Replacement axle for 2008 Karavan trailer BW-2350-74 - 170 Montauk

[chuck21401]

I have a 2008 170 Montauk with the factory Karavan trailer (BW-2350-74); this is the trailer without brakes. I bought the boat, motor and trailer new in 2008. I replaced the wheels and tires last summer but decided to hold on replacing the hubs...that was a mistake.

The right wheel bearing went bad on the way to the marina. Limped off the highway but by that time the damage was done...the spindle is gouged.

I've removed the axle from the trailer. The Karavan parts diagram (and the label on the axle) indicate part number 310-02060 for the axle assembly. I've Googled around and have not been able to find that part number or a cross reference. I was hoping to find a direct replacement but also checking the trailer parts supply websites.

Fig. 1. The identification sticker on an axle showing the number give in the text of this article.

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Fig. 2. The damaged axle spindle.

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Fig. 3. Orange cones placed around trailer while supported on jack stands.

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[Moderator's note: all photographs in the illustrations have been cropped to remove large amounts of background area.]

[MarkCz]

https://www.boatus.com/expert-advice/ex ... le-sleeves

You may be able to use a sleeve over the damaged bearing surfaces as a cheaper fix. Keep in mind if your axle has the EZ lube system with the grease zerk on the end of the axle that the sleeves may block the exit grease hole near the rear bearing area.

[jimh]

The damage to the spindle on the axle may be able to be fixed, at least temporarily. Typically the only components that actually touch the spindle are the races of the two bearings. If you can grind down the gouges on the spindle while preserving the slope, and if the bearing races can properly slide into position, the axle should be useable.

I had a very similar situation on my boat trailer: one spindle on one axle was gouged when the bearing failed completely in a quite unexpected manner. I used a small die grinder attachment to a DREMEL tool to remove the burrs from the gouges on the tapered spindle to allow new bearings to be slipped over the spindle and properly seat their tapered races onto the spindle. It took a bit of time to do this, but so far, that axle and those bearings are behaving normally.

Fig. 4. A similarly damaged spindle on a different trailer.

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Fig. 5. Refurbish spindle. A die grinder was carefully used to remove ridges in the gouges. The spindle was sanded with fine-grit emery cloth, then wet-sanded with WD40 to restore a smooth surface. The bearing races were test fitted during this process to check for proper profile and fit.

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Replacing the entire axle will be much more work, and getting an exact replacement axle may be difficult.

[jimh]

To get information on a replacement OEM axle, you should contact the trailer manufacturer, KARAVAN, directly, You should be able (or might be able) to get a replacement axle from them. However, the shipping cost for delivery of one axle will be rather expensive. If there is a KARAVAN trailer dealer near you, you might be able to have them order an extra axle to come with their next shipment of trailers from KARAVAN. In that way the cost of shipping will be minimal.

Perhaps you could get a replacement axle from Boston Whaler, who would ship it to a dealer as part of that dealer's next delivery. However, considering the nature of Boston Whaler customer support for boats older than ten-years-old, that project might be a moonshot.

[chuck21401]

Thanks to MarcCz and jimh for your responses.

I don't trust my ability to repair the spindle with a sleeve or grinding down the gouges. I'd always be wondering about it.

I took various measurements in search of a new axle (overall length (92"), brake flange (80.5"), hub face (86.5") and spring center (72.5")". None of them matched the KARAVAN axles that I could find online through a factory authorized parts distributor. I found one axle that was close, but the hub face was an additional inch wider. That doesn't seem like much, but my current set up barely squeezes into my garage...and I have to let air out of the tires to do so.

Instead I've ordered a new Dexter square axle (86.5" hub face), hub assemblies, dust caps and U-bolt mounting kit. The price with everything including shipping was under $500. The axle and hubs are galvanized. Will update this thread as I make progress.

[jimh]

When you begin the work on installing the replacement axle, I hope you can get the 170 MONTAUK boat off the trailer. Working on the trailer with the boat in place is going to be awkward and dangerous. Even if you have to rent a boat slip at a local marina for a day or two to stash the boat, that cost will be worth the expense.

[chuck21401]

When you begin the work on installing the replacement axle, I hope you can get the 170 MONTAUK boat off the trailer. Working on the trailer with the boat in place is going to be awkward and dangerous. Even if you have to rent a boat slip at a local marina for a day or two to stash the boat, that cost will be worth the expense.

