diesel man 03
the north country
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Joined: 01/08/2011
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Thanks for the time it took to write all this up and the pics were great.
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lincster
Mesa Az
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Joined: 01/27/2003
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I have my kit and after looking at it, has anyone replaced the nuts that came with the kit with nylon or mechanical lock nuts?
I had one of the factory nuts come loose that had to be replaced and the dealer replaced it with a lock nut.
Or I could just blue loctite.
Opinions?
2019 F350 PSD CC 4X4 Dually to pull 2006 LE3905
Lincsters Truck/Trailer
Lincsters Rail
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RaviAuto
jaipur
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Joined: 10/15/2011
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I really appreciated. nice pictures..
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Slowmover
Fort Worth, TX
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Joined: 11/14/2003
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TURK2500 wrote:Dexter Axle: link
As low as $95 this week (11/2011)
1990 35' SILVER STREAK Sterling, 9k GVWR
2004 DODGE RAM 2WD 305/555 ISB, QC SRW LB NV-5600, 9k GVWR
Hensley Arrow; 11-cpm solo, 17-cpm towing fuel cost
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amdriven2liv
Oregon
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Joined: 09/02/2009
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I was at an RV show a couple weekends ago, and saw that the "Open Range" 5th wheels come stock with these. No shocks, just the EZ-Flex. But, they did not use the bolts for greasing.
By the way, that's a great price.
2004 F350 6.0L 4x4 CC LB King Ranch, Scangauge II
2010 Mountaineer 324RLQ,
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camperforlife
Midwest
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Joined: 01/22/2004
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Anyone looking to do this upgrade, Dexter has it on sale for $158.65 on their site.
I ordered mine today and really appreciate this how-to guide.
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camperforlife
Midwest
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Joined: 01/22/2004
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Well I finished the install today on my 09 KZ Spree 261RKS. I haven't read all 31 pages so I'm not sure if this issue has been addressed. My rear axle when unloaded bows up in the center. This bow put the rear spring eye in a bind(twisting one end up) not allowing the holes to line up enough to insert the bolt through both sides of the hanger.
After spending a couple hours trying to get it in the right position I decided to loosen the axle from the spring and that did the trick. I loosened up the U bolts enough to completely free the spring allowing me to twist it enough to line up the holes. I had the same issue on the other side but with my new knowledge it was a quick fix. I torqued the U bolts to 80lbs. Anyone know what is the correct torque?
I hope to take it for a test run tomorrow before we head out on a three day weekend.
Thank you for all the effort that has gone into this thread!
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JBarca
Radnor, Ohio, USA
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Joined: 12/16/2004
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See this page on the Dexter over/under kit for U bolt torque
http://l.b5z.net/i/u/6149609/f/Instruction_Sheets/059-551-00A.pdf
The bolts in that kit are 1/2-20 fine thread. I do not know what size U bolt you have.
The axle tube should have an arch in the middle of it. That is the axle camber. Looks like this. Don't mind the work boots. I did get my monies worth out of them...LOL
![[image]](http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b378/JBarca/T310SR%20Sunline%20As%20Built/Tire%20Wear/AxleCamber.jpg)
![[image]](http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b378/JBarca/T310SR%20Sunline%20As%20Built/Tire%20Wear/Axlecamberbend.jpg)
What size axles do you have? (load capacity) The larger the axle the more the issue "might" occur.
It is not beyond imagine that the leaf spring will be slightly twisted when the axle is unloaded. The spring is mounted on the axle seat and the axle has camber in it. This can put the spring at a slight angle and may make the hanger bolt go in hard. If you have a large adjustable wrench placing it on the spring and a little twist may help the bolt go in. Those that have U bolts rusted solid really do not have the easy option you used. Yours must be fairly new I take it to unloosen that easy. Mine where a bear to get off when I clanged axles.
Hope this helps,
John
John & Cindy
2005 Ford F350 Super Duty, 4x4; 6.8L V10 with 4.10
CC, SB, Lariat & FX4 package
21,000 GCWR, 11,000 GVWR
Ford Tow Command
1,700# Reese HP hitch & HP Dual Cam
2 1/2" Towbeast Receiver
2004 Sunline Solaris T310SR
(I wish we were camping!)
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camperforlife
Midwest
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Joined: 01/22/2004
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John, my trailer is a '09 KZ Spree 261RKS. The axles are rated at 3500lbs. I tried the adjustable wrench and the adjustable wrench with an 18" pipe extension with no luck. Loosening the U bolts (one side at a time so the axle would not lose position) was a fast easy fix.
Thanks for the Dexter link with the torque specs. I searched the Dexter site and did not come up with it.
I will post back later about my test tow.
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camperforlife
Midwest
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Joined: 01/22/2004
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John,
Something else that happened during the install that I found peculiar. I hope I can describe this without pictures. All the pictures of the EZ-Flex unit itself show the shackles attached to the EZ-Flex unit pointing up with the springs.
My trailer originally had the shackle to the front springs pointed up and the shackle to the back spring went down. That is the way the EZ-Flex went on as well but it put the EZ-Flex unit at an odd looking angle. When I started to put weight on the wheels the first side popped both shackles up as all the pictures show.
The other side stayed as it had always been so I jacked it back up and put bottle jacks under both axles and played with the load on each axle and low and behold the back spring shackle settled in the up position. I am wondering if the back spring shackles were never installed properly to start with causing the springs to be in a bind.
I took a short test drive today on some rough concrete on I70 and the difference was very noticeable.
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