Some like to get parked an play there xbox or watch tv. I like keeping up on my truck learning what I can and doing it. After visiting with Mr. Rawze I'm not afraid to tackle anything on the truck. I learned about this great product called POR 15. My truck had the cancer so at a Wal-Mart parking lot I broke out the grinder and hit as many rust spots I could and painted them with POR 15. This stuff is better than the paint the put on from factory and lasta very long time.
Thanks again Rawze for the wealth of information you've shared.
That's on my list later this year in the winter time. I'm getting some flaky mess and I need to get it under control behind the sleeper.
What looks painful is in order to be thorough, I will need to strip it down all the way and blast it...chalk it up to being anal. I want to make sure I get into every nook and cranny. For the time being I'm going to hit the major spots to hold it at Bay and drive around with polka dots.
Figured that's a good time to do track bars, spring eye bushings, do the airbags and shocks again, new 5th wheel (if I ever find a new complete unit) and air lines and valves...it'll be a pain to find all the torque specs for all those bolts back there though!
Mine was used kind of badly before I got it...you can tell. It's mushroomed a bit where you can tell someone was slamming it into the kingpin. Air slide leaks, base is rusted up pretty good...I'm not opposed to rebuilding it necessarily, but I'm really waiting to see if there is a cost effective way to just replace the whole unit if nothing for liability and peace of mind.
Junk yards are stuffed full of complete sliding 5th wheel units that aren't as abused as that sounds. Then you can just rebuild and put new mount bushings in it and know its all good. Just make sure it's not off a rollover wreck. That usually twists the assembly beyond repair.
Rawze Wrote:There are certain components I would absolutely not want to re-build myself, even if i had lots of practice and was good at it ...
* I would never re-build my own 5-th wheel--- I replace the whole top plate. I haul too many UPS, FEDEX, and other carriers trailers to take that kind of liability, even though mine is very easy to re-build it. -- Let Holland take the liability of those million dollar losses if it lets go, I can't afford that. I replaced my entire top plate with a brand new one for about $680 and never looked back when it was time for a re-build.
* I would absolutely never re-build my own power steering unit, nor anyone else's, even though I took a course on how to do it, and am good at it. -- Reman PS uints will typically not lock up for a couple weeks, then do so with no warning if a single ball-bearing on the lead screw gets out of place,... Very easy to miss and do. Even people with a lot of practice, get a roller out of place without knowing it, then have to pull it completely apart and start all over. That is -- IF they catch their mistake. -- I ain't no insurance company that can handle million dollar law-suit if it caused me, or someone else to wreck.
-- I think my point is clear,.. some things you just do not want to do, even though it is much cheaper, and even may be easy to do.
Just trying to insert some perspective into all of this.