Servicing my hotshot trailer hubs and brake pads, new tires for the truck

[@nathanurick8320]

I Watch a lot of your videos and I like how your not afraid to work, this trailer work you just done saved you a ton of money.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! It did save me money but Inlost a week of work because of it but at least I know I did a good job and I don’t have to worry about a shop doing a job that I’d have to redo later.

[@paulrockwood371]

​@Mr.AlexKogan thanks for the videos man. Very inspiring and informational. We've got the same temperament and I enjoy working on my own stuff whenever possible to bot only save money and do a job I know the results of, but also for a good challenge and enjoyment. What do you figure that service job on the trailer would have cost at a shop? And what kind of turnaround time vs you doing it? I've been interested in hotshot trucking for a couple years now. Wife and kids so now isn't the best time but maybe someday.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@paulrockwood371 Thank you. I’ve been told that hub service and oil is around a grand and I’m not sure how much brakes would be additional. I’d say $1000-1500 total. I don’t know what the turn around is. Never asked.

[@M.J.212]

This is the first H/S video where I've seen relevant maintenance issues, thank you for the educational content.

[@jessie7453]

Nothing like doing it yourself reinsuring that it’s done correctly. But it is a pain in the butt. Awesome video like always. Safe travels!

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! Yes I love to do it myself to be sure it’s done properly but man it sure is a pain the the butt. Also very time consuming.

[@Knight-w1s]

Hello Alex I’ve seen your videos and truly enjoy how calm and collective you are.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you!

[@scottgibson789]

Appreciate the videos. I ended up packing my wheel bearings in grease. I Got tired of loosing wheel seals. I actually packed two to see if there was a temperature difference. The packed ones felt cooler than the oil bath. Honestly I wouldn’t have thought that.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

If you are loosing oil seals when running hub oil then there’s a problem somewhere. You shouldn’t loose oil if everything is in good operating condition. I’m not sure what type of trailer you have but my specific axles call for oil so I’ll never consider grease. 🤷‍♂️

[@fordmuscleluis9710]

Glad you got your hotshot gooseneck trailer serviced new brakes etc not bad at all

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Yes. It was time for it. 👍🏻

[@thehillbillyhermit7681]

Being an ASE certified mechanic for several years, I always called the part that the caliper bolts to the Caliper Carrier.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

On Dexter installation instructions and parts sheet they have it labeled as a yoke. 🤷‍♂️

[@thehillbillyhermit7681]

@@Mr.AlexKogan Good to know. All my experience and knowledge comes from automotive and light/medium duty trucks. At any rate, nice to see people doing some of their own maintenance and showing others how to do the job. Good video.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@thehillbillyhermit7681 Thank you! I prefer to do my own work because I know I’ll get it done right unless it’s something I have no experience in.

[@siklykekb]

That was some hella work on those hubs and brakes! Awesome job dude!

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

It was my first time doing hubs so it was an experience. Took longer than planned but that’s due to the cold weather and a few little hiccups that slowed us down. Thanks to my dad for helping me as well.

[@JustinMettleMcMahan]

Thats some tough ass work, but somebody has to do it. 🤘💪

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Yes sir 👍🏻

[@BigDaddyChumChum]

Salute to u sir. Saving urself hundreds labor costs doing urself. I actually enjoy (most part) working on my vehicle. I know its right. Alot of the time i find a video such as yours before do8ng any work I dont care how many times i may have done something, i always find newest video watch. 99% time, i find someone doing did it better Of coarse great advantage doing myself is how i clean everything bwfore reinstalling. Pressure wash grease etc looks new when done. Most of the time. Not all Thanks 4 content. Thoroughly enjoyed. I love ur patience demeanor. Im think8ng how well hes controlling his emotions patience etc. Im not as good with that. 54 dollars bolt would have been few f words etc. LOL be safe my friend

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! Yes I like doing most of my own maintenance for the piece of mind that it’ll be done correctly and neat. That bolt price had me cursing off video though. That price is outrageous 🤣

[@truckertavis]

I just did the axle seals on my truck yesterday. Was gonna have a shop do them, decided to learn how to do them myself and save some money. And good ol discount tire. Use to work at one haha

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Nice! It’s always good to learn to do maintenance yourself because it’s your truck and trailer and no one cares about them as much as you do so you’ll always do a better job than any shop ever will.

