Nitro trailer recall

[tiffytilly]

I don't believe this is correct, my dealer informed me they are simply to be hand tightened and then the cotter pin is put back in place. Watched him do it in the shop. Also they replaced the plastic caps with new metal ones at no charge. One of my caps broke while it was being removed. You might all mention this if any of your caps have any sign of cracking.

From the manual: This assumed that you replaced the hub, which you don't have to do. It does tell you the proper way to tighten the bearing though.
10.Install bearings and place hub on spindle in reverse order as listed
above. Rotate the hub while applying approximately 50 ft. lbs. of
torque to the spindle nut. This translates into a full hand pressure
load with a 12” long wrench. This “seats” the bearings.
11.Loosen the spindle nut to remove the torque applied. DO NOT
ROTATE THE HUB.
12.Tighten the spindle nut until snug, backing off only enough to line
up the cotter pin with the hole in the spindle.
13.Bend the cotter pin into place.

[chevy50999]

I don't believe this is correct, my dealer informed me they are simply to be hand tightened and then the cotter pin is put back in place. Watched him do it in the shop. Also they replaced the plastic caps with new metal ones at no charge. One of my caps broke while it was being removed. You might all mention this if any of your caps have any sign of cracking.

Do you know the name of the metal caps he used on your hubs ? I' m looking for them also. I asked someone in a other post on this also. Thanks

[Lkmbjb502]

My 2022 Z21xl trailer had about 10-12k miles on it (I trailer a lot) in the last 10 months...zero issues and I check my hubs for heat at every gas stop. About 3 weeks ago I had my boat in for routine motor once-over and oil change at my local BPS that i trust and had serviced my 2011 Nitro Z8 for years. I was alerted about the service bulletin and they performed the update on the hubs as required.

I made made it about 700-800 more miles before I lost a hub via a total failure halfway through a 90 mile trip. Hub destroyed the axle, ate into the caliper and the wheel was only held on by the pads against the rotor (castle nut was totally gone). Scratched up the wheel but not a huge deal as it will be covered by the new center cap (old one was basically melted).

Was only going about 55-60 on a limited access road but could have been much worse on the interstate at 75 with bumps, no telling if the wheel would have stayed on. After limping home i checked another hub (that was warm) and it had a small amount of water in it. My BPS (again who has always done great work) apologized repeatedly but i believe trying to reseat the bearing must have damaged the seals. Now I am waiting for parts - no word yet on how long that will take. Hopefully everyone else's experience with this update is more positive than mine.

Good luck.

-Jonathan

[DavL]

Jonathan - You and I had purchased our 2022 Z21XL's about the same time last year. Like you, I had no issues with my hubs but took it in to BPS as a precaution last Friday. I watched the tech perform the resetting of bearings and nut. he was very nervous as he did the work and I felt like some thing was not quite right. He said everything was fine and I did watch him torque the hub, back the nut off and re-snug. The grease looked fine no water, no evidence of burnt grease and no metal shavings. I checked the hubs several times on the way home and they were warmer then before I had the service but not burning or too hot to touch. I did more research when I got home (which I should have done before going), and found he did not jack the trailer up, did not spin the tire while applying torque, did not add additional new grease, and used the ratchet to snug fit the castle nut after fully backing the nut off from the 50 lbs torque setting. My primary concern is that he may not have applied even torque on the bearings and that the castle nut may be on too tight.

The tech told me he had just retired from military service (not a mechanic MOS) and only been at the job 3 months. I am a bit concerned that I need to redo this myself. I am no expert but somewhat handy around the garage and can certainly follow a set of instructions. I am going to jack up each axel with wheel off the ground, spin the wheel and check for play and free spin then proceed from there. Thank you for your note and word of caution. I think these jobs are being given to low level folks that may not be well trained or cut corners. For everyone else, best to double check the work that was done and ensure the wheel is not too tight or loose. Also recommend checking and adding proper grease as part of your routine maintenance.

- dave

[KCLOST]

My tech. did not torque to 50 lbs to seat the bearings. But everything looked good, no water, good grease, no tire wiggle....

[KCLOST]

Do you know the name of the metal caps he used on your hubs ? I' m looking for them also. I asked someone in a other post on this also. Thanks

The part# is TR353834

[Mcjenson]

My tech. did not torque to 50 lbs to seat the bearings. But everything looked good, no water, good grease, no tire wiggle....

Probably the correct procedure. I think re-seating the bearings on a set of hubs that were already properly installed could lead to issues like Jonathon had. I think for most guys with decent mechanical skills, it'd be easier just to check for tire wiggle and pop the caps off and check the grease condition at home.

