are there any tips that anyone can share to help with the other side work when that is done.

Thanks

James

[curver900]

those old rusty bolts are a b**ch. I would suggest some penetrating oil the next few days on each one. The have the pinch in them so they are locking. Alignment requires at least 1 jack but I used 2 and a bit of man handling to get the holes to line up. Make sure to lube the bolt when putting it in then grease it before you let it down.

[RedHorse1]

I used a floor jack to get the springs “close” and then a pry bar and hammer to get it in position. I did one axle at a time fearing the axle might bind when lowering on one side. Not sure if that’s an issue or my over thinking the problem. I do agree they can be “stubborn” to get back in place. My neighbor lent his 2 hands which made it much easier.

[Colorado]

Originally Posted by jpgale

Hi all,

On Sunday I started working on repacking my wheel bearings and upgrading to the wetbolt kit and CRE3000 Equalizer. After 6 hours I had almost finished 1 side. I will be completing the work next weekend. The wheel bearings went well and I don't foresee any issues getting the other 2 wheels done. The issues I had were with the wetbolts and equalizer. I had real issues removing the bolts. The rear most hanger bolt I was not able to remove at all. I have an impact wrench but all that did was to move the bolt and not the nut, I suspect the nut was either put on with an air impact or cross threaded with an air impact. I have ordered a nut splitter for that nut. I am hoping to not have any other issues removing nuts. The rear wheel suspension bolts were impossible to remove.

The biggest problem I had was aligning the holes in the suspension to the hanger holes and to the equalizer, I had to jack and pull hard to get things to align. Are there any tips that anyone can share to help with the other side work when that is done.

Thanks

James

James
Did you lift the camper off the suspension before starting? With regards to the nut, try tightening it then loosing it, then back and forth.
Several other options:
1) Take a can of compressed air, turn it upside down and spray the nut, freezing it. Then try to break it loose.

2) MAP GAS, get the nut cherry red, (have a hose handy) then try and break it loose.

3) If you have a buddy or neighbor with a second impact put one on each side of the bolt and turn against each other.

[Lake Huron]

When I did my Northpoint, i lifted off the frame until the tires were off the ground about an inch or two. Pull the wheels off and used a floor jack on the axle to raise and/or lower as needed to get the bolts out.

As far as the rusted ones, I did the wet bolt kit on my utility trailer first before I did the my 5th wheel and had a couple that were FUBAR'D. I broke out the ole Metabo and a cut off wheel and cut them off in seconds. A Metabo fixes anything! Lol!

[Lake Huron]

Heres a write up I did on my wet bolt install for my utility trailer. I thought I also did one when i did my Northpoint but i cant find anything

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...ion-64839.html

[jpgale]

I did jack the trailer up and used a floor jack and bottle jack on each axle and the equalizer. I was just wondering if there was an easier way to do it with out the prying and hammering and cursing to get the alignment.

The bolt that is stuck is not rusty, the trailer is only a couple of years old and has been in CA since it was made, it is just that stuck on. I did heat it a little, I only have the 1 impact a second would be great to try. I did order a nut splitter so I will be trying that with my dremel and angle grinder as back up.

Thanks for the replies please keep them coming.

[Lake Huron]

Wow, sounds like you're having a heck of a time there! I did my Northpoint in April of last year and it was 2yrs old also. I didnt have any issues getting the old one out or the new ones in.
Just wondering, do you have both sides jacked and blocked up or just one side? If you got ones side lifted and the other side still on the ground that may be what's giving you a hard time with alignment. If you got both sides up and off the ground and are having alignment issues, something just doesnt seem quite right there.
My utility trailer is 25yrs old and, dont feel bad, there was some choice words on that project too. Lol!
I'd go straight for the grinder and be done with it. You wont need that bolt anyway.
Keep us posted on the progress and outcome!

[Siamese]

Oh, yeah, some of those bolts on my 26BH were a beast to get off. Used PB Blaster and a three foot breaker bar. The trick was getting enough room to get rotation with the breaker bar.

I was worried about alignment, but using bottle jack where needed allowed for relatively easy alignment.

Real glad we did this on our less than two year old trailer. After maybe 8,000 or so miles, a couple of the old nylon bushings were pretty well shot.

[curver900]

Originally Posted by jpgale

I did jack the trailer up and used a floor jack and bottle jack on each axle and the equalizer. I was just wondering if there was an easier way to do it with out the prying and hammering and cursing to get the alignment.

The bolt that is stuck is not rusty, the trailer is only a couple of years old and has been in CA since it was made, it is just that stuck on. I did heat it a little, I only have the 1 impact a second would be great to try. I did order a nut splitter so I will be trying that with my dremel and angle grinder as back up.

Thanks for the replies please keep them coming.

I ended up using a long handled wrench and half the bolts just twisted in two...

[Colorado]

Originally Posted by jpgale

I did jack the trailer up and used a floor jack and bottle jack on each axle and the equalizer. I was just wondering if there was an easier way to do it with out the prying and hammering and cursing to get the alignment.

