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Many Dexter distributors do not stock components for mobile home
style axles because the axles are intended for limited use in the
delivery of manufactured homes. However, the following distributors
should have the item(s) you need: Durham's MH Supply (OK)
405-670-4114; Atlantic MH Suppliers (NC) 910-299-4691; Virginia MH
Supply (VA) 804-821-1429. [top]
The upward bend in the axle is called "camber". Camber is the
angular relationship of the wheel to the road suface in the vertical
plane. Axles are typically built with a pre-determined bend in the
tube that compensates for the expected deflection under load. [top]
Please review the Dexter Service Manual for insturctions and
specifications relating to bearing adjustment and lubrication.
WARNING: It is important to NOT mix different types of grease
thickeners. The grease that Dexter Axle uses has a Lithium Complex
thickener. Mixing our grease with a Barium, Calcium, Clay, or
Polyurea soap based thickener agent will cause adverse affects. This
may include causing the two greases to harden, separate, become
acidic, or pose other hazards and damage to the bearings. Read
More About Bearing Adjustment and Lubrication for 600-8K Axles
[top]
Please review the Dexter Service Manual for insturctions and
specifications relating to bearing adjustment and lubrication.
WARNING: It is important to NOT mix different types of grease
thickeners. The grease that Dexter Axle uses has a Lithium Complex
thickener. Mixing our grease with a Barium, Calcium, Clay, or
Polyurea soap based thickener agent will cause adverse affects. This
may include causing the two greases to harden, separate, become
acidic, or pose other hazards and damage to the bearings. Read
More About Bearing Adjustment and Lubrication for 9K-15K Axles
[top]
This can be done on most axle models. We recommend contacting
the trailer manufacturer prior to changing your braking system to
identify any potential problems. [top]
No, the different brake sizes offered by Dexter are not
interchangable on existing axles. There are only a few cases where
you may be able to upgrade with stronger magnets and more aggressive
linings. Typically the problem that causes weak brakes is
underadjustment in the smaller brakes that require frequent manual
adjusting (See: How often should I adjust my brakes?) or
insufficient brake voltage in the electric brakes (see: Why aren't
my electric brakes working properly). [top]
Adding brakes to an idler axle is relatively easy if the idler
axle is equipped with the brake mounting flanges (the plate to which
the brake is bolted). About half of the trailer manufacturers decide
not to put the flanges on their idler axles to reduce their cost. If
the axle does have flanges, you need both a RH and a LH brake
assembly as well as two hub and drums to replace the plain hubs
currently on the axle. If the axle is not equipped with flanges, you
will need to purchase a new axle beam with brake flanges attached by
Dexter Axle. [top]
Dexter 7" brakes draw about 2.5 amps per brake and all other
brake magnets draw about 3 amps per brake. The total system amperage
is calculated by multiplying this number by the number of
brakes/magnets connected to the brake system. To measure the brake
current the engine of the towing vehicle should be running.
Disconnect the wire at the point that you wish to measure the
current draw and put the ammeter in series with this line. Make sure
your ammeter has sufficient capacity and note polarity to prevent
damaging your ammeter. NOTE: If a resistor is used in the brake
system, it must be set to zero or bypassed completely to obtain the
maximum amperage reading. The amount of current draw will depend on
what point you are measuring. If the ammeter is at the plug, you
will get the total current draw from all magnets. If the ammeter is
connected at one of the magnets, you will measure the current draw
through that magnet only. Read
More About Electric Brakes and Brake Amperage [top]
System voltage is measured at the magnets by connecting a
voltmeter to the two magnet lead wires at any brake. This may be
accomplished by using a pin probe inserted through the insulation of
the wires dropping down from the chassis or by cutting the wires.
The engine of the towing vehicle should be running when checking the
voltage so that a low battery will not affect the readings. Voltage
in the system should begin at 0 volts and, as the controller bar is
slowly actuated, should gradually increase to about 12 volts. This
is referred to as modulation. No modulation means that when the
controller begins to apply voltage to the brakes it applies an
immediate high voltage, which causes the brakes to apply
instantaneous maximum power. The threshold voltage of a controller
is the voltage applied to the brakes when the controller first turns
on. The lower the threshold voltage the smoother the brakes will
operate. Too high of a threshold voltage (in excess of 2 volts as
quite often found in heavy duty controllers) can cause grabby, harsh
brakes. Read
More About Electric Brakes and Brake Voltage [top]
Dexter recommends that manual adjust brakes should be adjusted .
. . 1) After the first 200 miles of operation when the brake shoes
and drums have "seated" 2) At 3,000 mile intervals 3) Or as use or
performance requires Read
More About Brake Adjustment [top]
Dexter offers a marine application free-backing hydraulic brakes
in both 10” x 2 ¼” and 12” x 2” sizes. The brake components are all
either E-Coated, stainless steel, or zinc plated to resist
corrosion. [top]
Usually, light cracking of the surface of a brake lining can be
expected under normal use. This is not cause for replacement.
