where's my clotter pin?

[leoo24]

Hi again guys

so i'm diving into getting my trailer up to scratch, i've never changed my bearings before but have read up quite well about it and am confident i'll not have too many problems, apart from finding my clotter pin hehe.. good start huh!


ok, so all the literature i've read is US based so i wonder if UK trailer are any different? got the dust cap off, and there's a big old lug nut, doesn't look like it should have a pin in it, but..... it's stuck solid, can't budge it, i've stood on my extendable bar to try and undo it, yup used penetrant also. So i wondered if this has a pin in it? i can't see one! do i get heat on it? picture attached

also, different subject but won't start a new thread. The part that connects to the trailer, which is obviously suspension, how does that connect to the trailer if i wanted to change it? ahh, i've just found on a parts site that the whole axle is for sale, so i'd need to change the whole axle wouldn't i? so, that brings about another question, mine is clearly quite rusted but i've taken a hammer to it and can get to solid metal after 1.5mm of rust, and suspension seems to be fine, what do i look for to decide if i needed to change it? picture attached

thanks guys

 

[Silvertip]

Re: where's my clotter pin?

I have not seen a bearing system like that so I can't be of much help but I suspect that spindle nut is one that doesn't need a pin because the nut itself is purposely "deformed" to form a tight fit on the spindle. The bigger issue is that it might also be seized to the spindle due to rust. The first picture shows a brake cable and considerable rust but again, not much of the actual suspension is shown.

 

[leoo24]

Re: where's my clotter pin?

yeah sorry about the poor suspension image, it looks pretty much like this

http://www.tptrailerparts.co.uk/pictures/axle.jpg

just like an arm coming out of the axle, no visible bolts or anything


there's actually a decent amount of grease on the spindle, i cleaned a lot off, and the spindle itself doesn't have any rust on it (well the other ones don't which stick out more than the one in the photo), ofcourse i can't see inside the nut hehe, when are they going to develop 'xray' vision for mechanical applications!

We have a desalination plant here, it empties it's residue into the sea, meaning our local salt concentration is double what it should be. Trailers really really suffer here! when i get out of the water i have a white sheet of salt on me

 

[Mwp909]

Re: where's my clotter pin?

I have a horse trailer that doesn?t have a pit. The nut is a left-handed thread. Centrifugal force keeps them tight. Yours might be the same.

 

[leoo24]

Re: where's my clotter pin?

that was something that had crossed my mind also, i might give it a bash

 

[Silvertip]

Re: where's my clotter pin?

If your trailer has an axle like you pictured, you have what is called a "torsion axle". The swing arm on which the wheel is mounted in rubber inside the horizontal tube so you essentially have a rubberized suspension. your trailer is also a tandem (dual axle) so you need to ensure this trailer is towed as level as possible. A tongue-high attitude can overload the rear axle. A tongue-low attitude can overload the front axle. These are not my favorite setup, especially on a tandem axle trailer for that very reason. Granted, it eliminates some mechanical parts found in a tandem leaf spring setup.

 

[leoo24]

Re: where's my clotter pin?

thanks silvertip.

I don't think i have seen a single leafspring trailer here in spain, they're all torsion axles (nice to know the right terminology, thanks )


so on the rubber note, if my exterior rust damage is not too bad then inside should be ok?

 

[leoo24]

Re: where's my clotter pin?

I finally managed to get the damned nut off!! i had to use a 5m steel pole to get the leverage!

the threads had no rust at all, and yes at the end of the threads there seemed to be a purposely irregular pattern that locked it in place, and man was it locked!!