It's there but not real obvious in the photo. And did I mention that it's heavy. I though that I was going to have a higher pitched voice after loading it in the truck.
Well I though that I was going to replace the axle on Sunday but family obligations got in the way. I had today off so I removed the old axle from the GT, cut off the shock mounts, ground them to fit the new dexter, and then took them over to my dad's to weld them on (my gt is at my house so I could remove the axle on a concrete slab). Dad only lives a couple of miles from our Airstream dealer so I went over there to check on shock prices. The nice lady quoted me 32 dollars each so I bought two. I also stopped at our local hardware store and bought new mounting bolts, nuts, and lock washers. I was able to remove the axle by myself but I am going to have to enlist some help from my brother to reinstall it.
And did I mention that it's heavy. I though that I was going to have a higher pitched voice after loading it in the truck.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aerowood
I was able to remove the axle by myself but I am going to have to enlist some help from my brother to reinstall it.
I didn't realize how heavy those suckers were (unloaded mine with a fork lift) until I looked on the freight bill and they were listed at 230# ea. I ended up having four of us to man handle them which was a lot better than the three I started with but then mine was installed over grass.
I was able to remove the axle by myself but I am going to have to enlist some help from my brother to reinstall it.
Kip, I like performing these stunts solo too although unfortunately or fortunately I will likely have the welder's help since my new frame will still be at his shop when the new axles arrive. But I'm curious what part of the work will require your brother's help to reinstall it?
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Todd
“Complications arose, ensued, were overcome...savvy?”
The axle will try to swing down from the mounted position (like it did when I removed it) so I need an extra body to get it in position with another floor jack under one of the swing arms. I unloaded it at my dads to weld on the shock mounts with dads John Deere front end loader, but had to do it at my house, again, by myself.
The axle will try to swing down from the mounted position (like it did when I removed it) so I need an extra body to get it in position with another floor jack under one of the swing arms. I unloaded it at my dads to weld on the shock mounts with dads John Deere front end loader, but had to do it at my house, again, by myself.
You might possibly be able to just bolt the brackets on at one hole so that the axle is held up by those bolts so that you can then use your jack again to rotate the axle into place for the other two bolts. Just a thought but it might work. I will be interesed to hear how this goes since I still have my new axles sitting on the ground awaiting installation.
Well the dexter mounting holes are 9.250 center to center and the henchen (sp) are 9.5 center to center. I also want to check the alignment of the axle to make sure it is square with the frame, so I will need it in the saddles in order to check the alignment before I make the holes work.
You might possibly be able to just bolt the brackets on at one hole so that the axle is held up by those bolts so that you can then use your jack again to rotate the axle into place for the other two bolts. ...
Exactly how I got my Axis axle on the Caravel. But I didn't have to bolt it first. Just got it lined up close, used additional hydraulic cylinder jacks to rotate the arms up, then a mallet to get the holes lined up. The Axis bracket was also off by about 1/4", which results in a nasty chattering hole when you drill it out. durn.
My brother Kevin, came over this morning and helped me install the new axle. It took us about an hour to finish. I still need to splice the drake wires to be done. All in all, this was a really easy project. First picture is a before, the second is an after.
I'll admit that I used rubber washer headed screws to hold up some loose banana wrap before I brought mine home. Seemed to hold pretty good. However I figured I would get strung up for using them in my final install.
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