However, if the lining is deeply cracked to the shoe surface or is
missing chunks, your brake linings will require replacement. [top]
The Dexter magnet is not a polarized component. Use one wire to
connect to power from the brake controller and use the other to
attach to ground. It is Dexter’s recommendation that a common ground
be ran from the trailer plug to the magnets. Do not ground each
brake individually to the trailer frame or structure. Also note that
the brakes should be wired in parallel, not in series. The wire
color is used to identify the component since so many Dexter magnets
physically look the same on the outside, however they are different
strengths for the different capacity brakes. Read
More About Electric Brakes and Magnets [top]
The actuation lever should curve around the front side of the
spindle. The wires should always exit the brake to the backside of
the assembly when installed on the trailer. [top]
Most electric brake malfunctions that cannot be corrected by
either brake adjustment or synchronization adjustments of your brake
controller, can generally be traced to electrical system failure.
Mechanical causes are ordinarily obvious (i.e. bent/broken parts,
worn out linings or magnets, seized lever arms or shoes, scored
drums, etc.). A voltmeter and ammeter will be essential tools for
proper troubleshooting of electric brakes. NOTE: After replacing
your brake shoes and magnets you will experience a decrease in
braking performance until the components have worn into the drum and
finished the burnishing process. This process requires many stops to
bring the new shoe's performance back to normal. This may take more
than 100 stops to finish this break-in period with stops of 20 mph
decreases in speed. Please refer to the Dexter Service Manual for
detailed troubleshooting instructions to further determine the cause
of poor brake performance. Read
More About Electric Brake Performance [top]
On an unloaded trailer, you may be able to lock up your brakes
if your electric brake controller is supplying full amperage to the
brakes. When loaded to capacity, you may not be able to lock your
brakes as electric brakes are designed to slow the trailer at a
controlled rate, and not designed to lock up the wheels on a fully
loaded trailer. Our brakes are designed to meet all applicable
safety standards. All of our brakes will perform better after
numerous burnish stops to seat the brake linings to the drums. [top]
Brakes must be adjusted to compensate for the lining and drum
wear that occurs during the use of the braking system. Some brakes
require manual adjustment to move the linings closer to the drum.
Refer to the brake adjustment section of the OPERATION MAINTENANCE
MANUAL for your style of brakes. Other brakes may have an automatic
brake adjuster such as the automatic slack adjusters for air brakes.
Read
More About Electric Brakes and Brake Adjustment [top]
Braking systems use friction to slow the vehicle and the energy
used to slow the trailer is converted to heat. Dexter brakes are
designed to operate up to extremely high temperatures during hard
braking application. This heat is noticeable on the hub and drums
and is to be normally expected on a properly functioning brake. If a
brake is malfunctioning and running excessively hot, this can be
noticed by smoking brakes or the paint burning off of the brake
drum. Read
More About Electric Brakes and Troubleshooting [top]
No, the E-Z Lube option requires a specially controlled
machining operation to drill the holes in the spindles to provide
the grease path from the end of the spindle to the inner bearing.
[top]
The E-Z Lube option was designed specifically for the marine
application where the axles are constantly being immersed in water.
This feature provides a convenient method for purging the water from
the hub cavity without having to pull the hub every time. The hubs
should be removed every 12 months or 12,000 miles to inspect the
bearings and it is imperative to replace the seal at this time to
assure that the grease does not leak out the back onto the brake
linings rendering the brakes non-functional. [top]
Dexter offers an over/under conversion kit for leaf spring
axles. The two different kits available are K71-384-00 for axles
with 2-3/8” diameter tube and K71-385-00 for axles with 3” diameter
tube Please note that these conversion kits CANNOT be used with
reinforced spring seats. Additionally, changing the spring mounting
from underslung to overslung (or vice versa) will change the trailer
frame height and change the center of gravity of the trailer. This
may affect the towing characteristics of the trailer. [top]
The hitch weight for conventional, bumper type hitches should be
10% to 14% of the gross weight of the vehicle. The remaining 86% to
90% of the load will be carried on the running gear. The hitch
weight for 5th wheel and gooseneck type trailers should be 15% to
20% of the gross weight of the vehicle. The remaining 80% to 85% of
the load will be carried on the running gear. [top]
Dexter recommends that you do not jack up the trailer on the
suspension components because there is always the potential for
damage. Bent hangers, leaf springs, or axle tubes can cause bad axle
alignment with bad tire wear resulting. Also, many trailer builders
do not use Dexter hangers and we have no idea how strong these
hangers may or may not be. Therefore, we take the conservative
approach and recommend jacking up only on the trailer frame. [top]
Dexter Axle genuine replacement parts are available through an