[@truckertavis]

@@Mr.AlexKogan couldn’t agree more! I’m not a big gear head so it’s fun learning. I’ll come back to this video when I do my trailer axles. Appreciate you!

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@truckertavis no problem. Let me know if you have any questions when you do your service.

[@АхметовТигрлан]

Очень поучительное видео, скоро я тоже покупаю новый трейлер.

[@brandonwest9637]

Great video! I am getting ready to do the same maintenance, and this video helps. Thank you. I am changing my hubcaps to the Valcrum Hubcaps, which are supposedly more durable and less plastic.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! Vulcrum caps are nice but the only thing I don’t like is they have a small see through window to see fluid. Really hard to see it. Let me know if I can be of any help if you have questions on your hub service.

[@Blue_Sky_Hotshots]

@@Mr.AlexKogan this is the exact same reason I haven’t swapped mine out. I’ve never had issues with the plastic covers and I can see exactly what’s going on with my hub oil.

[@alexisalainnangkil]

You defly cant beat free tires! 😅Thats very deligent for properly maintaining your rig, cheap insurance. Hey alex if you ever need an extra hand give me a beep im from sullivan,mo

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Definitely can’t beat 6 free tires. Especially Michelin. Will definitely hit you up if I ever need some help. Thank you!

[@grantmarut7488]

Good job Alex did my trailer also last week

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! You did hubs ?

[@BigDaddyChumChum]

The block of wood u used to prevent your wheel hub from moving was genius my friend. Thats a first. Freaking brilliant coming up with that I thought to myself wow, this man like myself, works alone.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! 🙂👍🏻

[@grantmarut7488]

Got mine done also and sold the old ones on market place 😊

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

You sold what on marketplace?

[@glennjukes5581]

Nice work--and save a lot of money. It helps that you know your equipment well enough to understand what to do if you have z breakdown. I would buy one or two of those clear plastic caps/ rubber fill caps to have on the road in case another one breaks. Always good to have a spare on hand--if you never use it--you are still ahead of the game. On thr road in bad weather w/ a load on and a time frame is NOT the time to find parts.🤐🤐 My experiences in the towing business for years.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! Yes you are correct about spare parts. I did buy a spare cap and also I have a few other spare parts for the hubs just in case. Never know what might happen on the road. 👍🏻

[@patrickcarcamo622]

Go with Valcrum caps.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@patrickcarcamo622 I thought about that but it’s so hard to see the oil level through the little see through part on the Vulcrums.

[@nicolasmartinez1693]

Hello. Have a quick question for you. I have a towable generator in Granite City, Illinois that needs to be shipped to Nacogdoches, TX this week. What website would be good to book something like this?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

I don’t know what website you can post it on. All I know are load boards. Truckstop, DAT.

[@harleyhoracio1]

I know you’re a particular guy and so am I, but if I was going through all the work I would have taken the hubs to someone to mic the rotors to ensure there’s enough material left. If so, I would have had them resurfaced. I would have also cleaned the brake caliper slides and lubed them up. Not the end of the world, but something to consider next go-around if you end up doing it again. Even though it’s a pita, saving all that labor money and knowing that it’s done right by you is well worth it in my opinion. Nice manly work you did there and hell of a score on the tires! 👏

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! To machine the rotors I’d have to unbolt them from the hub itself and that’s something I don’t want to do because you have to re torque it and it’s not something that you can get the torque wrench into. I cleaned the rotors up and they looked good. Probably can’t tell in the video. There were no uneven spots that you could feel with bare hand. I did clean the slides with a wire round brush just didn’t show that in the video. Had to get all the crap outbid there to install all new brings in the area where slider bolts go into. I did lube everything up. You must have missed that part of the video 😁 I used caliper lubricant on the slider bolts and the area where they slide into.

[@harleyhoracio1]

@@Mr.AlexKogan Rotors can’t be terribly expensive, maybe consider replacing the next go-around for peace of mind. 🙂

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@harleyhoracio1 $200-250 each. I’d say that’s not cheap.

[@harleyhoracio1]

@@Mr.AlexKogan By the time 200k miles roll over, it’ll be in a drop in bucket. Can’t put a price on safety. When I installed my winter tires on my Ram 2500, I noticed cracks in my rear rotors, not heat checks, but rather multiple cracks that followed the cooling fins inside the rotors. I never would have known it until they let go.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@harleyhoracio1 I agree. Cant put a price on safety. That’s why I inspected the rotors thoroughly before reassembling everything.

