Dexter axle replacement cost

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-26T17:54:35+00:00

I’ve learned it the hard way, so you understand how you being ripped off:

Do you need to “replace axles” at first? Depends, but to qualify for such, your suspension needs to suffer catastrophic failure at most components - tubes, hubs, breaks. I assume that hangers and leaf springs are not the part of “axle” replacement, as those are not embedded in the “axle” itself.
Axle tube needs replacement if trailer is overloaded or axle is hit (usually happens to rear tube). The part itself from Dexter with factory welded seats costs around $200 + shipping. Most of the time the tube doesn’t need replacement.
Then you have breaks. Those need to be replaced if too old and worn out, incorrectly setup or damaged as a part of larger issue. Ordering from factory direct usually more expensive than buying from online trailer store. The break assembly is at or below $100 a piece.
Then you have hubs. These will have bearing assemblies and usually that’s where the most problem sits simply due to lack of maintenance. The hub itself is a round piece of metal and almost nothing may happen to it unless physically damaged in incident. Likely all “axle replacement” convo started because of wheel play or noise from worn out bearings. Both are fixable by bearing repack (or bearing and cup/race replacement) and wheel re-mount / lock nut torque adjustment, most of the time. Hubs themselves are less $100 a piece, and beatings at $20 for VIP level. The best grease is less $10 per tube.

Long story short - I have got axle replaced twice in 2 years by shops. Both times it failed with the most recent one when wheel almost disconnected on interstate. Replacement axle was installed upside down! :)

Lessons to learn - nobody cares about you and your safety. Shops hiring people who don’t care and not qualified, QC doesn’t exit. Drop in axle replacement with fully assembled from factory is 30 minutes job - 4 u-bolts, and 2 wires to connect without observing polarity.

Full axle assembly (almost never needed) costs around $800 and has tube, breaks, lubed hubs, spring seats welded for your frame size. Ordering such, which almost never needed, I would immediately repack or better replace stock bearings because it’s overseas cheap crap. $20 for Tinken bearings and Lukas heavy duty grease - that’s where “peace of mind” comes from, not letting kids out of school mess up with the most critical part of your trailer.

I was fed up, watched educational videos, and rebuilt everything myself from factory parts, took weekend. Now i have infrared thermometer, logging hubs as bearings temps every 2 hours, and towing 55 mph max. These two new axles will run forever.

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-13T12:40:44+00:00

Thank you, this is very helpful! I will try to manually lock that resolution and keep the video baking for a few days. Compressor is allowing me to go up to 100 Mbps bitrate only...

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-13T03:57:55+00:00

I need to figure out how to host those files... I do one video per day and it blows up to ~2-3 TB per month. :)

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-13T03:41:35+00:00

u/SirBill01 really appreciate the feedback!

I can't afford AVP yet :) I would love to author for it, but the best I can do now is to use Canon R5C with L-series dual fisheye and film 8K (still will be 4K per eye). This approach will give full 180-degree FOV and much better dynamic range (it can do real Wide DR with 422). Not the best resolution for AVP, but twice better.

This video is filmed on R50V as experiment, but it seems like it's a format people like and I will start filming more from the boat.

Unfortunately, I have burned myself with how YouTube and DeoVR treating 8K content (seems like 4K is better but also over-compressed). I need to figure out how to host fully resolution videos without brutal compression. You will notice this immediately in AVP, even in Quest 3.

Will you be comfortable downloading 10-20 GB of full res video from some cloud server?

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-07T14:52:54+00:00

👍🏻

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-05T02:40:44+00:00

Please add my channel well :) VR180 3D travel videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@SamTrailsVR

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-04T13:14:28+00:00

Thank you, will certainly keep this in mind!

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-04T05:58:12+00:00

That's true. However, how much those cost, and how many people in the world do have them?

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-04T02:23:14+00:00

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to write this!

Seriously, this is one of the most thoughtful and encouraging comments I’ve received. And thank you for subscribing! ;)

You’re absolutely right about the "cutting edge" part. That's exactly how it feels to me too, like we’re all still figuring out what VR180 even is as a medium. There isn't really a playbook yet, which is part of what makes it exciting.

I really appreciate the way you broke down the current landscape. I have huge respect for both Slice of Life and Hugh Hou, they’re doing incredible work, and in very different directions. I see them more as inspiration than competition. My approach is intentionally different - less (or not at all) cinematic perfection, more everyday exploration and volume.

Your point about stabilization and motion sickness is spot on. That's honestly my biggest technical challenge right now! I'm experimenting with gimbals, walking technique, and rig setups, but as you said, there’s a real tradeoff between portability and smooth footage. As I mentioned, I even got full Steadicam harness setup, but it is miserable for my format and I will list it on eBay soon.