international network of authorized distributors. Use our online
Distributor Guide to locate a Dexter Distributor near you. Dexter
parts can also be ordered factory-direct from our facility in
Elkhart, Indiana. To order direct, contact the Order Entry
department at (574) 295-1900. [top]
Late in 1997, Dexter Axle recognized a reoccuring problem with
our adjuster spring and decided that we needed to change the spring
manufacturer to solve the problem. It is most common to find the
defective spring in a trailer axle produced between 1995-97 in the
3,000 lb. to 7,200 lb. capacity range, but any adjuster spring that
is LIGHT BLUE in color may be suspect. Dexter's new spring in dark
red in color and is a direct replacement for the blue spring. If a
trailer is found to have blue adjuster springs or has failed
springs, Dexter would be glad to help a trailer owner correct this
problem. A customer must contact the Dexter Axle Service &
Warranty Department and obtain a warranty claim number to authorize
repairs or request new adjuster springs. We are aware that a broken
adjuster spring can cause substantial brake repairs, but to date we
have worked to resolve every claim submitted to us. You should
retain any failed components as we will request their return to
justify the claim. Please feel free to contact us with any
additional questions or concerns via email at info@dexteraxle.com or
by phone at (574)295-7888. Click
Here for Dexter Axle Warranty Information [top]
No, the two bearings were moved closer together and combined
into a single sealed cartridge with only one spindle journal size.
This required different spindle and hub-drum designs to accommodate
the Nev-R-Lube cartridge. In order to upgrade to this option it will
require purchasing new axles, hubs-drums and possibly new wheels.
The Nev-R-Lube option can only be used with certain wheel offsets.
[top]
The Dexter Nev-R-Lube bearings are a sealed bearing cartridge
that never requires repacking with grease. However, they still need
to be inspected every 12 months or 12,000 miles and can be done
during your normal brake maintenance inspection process. Read
More About Nev-R-Lube Service and Maintenance [top]
No, the different start angles are achieved with different
components that can’t be changed once the axle is built. [top]
No, Dexter does not recommend triple Torflex applications
because Torflex axles are totally independent and not equalized like
a typical leaf spring set of axles. There is no ability to transfer
loads from one axle to another. When traversing uneven operating
surfaces such as driveway entries, railroad crossings or speed bumps
the entire load can be put onto one axle causing severe overload. It
isn't reasonable to expect one axle to carry the entire load of
three axles when these conditions occur, even though these instances
cause only momentary over-loading. [top]
No, the Torflex axles contain rubber cords to provide the
suspension system and can be damaged by the heat generated from
welding on the bracket or the tube. [top]
The Dexter Torflex axle carries a 5 year warranty vs. a 1 year
warranty on our sprung axles, that demonstrates how confident we are
with the Torflex suspension. There are no suspension parts to wear
out (spring shackles, hangers, etc.). Rubber cushioning eliminates
metal-to-metal contact. The axle capacity can be closely matched to
the trailer requirements by the amount of rubber assembled in the
axle. The independent suspension allows each wheel to travel totally
independent from the others. A smoother ride, less sway and reduced
noise is achieved with the rubber suspension. The axle can be built
with various start angles to achieve desired trailer height. [top]
Aluminum wheels are thicker through the mounting bolt area and
may not leave enough stud length for proper nut engagement. Consult
the wheel manufacturer for stud length and mounting face
requirements and wheel nut torque. [top]
Wheel offset is the distance from the mounting surface to the
centerline of the tire. Dexter’s axles bearing sets are designed for
wheel with 0 to ½” inset. Exceeding this offset will shorten bearing
life and may lead to dangerous bearing failure. Read
More About Wheels and Tires [top]
Wheels and tires must be matched. The wheel will have a label
stating it’s rim diameter, width and contour. The tire selected must
be approved by the Tire and Rim Association for use on that
particular size wheel. The tire capacity selected should not exceed
the capacity rating of the wheel. The tire inflation pressure must
not exceed the pressure rating of the wheel. WARNING - The use of
tires that are not approved for use on a wheel could result in
explosive separation of the tire and wheel and could cause a serious
accident. Read
More About Wheels and Tires [top]
Trailer wheels carry substantially more weight than tow vehicle
wheels of the same size and see more disc flexing due to side
loading stresses. It is necessary to re-torque them several times
until the wheel nut torque stabilizes. This is especially true for
new wheels that need to have the paint worn away at the hub mounting
face and under the wheel nuts. WARNING: Be very careful to use only
the recommended wheel fastening torque amount as specified for that
wheel and fastener. It is possible to permanently damage a wheel
that has been over torqued and may cause the loss of that wheel from
the trailer. Read
More About Wheels and Tires [top]
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