[@Happ1971]

Good day Alex .. How many miles do you usually put on the trailer before a complete overhaul like this on the trailer? Nm .. you stated 130k at end!

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@Happ1971 I think 50k is a good number to do this service for the hubs and brake pads, as they get low.

[@gatorfdx]

It's about time you get back to work... I was afraid that you were going to make another "pool & donuts" video! 😅 Honestly, you haven't missed much. I just did the yearly maintenance on my rig as well, imagine if we had to pay someone to do it... Anyway, at home until Monday morning. Talk with you soon, stay safe Alex! (If something happens to you, many donut shops will be out of business) 😂😅

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Haha. I’d rather do a donuts and pool video but I’m sure that’s now what the viewers want to see. 🤣 I do need to get back to work. 2 weeks off is enough. Well one off and one semi off, working on the trailer. It would be expensive to have someone do the maintenance and no telling how good of a job they’d do. I prefer to do it myself because I know it’ll be done right. Enjoy your weekend David. Talk to you soon 🙂

[@martinledesma8843]

@Mr.AlexKogan Sorry if you've answered these questions already, but can you share the specs on your trailer? I have the exact same truck and I'm trying to decide on a trailer for hotshot. Also, what does your home time look like? Do you stay out a certain amount of time or until you reach a certain gross amount for the month then decide to take time off or is there a certain way you choose to do it? Thanks in advance! Love the videos! Keep up the awesome work!

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! My trailer is a PJ 40ft with monster ramps and air ride. Has a lift axle. Max payload is 15,800 I believe when trailer is completely empty without any securement equipment in it. It weighs 10,000lb. Has electric over hydraulic disk brakes.

[@martinledesma8843]

@@Mr.AlexKogan Thanks for the fast response! Is there a specific reason you went with this trailer? I was looking at the tow guide chart for the 22' RAM 3500 and it allows a trailer weight rating up to 34k#. So from the looks of it, you can scale up to a trailer with a GVWR of 30k#. Given your experience on the road with your RAM and PJ setup, would you consider something with a bit more higher in GVWR like the FMAX216? Or do you feel it would be too much trailer?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@martinledesma8843 Diamond C is a great trailer but on the expensive side. Depending what that trailer weighs. I don’t ever like to max out my trucks towing capacity because you’ll wear out your engine and transmission a lot quicker. Plus these higher weight loads don’t necessarily pay much more.

[@martinledesma8843]

@@Mr.AlexKogan I see what you mean, it is important to not put too much unnecessary stress on your engine and transmission. The FMAX 216 has a weight range between 7500 - 12770 lbs. I just thought maybe it would expand your customer base and open you up to more loads by having a higher GVWR of 30k#.

[@marcelfavoretto2566]

Excellent job Alex, just curious, have you got an idea how much money did you save doing it by yourself ?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! Maybe around $1k

[@michaelrichardson7792]

Hey how's it going i was wondering who and how much was your insurance a year ? If you don't mind and thank you .

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@michaelrichardson7792 Right now It’s $13k per year through Progressive.

[@Knight-w1s]

Wanted to know Alex if you would consider adding a none experience driver to your company. Like how you started with. Experience and the ins and outs of course I understand time is money man your great I’m here also in Florida Miami.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

I’m a one truck one person company. I don’t have a truck to add someone to unfortunately.

[@richardbarkley9909]

Do you run metal bolt-in valve stems? Have you ever tried balancing beads in your tires? I run Counteract beads in my F350 and never have to worry about re-balancing for the life of the tires.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Some wheels have bolt in valve stems and some have regular ones. The rear liters are the only ones with bolt in valve stems. I’ve never tried balancing beads. Heard too many stories that they clump up together and become an issue. I think all my vibrations were coming from my trailer when my trailer shocks were worn out and the tires being work out prob have something to do with it as well. I may try to have the trailer wheels balanced next time I get new tires or get those centramatic rings for it.

[@scottgibson789]

What size tarps you using. I bought two 20x24 and there just to big. I can’t catch one side of the d rings if it’s not a very tall load.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

My tarps are 18 and 27 ft long and they both have a 6ft drop so they are both 20ft wide. It is tough to catch the d rings unless the load has a little height to it. I agree.

