Axle Bolts Loose

[Eggscape]

Just a note that if you have a trailer built between June 2021 and 2022 you should check your axle bolts as they may be loose.

This is a conversation that is ongoing on the Escape Facebook page you may not frequent.

ETI knows about the problem but has yet to inform anyone of the situation.

I asked somebody on Facebook to post here their personal experience but none have done so far. I think this is an important matter so I have taken it upon myself to give the heads up.

Here is a picture posted of what one person found and this would be what to look for.

[diannelgraham]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

Just a note that if you have a trailer built between June 2021 and 2022 you should check your axle bolts as they may be loose.

This is a conversation that is ongoing on the Escape Facebook page you may not frequent.

ETI knows about the problem but has yet to inform anyone of the situation.

I asked somebody on Facebook to post here their personal experience but none have done so far. I think this is an important matter so I have taken it upon myself to give the heads up.

Here is a picture posted of what one person found and this would be what to look for.

Yup once again I had to shimmy my body under my escape this morning to check to make sure mine where all tight.

[Camp@Home]

Thanks for the notice Eggscape. Mine is May '22 build, but still look pristine and fully tight. <1Kmi tho.... I will keep an eye on them...and probably double-check with torque wrench very soon!

[edlynnrich]

Originally Posted by Camp@Home

Thanks for the notice Eggscape. Mine is May '22 build, but still look pristine and fully tight. <1Kmi tho.... I will keep an eye on them...and probably double-check with torque wrench very soon!

What is the correct torque for these bolts?

[diannelgraham]

Originally Posted by edlynnrich

What is the correct torque for these bolts?

Look above

[Eggscape]

Originally Posted by edlynnrich

What is the correct torque for these bolts?

125 to 175 ft/lbs is stated but that to me is quite a range.

[JohnK]

Our 21 is an early 2020 without the lift option. I just installed the 2 5/8 Torflex lift kit and found the original nuts to be very tight.
John

[knuckled62]

i found on the dexter website that the mounting torque for #10 torsion axles is 125-155 lbs,
sounds like a more reasonable range.
https://www.dexteraxle.com/user_area...it-008-00).pdf

[Randy in Maine]

I will just do that inspection when I do my yearly spring maintenance things like repacking the wheel bearings and trailer brakes.

[edlynnrich]

Originally Posted by diannelgraham

Look above

Oops. Jumped right over that thumbnail. Thanks

[BobG]

On my early 2021 21NE the horizontal axle connection plate has a slotted bolt hole. It appears that without the lift block, the axle is bolted through the vertical plates rather than the horizontal axle plate. In the OP's picture there is a washer between the bolt head and the plate. Maybe that is a split washer that should have been installed between the nut and plate. The picture doesn't show whether there is a split washer under the nut.

[JohnK]

Originally Posted by BobG

On my early 2021 21NE the horizontal axle connection plate has a slotted bolt hole. It appears that without the lift block, the axle is bolted through the vertical plates rather than the horizontal axle plate. In the OP's picture there is a washer between the bolt head and the plate. Maybe that is a split washer that should have been installed between the nut and plate. The picture doesn't show whether there is a split washer under the nut.

Bob, your axle looks to be tight and correct. Judging from our 2020 21C without lift kit, it was fastened with only horizontal bolts and nuts with no washer beneath the bolt head. The nuts are self locking.

The lift kit installation which I did calls for fastening horizontally AND vertically and calls for flat washers beneath the vertical bolt heads AND the vertical bolt nuts. No washers are called out beneath the horizontal bolt heads. All washers are flat and all nuts are self-locking.
John

[BobG]

John K,
Thanks for correcting me. I don't like it when I say things that are wrong and I am glad you quickly straightened it out.
Bob

[kathytony1985]

Our 21NE was built in July/August 2021. We got the lift and all bolts are snug. There are washers on both sides of the bolts as well. All good!

[JohnK]

This photo is of a lift bracket on a May 2022 E21C. Notice the washer underneath the vertical bolt head but not the horizontal bolt head. Both nuts do have washers beneath them. This is the configuration called out by the Dexter installation instructions. - John

[kathytony1985]

Yes, that is what mine look like. Washers on both sides of all of the vertical bolts.

[ksfisk]

Originally Posted by JohnK

This photo is of a lift bracket on a May 2022 E21C. Notice the washer underneath the vertical bolt head but not the horizontal bolt head. Both nuts do have washers beneath them. This is the configuration called out by the Dexter installation instructions. - John

So do I understand correctly that there should be a washer underneath both bolt heads?

[JohnK]

On the lift kit a flat washer is called for underneath the vertical bolt heads only, not the horizontal bolts. All 4 nuts on the lift kit require flat washers as well.
John

[ksfisk]

Originally Posted by JohnK

On the lift kit a flat washer is called for underneath the vertical bolt heads only, not the horizontal bolts. All 4 nuts on the lift kit require flat washers as well.
John

Thank you!

[julieinwy]

Thank you so much for the warning! We are about to take another trip in our 2021 5.0, and my husband checked the axle bolts after reading your post. One nut was all the way to the end of the bolt, about to fall off. He said it had obviously never been tightened. I love my Escape, but lately so many screws and fastenings have been failing that we are a bit disenchanted.