In mid-to-late May, I brought the Apache into the garage to replace the wheel bearings all around (again, for the one we did in MX), remove a leaf from the spring packs, and generally tune up the moving parts of the slide out beds and tent support bars.
I wanted to be sure I had the right tools in my truck’s kit to replace the Apache’s bearings, in case I ever had to do that again in the backcountry. It’s not the most graceful way to replace bearings, but I ended up moving a sledge hammer and a chisel from the home tool kit to the truck tool kit. I also now have backup bearings, races, and grease seals in the trailer’s kit.
I removed one leaf from the spring packs. The whole thing still seems oversprung to me and I think I could take out one more leaf. I’m running the E rated tires at 16psi on the highway and 10psi on the trails and it seems to do okay, but bouncy and the tires seem to do most of the suspension work instead of the springs. Shocks would be cool...
Finally, the bed slides and tent support bars... We worked a few old fasteners loose of dirt roads in MX, but after this educational thread (clicky) on Loctite vs Nylock, I got a bunch of little bolts replaced with 1/4 20 Nylock fasteners - no more loosening fasteners.
Back in Nov 2019, I got two replacement tent support bar stays from Apache Replacement Parts LLC, they were a great replacement part so I ordered the remainder (four more) in Dec 2019. After dicking around with Apache Replacement Parts LLC’s **************** and lies for 6 months they finally sent them... only the box they sent arrived empty (they didn’t even bother to tape the box up) and they stopped returning my calls. I filed a CC dispute, but likely too much time has passed, so I’ll probably be screwed out of a little north of $100. Live and learn.
What to do next?
I have a buddy that is a machinist and can weld so I asked what he thought about my problem. Of course, he had a simple, bombproof solution:
Apache original on the left. Aforementioned BS company the center. My buddy’s version on the right.
We also added some anti-fatigue mat under the mattresses, as suggested in this thread (clicky).
You can also see the new stay braces in place too.
Finally, we replaced the original canvas with new canvas from Bear Creek Canvas. That’s a ************ company, they did a great job. It’s so nice to have windows and screens that actually open.
I wanted to be sure I had the right tools in my truck’s kit to replace the Apache’s bearings, in case I ever had to do that again in the backcountry. It’s not the most graceful way to replace bearings, but I ended up moving a sledge hammer and a chisel from the home tool kit to the truck tool kit. I also now have backup bearings, races, and grease seals in the trailer’s kit.
I removed one leaf from the spring packs. The whole thing still seems oversprung to me and I think I could take out one more leaf. I’m running the E rated tires at 16psi on the highway and 10psi on the trails and it seems to do okay, but bouncy and the tires seem to do most of the suspension work instead of the springs. Shocks would be cool...
Finally, the bed slides and tent support bars... We worked a few old fasteners loose of dirt roads in MX, but after this educational thread (clicky) on Loctite vs Nylock, I got a bunch of little bolts replaced with 1/4 20 Nylock fasteners - no more loosening fasteners.
Back in Nov 2019, I got two replacement tent support bar stays from Apache Replacement Parts LLC, they were a great replacement part so I ordered the remainder (four more) in Dec 2019. After dicking around with Apache Replacement Parts LLC’s **************** and lies for 6 months they finally sent them... only the box they sent arrived empty (they didn’t even bother to tape the box up) and they stopped returning my calls. I filed a CC dispute, but likely too much time has passed, so I’ll probably be screwed out of a little north of $100. Live and learn.
What to do next?
I have a buddy that is a machinist and can weld so I asked what he thought about my problem. Of course, he had a simple, bombproof solution:
Apache original on the left. Aforementioned BS company the center. My buddy’s version on the right.
We also added some anti-fatigue mat under the mattresses, as suggested in this thread (clicky).
You can also see the new stay braces in place too.
Finally, we replaced the original canvas with new canvas from Bear Creek Canvas. That’s a ************ company, they did a great job. It’s so nice to have windows and screens that actually open.
