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[Rawze]

(08-12-2020 )Evotrucker Wrote:  ...
So my passenger side kingpin is starting to go or it’s already bad, to replace my king pins I gotta replace the axle lol....
...

it should be stated first and foremost that ...
If the axle & king pins are within spec and your getting excess tire wear issues ... IT IS NOT THE KING PINS CAUSING IT!

If it is a Hendrickson front axle, the pin itself is non-replacable ... The bushings are replaced instead when the thing gets too much play in it. - I have the same front axle and have done this same job myself (replacing the bushings). The pin itself is 3x the size in diameter than other brands of axles and is a hardened pin. -- tough as nails and personally, I think it is a superior design vs. other brands.

Sure, I hate the air-suspension portion of my front end, but the axle itself (a separate component to the air front end I have) has been wonderful to me and personally, I would still prefer it to something else.

Unless you let it get so incredibly bad that it is hammering steel to steel and the bushings are completely gonzo --- there is noting whatsoever likely wrong with that hardened kin pin itself .. the brass bushings wear out and are the only thing that get replaced.

-- The bushings do however require you to rheem them to the proper fit after install. - That is the part that every shop hates, as most shops are not capable of properly reeming them without screwing the soft brass up.

The kit is not expensive at all, and it would be absolutely ridiculous and a waste of money to replace the whole axle for excess play in the king pins.


-- So -- unless you have pulled them apart and seen heavy actual and measurable damage to the hardened king pins themselves and not just excess wear in the brass bushings ... you would be completely wasting your money to replace the whole axle. Not only that, but the hendrickson manuals say to simply sand and polish up the king pin if it gets scuffed ... not to replace the axle.

last but not least ... HOW MUCH PLAY IS IN THEM? -- Because the Hendrickson front axles ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE some play in them. - The only question is HOW MUCH? -- as measured with a dial indicator. - Jacking them up and bumping them around with a pry-bar is NO WAY TO PROPERLY CHECK THEM!. A person needs a dial indicator to check them with.

for example ... up/down play on mine acceptability is 0.030" and side-play (latteral) is 0.015"

MY TRUCK brand new had 0.022" up/down p[lay in it and 0.010" lateral when the truck was brand spanking new. I know this because I measured it myself the first time a set of tires got replaced .. because the Arsse-Hole shop that put the tires on told me my king pins were worn slap out, because they took a bar to the front end and showed me the play in the king pins and were complete jerks trying to up-sell me new king pins along with the tires -- THAT or they were stupid as all hell as I argued with them. I jumped in the cab, looked it up via the service manual, and told them to use a damned dial indicator!.

-- Low and behold --- for them to be a professional alignment and tire shop .. NOT A SINGLE GODDAMN EMPLOYEE had a damn dial indicator in any of their tool boxes -- gotta love the complete ignorance in our industry out there eh?

Matter of fact, mine did not get to 0.012" (+0.002" from its original 0.010") lateral play in it until my truck had just about 850,000 miles on on it. They were still within spec at 980k miles when i did my inframe, but I replaced the bushings any ways just for safety and to learn about the whole thing in detail.

Here is the manual for them ...
https://www.hendrickson-intl.com/getatta...-Procedure

Page 35 and 36 show how to check them.

Page 9 in the manual shows the reemer tool needed to machine the new bushings. I have this tool, I purchased it from McMaster-carr.

maybe this post will be helpful in making a proper decision.