The bolt that is stuck is not rusty, the trailer is only a couple of years old and has been in CA since it was made, it is just that stuck on. I did heat it a little, I only have the 1 impact a second would be great to try. I did order a nut splitter so I will be trying that with my dremel and angle grinder as back up.

Thanks for the replies please keep them coming.

Another option is the idea of breaking the bolts. Use 2 breaker bars, one pressed into the ground and the other you’re pulling on to break the bolts off. Then use a punch to push them out.

[jpgale]

Originally Posted by Lake Huron

do you have both sides jacked and blocked up or just one side? If you got ones side lifted and the other side still on the ground that may be what's giving you a hard time with alignment.

It was my intent to have both sides lifted up but my 4 ton a pair jack stands are not tall enough to get to the frame rails where jayco says to lift and support the trailer by and I did not have enough blocks to be able to elevate all 4 jack stands. I think I have some scrap 2x4 around here that I could quickly cut up to make more blocks to lift the jack stands up so I can try the 4 wheels off and see if that helps. I have been thinking of getting safe jack for some time if I do that then I would have up to 4 jacks to support the axle weights as well.

[jpgale]

Originally Posted by Colorado

Another option is the idea of breaking the bolts. Use 2 breaker bars, one pressed into the ground and the other you’re pulling on to break the bolts off. Then use a punch to push them out.

I only had 1 breaker bar with me and that was reasonably long, I borrowed one from my father in law but that was short. With the impact however I was managing to dig the long breaker into the asphalt. I think I have another breaker bar here and a helper pipe (I used to break a bolt that had red loctite on it) I can give that a try. If not I will cut the nut off.

My main concern with cutting the nut off is damaging the hanger, I do not have the tools or skills to weld a new plate on. The only thing I could do a half decent weld with in high school was with an oxyacetylene torch while feeding in a metal bar thing like soldering could not get mig or tig welding for some reason. And this was around 30 years ago.

[curver900]

Originally Posted by jpgale

I only had 1 breaker bar with me and that was reasonably long, I borrowed one from my father in law but that was short. With the impact however I was managing to dig the long breaker into the asphalt. I think I have another breaker bar here and a helper pipe (I used to break a bolt that had red loctite on it) I can give that a try. If not I will cut the nut off.

My main concern with cutting the nut off is damaging the hanger, I do not have the tools or skills to weld a new plate on. The only thing I could do a half decent weld with in high school was with an oxyacetylene torch while feeding in a metal bar thing like soldering could not get mig or tig welding for some reason. And this was around 30 years ago.

cut it so it has a real thin head then hit it with a punch. Most of my bolts were wore due to the plastic and they were already half shot... made twisting them in two relatively easy... you won't damage the hanger just take your time...

[jpgale]

Well I completed the work this morning, I managed to get it all done before the rain moved in which was nice. I lifted both sides of the trailer this time (more blocks) and that made all the difference. It was easy to align the holes and all the bolts on the passenger side just came off with a quick hit from the impact. I was able to cut of the bolt with an angle grinder I cut on the outside of the flange and although I did go in a bit I did not touch the hanger. The flange came off with a little knock from the chisel. I was having a difficult time keeping the shackles above the hanger while in the air but they went into position when I put the trailer down.

The advice on this thread really helped, I swear the trailer took the bumps better with less bouncing once it was done.

Thanks all

James

[Lake Huron]

Good job! Glad to hear you got it finished. That is a nice upgrade you did there and you won't have to worry about shakles or bolts breaking leaving you stranded on the side of the road anymore. Give them a quick shot of grease once or twice a year and you'll keep on rolling for many trouble free miles.
Safe travels!!

[Picinisco]

Did mine 3 weekends ago. Right side one day, left side the next. Jacked the trailer up. supported it with jack stands and wood blocks on the frame fore and aft of the axles. took both wheels off. used a 2 ton floor jack to raise the leaf springs up and down to remove the shackle bolts (wetbolts?) one at a time. Had previously soaked them with wd40. All were tough but was able to get the nuts off, bar one, with a lot of brute force and a big hammer. The very difficult one I removed with a cut off saw. Each of the shackle liners were plastic and worn through. The replacements from etrailer are metal. Happy to have replaced everything with greaseable ones.

[GraftonGuns]

James, When I did my wet bolt kit, I used a C-clamp and deep well socket to remove the "stuck" shackle bolts. Make sure the socket is larger than the head of the bolt so that the bolt will slide freely into the socket without snagging. Then use something for leverage as you tighten the c-clamp down. It will go. ( oop's I see you finished it) Oh well maybe the next guy can use the advice.

[Peoples16127]

I am doing mine today, fortunately I have a set of torches, cut the heads off of the bolts and drive them out. I would not want to do them without the torches.

[Picinisco]

Used a C clamp to press the new liners back in without damaging them.