Avoid "Superior Axles"

[PSG-1]

Because they are NOT superior, they are INFERIOR.

I've got a Triton aluminum trailer for my Yamaha VX110 jet ski. Had it about 3 years. Last week, my girlfriend took the ski to the river, and on the way back, she said she heard metal falling off going down the road.

So, I took a look at it, and I saw that the leaf springs were already disintegrating. WTH? We've only had this thing 3 years, and we rinse it off every time it's used in salt water.

I ordered a new set of springs, and they got here yesterday. So, I went ahead and blocked up the trailer, and pulled the axle from under it.

I started looking at the axle, which, BTW, they simply paint, no galvanized coating or anything like that. I noticed that where it was rusted, it looked rather thin.

So, I decided I would salvage the spindle stubs, get a piece of galvanized pipe, and make a new axle.

I began cutting through the axle, and I immediately saw that it was paper thin, so, I made the right call about replacing it.

However, as I was cutting near the ends, looking for the spindle stub, I couldn't find one.

Once I lopped off the ends, I noticed that the spindles indeed did not have stubs that fit into the axle like all the spindles I have installed over the past 15 years as a welder dealing with trailers.

Instead, they simply butted their spindle to the end of the axle and welded it. That is NOT the way it's supposed to be done! The spindle should always have a stub, about 3-4 inches long, that extends into the axle tube. You drill a hole, and you plug weld the spindle stub, as well as welding around its perimeter. This way, it is much more secure.

Even worse was the fact that they drilled a hole all the way through their spindle, for grease to go into the axle tube.

In theory, on the blackboard, and in a college-boy engineer's mind, this might be a good idea.

But under actual use, it's a POS idea! Why? Because, the grease is by-passing the bearings, and just running into the axle. The bearings are NOT being properly lubed, which would explain why they were rather noisy when I spun the wheels of the axle. So, it looks as though I will have to replace my bearings, as well.

I think a crackhead could have designed something better than this colossal piece of junk they call an axle. Like I said, I've been doing this for over 15 years, and this is by far one of the shoddiest axles I have EVER seen!

So, if you're in the market to buy a trailer, check to see who made the axle. If it has a tag on it that says "Superior", avoid it like the plague. Or you will find out the hard way when the weld around the perimeter of the spindle breaks, and the wheel falls off.

 

[zopperman]

Re: Avoid "Superior Axles"

Sorry to hear about that. Thanks for the warning!

 

[pat8839]

Re: Avoid "Superior Axles"

Wow that is awful!!! I recently replaced my axle and definitely was not built like the rusty thing you described.

 

[QC]

Re: Avoid "Superior Axles"

Closing this one. 80% factual, but there's some bashing going on. Thanks for the info.

 

[PSG-1]

Error in previous post.....avoid RELIABLE axles

Error in previous post.....avoid RELIABLE axles

I made a previous post criticizing the workmanship of "Superior" axles.

I was incorrect with the name. When I was working on the trailer today, I realized the tag said "Reliable axle" not "Superior axle" (not sure how I got confused about that, but I digress)

So, I wanted to correct that error in my posting.

Avoid "Reliable" axles.

On a final note, when I removed the hub and tire assembly from the old spindles, I also noticed that they failed to use a washer between the castle nut and the outer bearing. Once again, this proves that this was very shoddily built. EVERY spindle I have ever installed, or replaced bearings, has a washer, to provide a proper mating surface with the outer bearing.

I did e-mail Triton trailer, to discuss the issue with them.

This was their response to me, when I sent a comment via their automated system, so unfortunately, that isn't shown, but it basically said what I said on here.
here is some of that correspondence for your reading enjoyment:


Sorry you feel this way, Triton Trailers does make a quality aluminum trailer and can handle the weights the trailer was designed to handle easily. Most of the trailers in the market have designs similar along with some much cheaper for price point only. Most Triton dealers in or near the salt water areas of the country normally got and sold the galvanized axle option that was available in 2008 for our PWC trailers. Now with costs of galvanizing lower we have it on all PWC trailers, standard.

