incomplete axle setup?

[racoco]

Made an interesting discovery last night. Pulling Bambi's curbside tire and mounting spare (reason for that is a whole different discussion) I found that the shock absorber was missing.

Took a long look at the roadside setup, shock on that side is there and rock solid. Went back to curbside for study... absolutely no damage - so it didn't fall off or get ripped off - mounting studs look so clean and unused, I'm thinking it was never installed.

So... does the Dexter axle setup have shocks both sides or only one? If one, how do they select the side? If both, I guess I need a part. And I am so out of warranty.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by racoco

Made an interesting discovery last night. Pulling Bambi's curbside tire and mounting spare (reason for that is a whole different discussion) I found that the shock absorber was missing.

Took a long look at the roadside setup, shock on that side is there and rock solid. Went back to curbside for study... absolutely no damage - so it didn't fall off or get ripped off - mounting studs look so clean and unused, I'm thinking it was never installed.

So... does the Dexter axle setup have shocks both sides or only one? If one, how do they select the side? If both, I guess I need a part. And I am so out of warranty.

I would suggest that you write Airstream, a letter, and enclose a photo of what you found.

Shocks are supposed to be on each wheel of each axle.

Being out of warranty should have nothing to do with the trailer being delivered, incomplete. Of course you could also go back to the selling dealer, who missed that issue, during the "pre delivery inspection", that hopefully they performed prior to delivery to you.

Or, you can order one shock from an Airstream dealer.

Andy

[CanoeStream]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Or, you can order one shock from an Airstream dealer.

Andy, say it again ... IIRC it takes a particular shock to operate horizontal. So y'all need to be sure you're getting the right one.

Any brand or manufacturer's product number?

E-quiring minds want to know...

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by CanoeStream

Andy, say it again ... IIRC it takes a particular shock to operate horizontal. So y'all need to be sure you're getting the right one.

Any brand or manufacturer's product number?

E-quiring minds want to know...

The correct Airstream shock, is a "Horizontal shock", made by Gabriel.

That shock is not available at any auto parts store, as it's an OEM part made for Airstream, exclusively.

I am not at my office, but if I recall correctly, the Airstream part number is 0220003.

Andy

[racoco]

Thanks Andy -- now I'll have a bit more info to work with when I talk to Airstream.

[Foiled Again]

And for my next trick, I'll be crawling under a dual axle 2006 in the fffffrrrreeeezzzing weather to check MY shocks.

THANKS. (sincerely, not sarcastically... well maybe a bit)

Paula

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

And for my next trick, I'll be crawling under a dual axle 2006 in the fffffrrrreeeezzzing weather to check MY shocks.

THANKS. (sincerely, not sarcastically... well maybe a bit)

Paula

Paula.

You don't need to crawl under the trailer, in the freezing weather, to check "your" shocks.

Yours, most likely are great.

But..................you must crawl under the trailer, just a little bit, to check the trailer shocks.

In the case of your trailer, unless you have tons of miles on it, it's way too new to have a shock problem.

Look for wet spots around the shock surface, that would come from the hydraulic fluid, within the shocks. If one is wet, replace them all, if not, have a Mai Tai, and a Happy New Year.

Andy

[adonh]

Here's what I would imagine happened. It was a busy day on the Airstream assembly line and the guy responsible for putting on shocks took a box which had 25 shocks in it. By the time he reached your trailer he was one shock short and it was quitting time. The rest is history.

Don

[Cantrell]

I am thinking the guy that was supposed to be installing that shock was too busy drawing pictures of waterfowl on the interior walls....

[markdoane]

I understand at the end of the year they sweep up all the leftovers and put them in a big box. Otherwise the inventory gets out of whack.

Ask the parts manager to check the 2007 box and see if there is an extra shock in there. They should be able to send it to you.

[Gene]

Shocking!

R',

Go to the Airstream website and find the email address for customer relations and send them an email. You can paste a photo onto the email.

If you never discovered this, or no one else did, perhaps you have not repacked the wheel bearings or checked the brakes—if so, it is long overdue.

Gene

[racoco]

Gene -- I knew someone was going to catch me on that. It's only 2 years old... but it is about time to do both. How often do you check brakes and repack bearings?

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by racoco

Gene -- I knew someone was going to catch me on that. It's only 2 years old... but it is about time to do both. How often do you check brakes and repack bearings?

Once a year or every 10,000 miles, which ever comes first, is bearing repack, and brake inspection, etc.

It's better known as a "major brake", where the drums are cleaned, the bearings are cleaned and inspected, then repacked, grease seals changed, brakes cleaned up and adjusted.

Then you can also add a "running gear" re-balance, consisting of balancing the tire, wheel, and hub and drum as an assembly.

Inspecting the condition of the shocks at the same time, is a wise idea.

Andy

[Gene]

Airstream says 6 months or 10,000 miles, whichever comes first. It's well know most don't do it that often and it's best to use high quality seals as they are thought to last longer.

Gene