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pzinger · 05-17-2021, 01:35 PM

Sheard a few studs from one of the hubs (how and why is a long story). I had a roadside mechanic pull the hub, take it to his shop and put 6 new studs in so I could get spare on and get home. At the dealership guy behind the counter at service counter looking at a photo of the hub said the studs come tig welded to the hub, spot welded in 3 spots each on the back at the factory. He said only the factory can do it and if you had someone try it they would damage the tempur of the hub. His recommendation was to replace the axle since his computer showed no hub assembly part numbers. This is on a dual axle 23D international. I message a friend of mine who is a metallurgist to get his thoughts. Any practical experience here with replacing studs? New Axle is $2k +Labor + 4 month minimum wait for the part.

DCPAS · 05-17-2021, 02:08 PM

The wheel studs are mounted to the brake drum. I have replaced a stud on another trailer. It was not welded. Just replacing studs without welding I would think would be fine since that is standard practice (I believe). If concerned that the mounting holes for the studs are out of round, buy a new brake drum.

Edit: The Nev-R-Lube bearing is in the brake drum, I believe, so it would not be as cheap as it is on other trailers.

pzinger · 05-17-2021, 03:05 PM

I crawled under to find the info on the axle and hub, its a Dexter 8-388-80 Hub and Drum assembly. The full replacement is $400 - $500 depending on the seller. The hub/drum appears to be fine, mechanic who replaced the studs also agreed it was in good shape. Airstream dealer suggests axle replacement (site unseen). Should I be concerned about the the studs put in? Are they all mostly equivalent or is there something special about the studs Dexter uses in their hub/drum.

DCPAS · 05-17-2021, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pzinger

I crawled under to find the info on the axle and hub, its a Dexter 8-388-80 Hub and Drum assembly. The full replacement is $400 - $500 depending on the seller. The hub/drum appears to be fine, mechanic who replaced the studs also agreed it was in good shape. Airstream dealer suggests axle replacement (site unseen). Should I be concerned about the the studs put in? Are they all mostly equivalent or is there something special about the studs Dexter uses in their hub/drum.

I suggest you remove the wheel. If none of the studs are loose in the brake drum, the lug nuts all tighten as normal when you put the wheel back on, and spinning the wheel does not reveal excessive play (wiggle in and out - a bit of play is normal), I do not see why you would need to do anything else.

pzinger · 05-18-2021, 12:12 PM

I talked with Dexter, they confirmed that there is nothing unique about the studs in the hub and they are press fit. They gave the part number if I wanted to order a set of studs. They also gave me the part number of the Hub and Drum assembly that bolts onto the spindle. What the roadside mechanic did in replacing the studs on the hub has no play and rides good so I think the axle replacement will be unnecessary.
Thank you for the feedback!!!