Trailer question?? Replacing rollers.

[glacierbaze]

I am replacing 14 rollers on my trailer. I use 8 inch rollers, with doughnuts on the outsides of the brackets. Because of rust, and the fact that the caps are recessed into the end of the doughnuts, I had to cut the caps off with a Dremel. Then the shafts were so rusty and swollen inside the rollers that I had to cut the inserts out of the end of the rollers with a chisel to get the shafts out. ALL DONE!

My question is, is there any reason that I cannot use a large washer and a stainless cotter key on one end of the shaft, instead of the press-on palnuts, or caps. That would make it easier to change rollers, and to pull the shafts out once a year and grease them. I have already drilled a hole thru all the shafts about 1/4 inch from one end, and I was going to put them on that way tomorrow, unless someone tells me why I shouldn't. Thanks.

[24 Albie]

On my last trailer that's exactly the way my rollers were. Pulling a cotter key is a lot easier than beating one of those caps off.

[Snow Shovel]

My rollers were put on with stainless steel bolts and locking nuts. No caps; no cotter pins.

[Ol' Norse]

Mine uses washers and cotters. Just replaced a few of them a month or so ago.

[ChemGuy]

All EZ-Loaders use a hog ring:



I don't see why a cotter pin wouldn't work.

[glacierbaze]

Thanks.

[lawaia]

Suggest you use stainless roller shafts with stainless washers and cotter pins. Lot less corrosion so no swelling inside rollers, hence easier to remove if ever need to. Also suggest using the polyurethane rollers instead of the black rubber ones. The poly roller/stainless shaft combination has worked very well out here in 100% salt water use; the rollers all still roll freely more than a year after having to cut out the black rubber/plated shaft rollers like you did.