The hole that you refer to in the spindle that runs the length of the material is part of the Sure Lube system. As shown below the Sure Lube system flows the grease past both bearing and then out the back of the spindle. This is a superior system compared to plain cap or ?buddy bearing? systems which only fill the cap and not flow the grease. You should never ?run dry? the axle spindle because this means the axle was not greased at all for a long time. The small hole on the end also does not allow water to go back because of the grease and size of the hole. The flow and ?pushing? of the grease past both bearings gives both bearing great lubrication and long life. Every couple thousand miles it doesn?t hurt to check the grease and put some in. If you don?t put that many miles on the trailer push the grease in there before every season starts. With little effort we have had people with 15 plus year old trailers just getting bearing and going down the road again. That?s just pure wear and great longevity from simple maintenance. Hopes this helps you out and explains some misconceptions on the Triton product that you did not know. Thank you.

CSR and Marketing
Triton Corp.


My response, with their original message:


Sorry you feel this way, Triton Trailers does make a quality aluminum trailer and can handle the weights the trailer was designed to handle easily.


I said the trailer was a quality trailer, I've had no issues with it, as far as the actual trailer itself. My issue is with the substandard axle.





Most of the trailers in the market have designs similar along with some much cheaper for price point only. Most Triton dealers in or near the salt water areas of the country normally got and sold the galvanized axle option that was available in 2008 for our PWC trailers. Now with costs of galvanizing lower we have it on all PWC trailers, standard.


The cost of galvanized material may be slightly higher, but again, as someone who has built trailers and axles for over 15 years, one thing that I do with ALL my axles is to apply phosphoric acid etcher, and then to paint with cold galvanize spray paint, and THEN with the top coat of paint. This is how to combat corrosion, and it is how quality axles are made. (Also, when I build axles, I weld them liquid tight, and I fill them with about 6-8 oz of heavy weight oil)


The hole that you refer to in the spindle that runs the length of the material is part of the Sure Lube system. As shown below the Sure Lube system flows the grease past both bearing and then out the back of the spindle.


There's the key word...."past the bearings" My point exactly. The grease takes the path of least resistance and flows out of this hole, instead of being evenly distributed within the hub. Most spindles of this design have a hole that is cross drilled into the spindle to allow the grease to flow into the hub. However, this is not a sound design either, as I have seen spindles like this break right at the cross drilled hole, as that is a stress riser.






This is a superior system compared to plain cap or ?buddy bearing? systems which only fill the cap and not flow the grease.



It's not a superior design. bearing Buddy systems allow grease to be pumped within the hub and bearing system. This 'sure lube' design lets the grease flow past the bearings, and into the axle. Again, that's nice for keeping the axle tube greased, but it does not allow grease within the hub.





You should never ?run dry? the axle spindle because this means the axle was not greased at all for a long time.


This one goes without saying. That is why bearing buddy systems have a plastic indicator that is designed to protrude when the grease level is adequate, and they are retracted when the grease level is low.


The small hole on the end also does not allow water to go back because of the grease and size of the hole.



Bull. If any water is present in the axle, it WILL flow back through this hole and into the bearings.


The flow and ?pushing? of the grease past both bearings gives both bearing great lubrication and long life. Every couple thousand miles it doesn?t hurt to check the grease and put some in.

I put grease in just about every time I use a trailer, no matter how far it's going.



If you don?t put that many miles on the trailer push the grease in there before every season starts. With little effort we have had people with 15 plus year old trailers just getting bearing and going down the road again.


Not with that design, no way. Maybe if they are using them in fresh water, but in a marine application, I am very skeptical of that statement.



That?s just pure wear and great longevity from simple maintenance. Hopes this helps you out and explains some misconceptions on the Triton product that you did not know. Thank you.

CSR and Marketing
Triton Corp.




Again, the trailer from Triton is very well built, I've had no issues with it. But the axle design is substandard, and I will continue to maintain that statement, and will continue to spread the warning far and wide about "Reliable" axles (I was originally mistaken when I said "Superior")

As I said, your company should look into having axles made from a different manufacturer, one that knows how to build an axle from material that is rigid enough to last for several years, has the correct coating to prevent corrosion, and has the proper spindle design. But again, that's just my opinion as an AWS-certified welder who has built hundreds of axles, with none of them having any issues.