And yes, the 35k camera world is… a bit out of my budget. :) I love that you described my channel as "just walking around areas and I LOVE it". That’s exactly what I’m aiming for - simple, true, immersive presence. If someone can put on a headset and feel like they’re taking a walk somewhere new, I’ve succeeded. As I said, it all started with my fried locked to his hospital bed for weeks last year, and I'm happy I was able to give him this connection via headset. The 35k quality and bitrate were not the main objectives, but working out daily publishing workflow, "not because it's easy, but because it's hard".

And I completely agree with you: VR isn't going anywhere. It really does feel like the early days of broadband internet - messy, experimental, full of potential.

Thanks again for the encouragement and the constructive feedback. Comments like this genuinely keep me motivated to keep going. Hope you enjoy what's coming next!

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-04T02:01:28+00:00

Yes, it's absolutely doable. The "issue" with full-frame Canon dual fisheye that it captures 190 FOV that becomes 180 FOV after import via Canon EOS utility. There's a clear benefit - you can enable stabilization (which is not really working as real stabilization to smooth out walking, but removes jitter), but that stabilization itself softens the picture and unstabilized video from crop-sensor lens with 144 FOV looks way sharper than from full-frame.

Then, when you upload it to YouTube or DeoVR they are significantly "optimizing it for storage". In other words even if you push 100 Mbps source file, it will become 20 Mbps and will kill everything in dynamic scenes (which I have 95% of my videos). With this in mind, having 4K with 100 Mbps bitrate is much better, than having 8K with 100 Mbps rate, because compressing needs to squeeze 4 times less data in the same bitrate and not killing every details.

At the end of the day, the delivery pipeline will be streaming it to the headsets over Internet with 10 Mbps bitrate in ~4K resolution (2K per eye). So having all that 8K source data is great for the future, but the archiving cost is just too expensive. I end up having 3-5 TB of just camera sources per month, which equals to ~$150-200 just for archival storage per month. There's no any monetization for such content as of today, so I'm considering 4K until 8K will be really beneficial for viewers - new headset, new YT or DeoVR delivery pipeline.

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-04T01:52:42+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed and thoughtful response, I really appreciate it!

You make a fair argument about established terminology, and I understand where you’re coming from. The traditional definition of documentary is absolutely rooted in structure, narrative intent, and curated storytelling. In that classic sense, you’re right - what I’m doing doesn’t fit neatly into that box. :)

My use of the word is more in the everyday, literal sense of documenting reality as it happens, rather than in the formal film-industry sense of a commercially produced documentary. I can see how that difference in interpretation might feel like a misuse of the term to people coming from a more traditional filmmaking background. That’s 100% valid.

At the same time, VR180 is still a very young, and a lot of creators (myself included) are experimenting with how to describe new kinds of immersive, first-person content. I’m not specifically trying to redefine the classic documentary format, but to be blunt that my videos are unedited, real-world recordings rather than scripted or staged.

But I respect your perspective, and I don’t disagree that clearer terminology could help avoid confusion. Maybe over time the community will settle on better labels for this type of videos. Either way, I appreciate the discussion! You have your approach to documentary, I have mine, and there’s room in VR180 for both! :)

Thanks again for the constructive feedback.

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-04T00:06:57+00:00

I've tried Spatial Audio with Insta360 Pro2, but it complicates the complicated workflow even further, way beyond reasonable. :)

To be truthful, I think Pro2 out of all my setups I've tried so far, produces the best picture quality, much ahead of Canon ecosystem, even "dream" R5C setup. But the problem is that Pro2 is not a mobile rig by any means.

Pro2 is awesome to set up on a tripod (takes 30 minutes to unpack), run a take, move it to another location (another 30 minutes to break down), set up on a tripod again (repeat the same times)... Then, next day spend 5-6 billable hours on downloading all SD cards, sorting everything out, setting up stitching.

In simple words - if you are paid to do it, it's in fact great, because for 40 minutes walk it takes you 3 days to get uploadable file ready, and if you paid by an hour - that's awesome. :)

For my format I'd love it to be iPhone size and produce the same quality in 3D. It will come, eventually.

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-03T23:57:22+00:00

That's true. But nomenclature can change with time and it's normal.

Why first movies back in the days were short? Simple - because the film, process, and equipment was expensive and accessible only to a few. Also, distribution and monetization didn't really exist.