[Lkmbjb502]

DavL/Mcjenson - 100% agreed had I known the details of the procedure, I would have talked to tech about skipping the retorque-ing portion. The process to check OR swap a failing (not failed) Vortex hub is super easy job (can be a bit messy). I have swapped a few over the years - I had only one legitimately (?) fail after about 60k miles with a very bent/unbalanced wheel (my fault probably for running it that way for 4-5 years - just had my Tire guy keep adding weights to the rim). I did have another Vortex fail when I somehow at a ramp picked up about 10 feet of 20lb mono wrapped around it and burned the seal (doubt any hub would have survived that). Both of those were 10 min R/R in my driveway - but could have done them road-side if required. I do carry a spare Vortex hub for longer trips - but this time it would have done me zero good due to the catastrophic nature of this failure/damage to the axle.

The new axles come with Hub's already attached - and since I will probably end up with 3 new hubs (2 on the new axle and one replaced for water intrusion) - I plan to check all of them for fitment when get home (only about 10-15 mins from BPS) and replace the one remaining hub with a brand new one. I trailer way too much a long way from home, solo, at night and sometimes in areas that I don't really want to stop on the side of the road - so it's worth it to me to know what I am running. Really makes me want to swap the entire Leaf spring Axles out for Torsion Axles (what most Rangers have) with replace-able stub axles - I have researched it. That would be a 10 min, no-mess swap just about anywhere when one failed - oh well, maybe another day (especially if I get stranded).

Still waiting to hear back how long it will take to get parts but in today's world who knows.

Good luck.

-Jonathan

[DavL]

Jonathan - My best on speedy fix so you can get back on the water. Talked to my BPS guys today - good folks and willing to make it right but, I am doing the inspection and adjustments myself. Not worth the 3 hour R/T to BPS and $90 in gas. Took a quick break after doing the first one. Not too tight but, I did have to back it off a bit also the tech did not put any new grease in and it needed it. Truth be known, I am too old to be crawling around on the ground doing this stuff. At least I know it will be right. Good luck to you.
-dave

[Lkmbjb502]

DavL,

Appreciate it and agree that I am too old to be broken down on side of the road at 11pm at night. Warranty is great to have but doesn't help much then.

Good luck.

-Jonathan

[Pat Dilling]

Just took our 2021 Z19 in for the recall. Our local BPS in Rocklin, CA did the work while we waited, did not even unhook the boat from our truck! Great service! Found a couple that were looser than should be and a cracked cap. Cap replaced and metal caps are on order and will be installed at the next service. On the road again with confidence.

[chevy50999]

The part# is TR353834

I looked up this part number TR35384 but they only show plastic dexter caps. I thought it was a metal one ?

[reelman]

My 2022 Z18 was checked quickly...they torqued 2 hubs to 50# and I left...60 mi round trip but that is that!
Told me they did 4 that day...

[MoStratos]

Took my ‘22 Nitro Z21XL trailer in for check over after receiving recall notice. Got notice Monday, made appointment for Friday, took them 1 hour to look at everything. No issues with mine. Jet-A-Marine in Calvert City, Ky. is my dealer. Great service!

[AZcal2021]

Got my 2021 Z20 Pro back yesterday from Tracker Marine here in Mesa, AZ. I was 3/4. One bearing had to be replaced the tech told me because it was over-torqued during assembly and wasn't sitting correctly. Replaced it to be on the safe side they told me. Dropped my boat off at 9am and done by noon. The shop said they are doing 5 recall checks a day since letters went out.

Next, I will take my rig to my personal boat mechanic's shop so he can check things over too.

[Lkmbjb502]

Per post above Dropped mine off at BPS on 6/27...had my new axle that week...but had to wait on Caliper and Rotor...I called last week they said "still waiting, nothing had shipped"...BPS called today and parts have shipped hopefully will have the boat back Friday. We'll see.

Good luck.

-Jonathan

[DavL]

Sorry to hear you had to wait so long for the boat repair Jonathan. Hope you are able to get back on the water this weekend. You are always welcome to join me if you are in the Manassas Virginia area.

[Lkmbjb502]

Did get my boat back on Friday am. The Brake caliper and rotor were apparently the harder parts to get. Axles/my axle came fully dressed with hubs and I believe leaf springs installed (making it an easy install m sure) - those were available the first week.

I made a 185 mile round trip yesterday in 94-99 degree heat(pretty much worse case)...no issues but as we know time will tell.

Good luck.

-Jonathan