Dreaded King Pins..

I paid $1000 for my Meritor kingpins last Aug. Set of Dunlop steers were another $1000. Add the alignment an oil change etc, all told it came to $2600 that day. I got lucky. Only my pushings were bad and needed to be replaced. Had the kingpin itself been bad, it would have been an additional $1000 for a new complete front axle.

 

The pricy sounds to cheap. I did mine myself and spent that much with the Kaiser kits. I took my axle out and to a machine shop, paid 500 to have it bored and bushed, bought the Kaiser kits for 400, and paid 200 for 3 axle alignment. That's total 1100 with me doing most of the work myself.

 

I installed Kaiser king pin with a buddy of mine over at a friends garage in Dibble, OK. I believe it came out at $380 or so w/ Landstar discount over at OKC Kenworth. I was expecting the wheels to fall out any minute, coming out onto a paved road. That was April of last year and still holding my breath....I mean, the front end on my truck is still there...I think.

 

You do not normally need a alignment with just kingpins, but would really recommend one with boring and bushing the axle. Besides an alignment is almost always a good thing for tires.

 

1.4 million ? is that normal ? I'm at almost 1.1 and I grease the hell out of my truck. I hope to get better than another 300 K outa them, maybe I'm unrealistic. Anybody do much better ?

This is the first truck I've ever been in that didn't have odd tire wear, and I don't want to touch a thing .

 

Some trucks go well over a million, especially if greased on a regular basis. I beleive it also has to do with the weight on the front. I just installed the third set on this peterbilt at 1.7 million but I run right at 12,400 on the front end all the time and it is only rated at 12K.
I had a Freightliner Century few years back that you couldn't get more than 11,600 on the steers yet it was rated at 12,600 and kingpins lasted quite a bit longer.

 

It alwasy best to grease them with the weight off, they'll last longer, same as everthing else. Get the weight off springs, release brakes, ect. before greasing.

 

No, it is always best to grease them per the manufacturer's instructions. My Eaton axles were to be jacked up. My Rockwell says to stay on the ground. But they do get greased about every 6,500 miles.

 

I'll see your kingpins and raise you a cracked frame rail.

Semi-annuals SUCK.

 

Jacking up the axle to grease, if you do that it limits the amount of grease that cleans the shims on the top and alows the grease to bypass the bearing and come out above the seal plate. Leave the weight on them. the spring pins especially the front axle rear pins should be greased weekly.
When you are stopped, and waiting grease the front end and the "U" joints one pump. It will save you a lot of money, and look it over every piece front bumper to the tail lights, that may save you a fine or even you life.
Just a thought!
I worked at a truck dealership, 20 years, and can count on one hand the number of people that ever asked if they could grease or check over their truck.