[@CSell-qi4ds]

How many miles before you had to swap out brake pads?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@CSell-qi4ds honestly I don’t remember but I believe over 100K

[@MATTHEW-m2d]

how many miles would you say to do your trailer services at ?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

I’ve been told mixed information so I have no idea who to believe. Trailer place says do hub oil change every 15k miles but that would be every 2 months or so. I’d say every 50k take the hubs off and clean and inspect the bearings and fill new oil but double check with a few trailer shops to see what they say.

[@ralphbarba1742]

What type of Michelin tires are those?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

LTX A/T 2. They ride really well. So far.

[@Dirtydieseltech]

Silicone on the wheal seal is crazy red silicone at that you won’t see a leak till too late

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

If there’s a leak there’s a leak. You’ll see it. It’s a tiny bit of RTV silicone gasket as recommended by Dexter in their instructions of installing a hub seal. Everything was done per Dexter instructions. If you don’t see a leak, means nothing is leaking past the the gasket so nothing to worry about. That seal is so tight to get into the hub that the gasket probably makes no difference at all.

[@АхметовТигрлан]

Размер шины какой брат бой? Благодарю 🙏

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

235/80/17 truck.

[@richardbarkley9909]

Are your truck & trailer tires the same size? if so I wouldn't see any reason you couldn't put them on there and run some more miles...

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

No. They are different size.

[@tg9388]

Best ever video on trailer hub change.... Did you always have those hubs or did you upgrade last year? While looking at trailers the sales guy tells me go with oil over grease but then I see hotshot guys say they prefer grease... Any advice is one better over the other or same just difference maintenance and cost factor? Those tires look nice I just had my set replaced when I hit 100k miles

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! Original hubs. Dexter recommends oil in these hubs. Lucas hub oil is probably the most popular hub oil you’ll find. Inexpensive as well. The hubs don’t take much at all. One bottle will last you several services. I’m not sure why someone would prefer grease because when you service hubs, grease is a lot harder to clean out.

[@tg9388]

@@Mr.AlexKogan yes, yeah thanks for the update. That’s what’s confusing because I went to the trailer place that you told me about and as I stopped at different locations, I actually got different perspectives on which one was better which one required more maintenance which one cost more which didn’t line up when I compared what they were saying.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@tg9388 I’d go with what the manufacturer recommends. I’ve always used Lucas hub oil. 130k and no issues. I’ve changed it once. This is the second time. All my bearings were in good shape.

[@christhomas9837]

If this is the first time you've taken the caliper bolts out I'm sure very little grease/lube was used at the factory. Next time should be a little easier. Tires are a crazy price like everything these days. $1500 might be a little low.

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

I couldn’t get one of the nuts off the caliper bolts. I even used my impact that’s rated at braking 1600 ft lb. That couldn’t break it off. Yeah I low balled the tires. They are $2200 for 6. $360 each on tire rack.

[@experiencemiami]

How often do you do the trailer hubs?

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

This is actually the first time I took everything apart. I did fluid drain and fill previously once.

[@jerrodg938]

Hey Alex . How long do tires usually last with all the miles you drive

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

It’ll probably vary between tire brands. The ones that are on my trailer are 14ply and I have 130k on them. They are ready to be replaced. They still have a little tread but very minimal. The 14ply tires will easily last at least 100k miles.

[@jerrodg938]

@Mr.AlexKogan oh ok cool . Tires are expensive. I think two tires in my area for car run from $200 -$400 easy

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

@@jerrodg938 16” 14ply trailer tires are average $250 before installation.

[@nathanurick8320]

Your guess on the price of the new tires isn’t even close, try $3000

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

$360 each on tire rack so just under $2200 for 6.

[@scienceobrien8335]

Impressive work and not a spot on your shoes!!

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Thank you! I’m very careful 😁

[@joedurso5192]

Doesn’t look like the brakes are working or working well…so much rust on the rotor faces. Heavy rust too….not just surface rust if it was sitting for a week or 2

[@Mr.AlexKogan]

Brakes were working fine. Trailer was sitting over a week after going through salty roads and freezing weather. Didn’t get a chance to go through a wash before parking it.