I, along with several others such as Paul & Deb have installed lift blocks from trailerblocks.com to increase the ride height or the tire clearance on our rigs. I installed 1.5" blocks a couple of years ago to give better tire clearance. While changing one of the axles on my 297RSTS, I made some observations which might cause some concern for owners of this lift block system.
The first issue is the tie plate/U-bolt interface. There was obvious deformation of the tie plates and U-Bolts provided by Trailer Blocks as part of their lift block kit. The recommended torque for these components is 124 ft-lb. That is the torque that I applied during the original installation. And when I replaced the first axle about a year ago, I purchased new U-Bolts from Trailer Blocks, and installed them at the same torque value.
In the first photograph, you can see an OEM Lippert tie plate on top, and a Trailer Block tie plate at the bottom. There is noticeable deformation of the Trailer Block tie plate. The LCI tie plate was removed from a previous axle, and had no measurable deformation. I measured the thickness of the two tie plates: LCI = .259", Trailer Block = .182". I will be replacing the Trailer Block tie plates with LCI parts.
In the second photo, you can see the Trailer Block U-Bolts have an observable bend near where they interfaced with the tie plates. It appears that when the tie plate deformed during installation, the U-bolt followed suit and bent at an angle perpendicular to the tie plate. I'm surprised with this result from an advertised Grade 8 U-bolt. In addition, you can also see that there is quite a bit of corrosion on the U-bolt. I'm surprised at this since I rarely drive on wet roads. I'm switching to another brand of U-bolt for reassembly.
In the third photo, you can see that the cap bolt on the lift block is quite corroded. I treated it with Rustoleum Rust Reformer before reinstalling the block on the new axle.
So if you have already installed these components in your rig, I'd suggest an inspection to make sure everything is in good shape before you hit the road again. I'll be sending these photos and comments to Trailer Blocks for their information.
Jim
The first issue is the tie plate/U-bolt interface. There was obvious deformation of the tie plates and U-Bolts provided by Trailer Blocks as part of their lift block kit. The recommended torque for these components is 124 ft-lb. That is the torque that I applied during the original installation. And when I replaced the first axle about a year ago, I purchased new U-Bolts from Trailer Blocks, and installed them at the same torque value.
In the first photograph, you can see an OEM Lippert tie plate on top, and a Trailer Block tie plate at the bottom. There is noticeable deformation of the Trailer Block tie plate. The LCI tie plate was removed from a previous axle, and had no measurable deformation. I measured the thickness of the two tie plates: LCI = .259", Trailer Block = .182". I will be replacing the Trailer Block tie plates with LCI parts.
In the second photo, you can see the Trailer Block U-Bolts have an observable bend near where they interfaced with the tie plates. It appears that when the tie plate deformed during installation, the U-bolt followed suit and bent at an angle perpendicular to the tie plate. I'm surprised with this result from an advertised Grade 8 U-bolt. In addition, you can also see that there is quite a bit of corrosion on the U-bolt. I'm surprised at this since I rarely drive on wet roads. I'm switching to another brand of U-bolt for reassembly.
In the third photo, you can see that the cap bolt on the lift block is quite corroded. I treated it with Rustoleum Rust Reformer before reinstalling the block on the new axle.
So if you have already installed these components in your rig, I'd suggest an inspection to make sure everything is in good shape before you hit the road again. I'll be sending these photos and comments to Trailer Blocks for their information.
Jim
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