I appreciate the concern but without a working wheel bearing on the trailer...it's stuck in my driveway until I can make the repair.

Recognizing the the risks involved, I went a bit overboard in terms of jacking up the boat. I used four 5-ton Snap on jack stands under the trailer, along with wood cribbing under the springs when I removed the axle. I also had some 6x6 blocks in different places as a back up.

[jimh]

Ah, now I see the Catch-22 aspect of your trailer axle problem. When the bearing failed on my trailer, it was on a tandem-axle trailer, so I could very carefully and slowly drive to a boat ramp that (very fortunately) was about one mile away on just three wheels instead of four, and off load the boat.

Since you only have one axle, the replacement axle does not have to a perfect match.

In my case, I think I would just buy a new trailer if I had to replace both axles. At some point rebuilding the trailer part-by-part gets more expensive than a new trailer.

[chuck21401]

Here's an update on this project:

I ordered the parts from a company based in Florida on Monday and they arrived at my house in Maryland via FedEx home delivery on Wednesday. I thought that was really quick and shipping was free.

The first thing I did was to compare the two axles. The distance between the brake flange was only different by a 1/4" at most. The overall length is about the same. I used a sharpie to mark the spring location and spring center. The axle I purchased included a set of spring seats.

Fig. 1. Comparison of old and new axles. The spring seats are sitting on the block of wood on the left side

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The leaf springs were a bit rusty. I decided not to buy new ones. Instead, I removed the leaf springs and hit them with a wire wheel attached to a hand drill. The cleaned up nicely. I sprayed them with a coat of "rust converter" by Rust-oleum.

Fig. 2. Leaf spring with surface rust

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Fig. 3. Leaf spring reinstalled after being treated by rust converter

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[chuck21401]

After I reinstalled the leaf springs, I carefully positioned the axle on the spring seats. The axle lined up nicely with the markings.

Fig. 4. Axle placed on spring seat which is resting on the axle.

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The next step was to install the U-Bolts.

Fig. 5. Axle attached to leaf spring with U-Bolts.

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Tonight I'll be installing the bearings into the hubs, then mounting the hubs on the axle. The installation package included a tube of Lucas Marine Wheel Bearing Grease, though I'm not sure how much to use. Headed over to YouTube to look for recommendations.

If that goes well, I'll mount the wheels and tires.

[jimh]

For new bearings you can use a "bearing packer" that will force grease into the bearing much better than if you try to pack them by hand. The "packer" is a plastic conical gizmo, and they are not expensive.

[chuck21401]

I watched a couple of YouTube on how to pack trailer wheel bearings and decided to proceed. I did see a couple of videos featuring a bearing packer. I used plenty of grease.

I packed the rear bearing full of grease and tapped on the seal with a block of wood.

Fig. 1. New galvanized hub with rear bearing and seal installed.

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Next I packed the front bearing full of grease and installed in the hub.

Fig. 2. Hub with front bearing installed

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Then I added more grease to the spindle.

Fig. 3. Axle spindle with plenty of grease

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[chuck21401]

Mounting the new hubs on the spindle involved several steps.

Rather than a castle nut on the end of the spindle, the new axle uses spindle nut with a "spindle nut cage." It took me a couple of minutes to figure out how these work. So the hub goes on the spindle, followed by a flat washer, then the nut. Once the nut installed...the cage goes over the nut...then the cotter pin is installed.

Fig. 4. Hub installed on spindle. Flat washer installed, followed by spindle nut, cage and cotter pin.

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Once the hubs were secured, I added even more grease.

Fig. 5. Hub installed, more grease added.

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For the last step I installed the dust covers. Used a wood block to tap them on.

Fig. 6. Hub with dust cover installed.

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[chuck21401]

The last step was to mount the wheel and tire...and repeat this sequence for the other side of the trailer. Then I carefully jacked up the trailer and remove the jack stands.

Fig. 7. Wheel and tire mounted on hub.

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From there I took the trailer for a test drive. I used an infrared thermometer to check the temp at the hubs...in the mid 90s degree Fahrenheit.

Fig. 8. Repair completed; test drive went well

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[chuck21401]

Here is the parts list in case it is helpful to others in the future.

Fig. 9. Parts used in this project. The axle included spring seats though not mentioned in this list.

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