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Question regarding wet bolts

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  • #31

    Wow I've missed a great discussion. A bushing with a spiral groove that starts at the center with an annular channel could work but the spring eye and the bushing needs to be much larger to support a thicker bushing. Since the bolts are in shear, they're very strong where the weak point would be on the nut side of the pin and fails IMO from over tightening.
    Long ago and before engineering, I had changed out many king pins on heavy trucks (before two major back surgeries) which were fed grease from each side of the pin and knuckle. The bushings were a spiral design and worked well. Since sealing the pin on one side for our rigs is not possible, the bolt must be fed from the center but must have a suitable diameter and bushing thickness with a feed channel from the center and outward to do this. Currently this is not done with no area to retain grease where suspension motion will quickly push out the grease on the flat bushings.

    All we can do today is give the pins a shot or two of grease before each trip.

    Jim
    Last edited by Guest; 02-22-2021, 07:18 AM.

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    • #32
      Originally posted by CraigyNix View Post
      Just joining in to ask if anyone knows if the "wet bolts" are part of the 2015 Reflection 303RLS or the 2016 Reflection 29RS? Two of us are acquiring these units and would like to see those Zerks and bolts/flanges nicely greased before we take delivery. Thanks a bunch
      Hi Craig,

      As originally built, 2015 & 2016 Reflections had wet bolts and brass bushings in the equalizer but the spring eyes had dry bolts and plastic bushings. If these spring eye bolts have never been replaced the plastic bushings will most likely be worn through. As Brain notes in post 30, a quick inspection for grease zerks will tell you what you have to deal with.

      Rob
      Cate & Rob
      (with Border Collies Molly & Angel + Kitties Hazel & Elsie)
      2015 Reflection 303RLS
      2022 F350 Diesel CC SB SRW Lariat
      Bayham, Ontario, Canada

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      • #33
        Another design could be a grooved pin on the spring eyes. But the pin and bushing and spring eye would need additional diameter to do this properly. Wedge pins are used to retain the pins.

        Brings back a few memories where a torch can be your friend in these situations.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xm_7aaloIY

        Jim

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        • #34
          Cate&Rob TucsonJim


          In our group, we design manufacturing equipment for investment casting industry. The environment includes high-vacuum and very dirty air with airborne alumina-oxides. In some cases we have used an oil-free bushing that is impregnated with graphite. I wonder if this would be a good alternative to wet bolts. This type of bushing is specifically design for high-load and dirty environments and runs dry. Less likely to attract dirt and create a honing paste. I wonder if any of the suspension manufactures are aware or have considered this for their systems?

          Al & Ann
          F150 with Max Tow Pkg.
          Imagine 2670MK (2021)

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          • #35
            Originally posted by humunuku View Post
            Cate&Rob TucsonJim


            In our group, we design manufacturing equipment for investment casting industry. The environment includes high-vacuum and very dirty air with airborne alumina-oxides. In some cases we have used an oil-free bushing that is impregnated with graphite. I wonder if this would be a good alternative to wet bolts. This type of bushing is specifically design for high-load and dirty environments and runs dry. Less likely to attract dirt and create a honing paste. I wonder if any of the suspension manufactures are aware or have considered this for their systems?

            This is a great idea but there is a problem. The wet bolts are large in diameter and the holes in the spring eyes are rather small , and not to mention not round. This creates the problem of the thin wall bushing. With this in place there is not much room for a impregnated bushing that requires a thicker cross section to provide a good wear surface and enough rigidity that it will not break. In the manufacture fields the areas that these bushings are usually used is on perfectly round shafts with the bushing installed into a perfectly round hole. The springs on our RV's do not meet any of these requirements. I am not sure but I would guess that the bushings in the spring eyes on these RV's are not much larger than .062" wall , maybe .090"

            Brian
            Brian & Michelle
            2018 Reflection 29RS
            2022 Chevy 3500HD

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            • #36
              Country Campers Brian,

              You bring up a good point where to improve the current design, the spring eye needs to be increased with increased bushing and pin diameter to better distribute the load. The graphite bushing shown is for linear shafts and would not carry enough lubricant to keep from destroying the bushing. A larger spring eye with a grooved pin at the center and with a grooved or spiral grooved bushing would provide the proper grease retention to last for a while.

              But we will not see it so currently It may be good to hit the zerks a couple shots before each trip.

              Jim

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