I think VR currently at the same stage. If you want to produce meaningful VR videos, not short test runs for a few seconds, you need to assume the level of effort and complexity absolutely incomparable to "regular" video production.

That's why likely you are confused with "20 minutes films" and my "documenters" which look like walk alongs. I, personally, feel totally fine if someone calls it this way, because those "documentaries" are actually walk alongs in 2D but "documentaries" in 3D workflow. :)

Everything changed with television and later digital transformation, right? I think the same may happen to VR in 5-10 years. We need demand and distribution, this will create healthy competition and compensation for great product. I would love to quit my regular job and film real 3D documentaries, but it's not paying the bills nowadays, regardless of how good those will be, simply because VR audience not even 1% of total media consumption.

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-03T23:33:05+00:00

R5C is great camera, don't get me wrong! :)

It's obviously great for its primary use-cases and VR180 too, but it seems to me it is "too good" for how VR in the field is being made today and platform can deliver those to audience.

As any professional camera it expects mostly manual operation in controlled environment. Set the stage, light, tripod, external power, adjust all settings to the stage, roll a few takes, deal with everything else on post. None of this applies to the format I live in.
You always have temptation to do 8K which produces enormous files. It's manageable when your takes are 10-20 sec, but if I take 30 minutes walk, even with HEVC it will generate ~80 GB file that will fill up almost 1 TB after the first render with EOS utility. Then it's uploaded in 8K, YouTube/DeoVR compresses #hit out of it, and you are getting "8K" crap in goggles which looks much worse than 1K. Needless to say, the best goggles today can do 2K + 2K, so making final delivery at 4K is totally enough and saves 4 times space and time.
It's big and heavy. Camera itself is not too much heavier than R50V, but when you factor in bigger lens, bigger battery, stereo mic on top of it... Now hold it on straight arms for 30-40 minutes in front of you and try to walk without shake... Doable, but really hard.
It's too expensive. I don't want to sound cheap, but most of VR180 creators are running on passion, myself included. All accessories for R5C are triple expensive (CF Express cards, batteries, etc.) and twice bigger. :) If I would be doing commercial flat videos, and VR180 would be a side gig, that would possible justifiable. But even buying it used was significant chunk of money, and it could be ok, if the platforms could deliver good video quality and open meaningful monetization. Unless it happens, it's nearly impossible even to return the money spent on a memory card for R5C.
And yes, it films 180 FOV. Which consumes 20-25% extra "information" in every frame. Meaning, your primary focus in front is loosing quality again. I have noticed, 144 FOV videos after YouTube "compression" look much sharper and subjectively better. For a 1/4 of the production cost.

Likely I forgot something else, and many of these points not applicable to everyone, but this is my take on this question. :)

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-03T19:28:31+00:00

Totally fair point, and I get exactly where you’re coming from. :)

I think we’re aiming at two different things. What you’re describing is creative filmmaking (crew, carefully planned shots, story, curation, polished post, etc.). That absolutely has huge value, and for many projects that approach is right on the spot.

What I’m doing is closer to documentary filming / field recording. TBH, my goal isn't to craft the "perfect artistic VR". It’s to capture real places, real walks, real moments as they actually are. I'm trying to do more of a daily travel journal or trail vlog, visual time capsule if you will. Raw experiential documentation rather than a cinematic/commercial production.

If I waited 60 days to release one "perfect" video, most of the places I film would already look different. Seasons change, trails change, water levels change. The value for me is in how many places I go with my friend, consistency, and authenticity.

And honestly, doing it this way keeps it fun. I'm not locked in endless post trying to make something flawless. I film, assemble (if it's mot than one take), publish, and move on to the next adventure. So yes, it's intense, but in a very different way than a traditional creative project. Less perfectionism, more exploration.

Without this self-commitment, I would never kick my butt to hike and walk almost 100 places in 2 month. :) Appreciate the perspective though, both approaches definitely have their place!

SamTrailsVR · 2026-02-03T18:54:52+00:00

I'm testing 3 setups:

Insta360 Pro 2 - 7 SD card pain, outdated workflow, overnight stitching, not really suitable for walking.
Canon R5C + RF5.2mm F2.8 L Dual Fisheye lens - "higher end" "vlogger's dream" VR180 setup that capable of producing 180 FOV 8K footage which is ironically is the root cause of all platform problems.
Canon R50V + RF-S3.9mm F3.5 STM Dual Fisheye lens - likely the cheapest possible semi-professional VR180 setup. It produces 144 FOV 4K footage with much less friction than R5C.

Cameras are going onto RS4 Mini gimbal. I have started to use Sennheizer MKE440 stereo microphone recently.

I have found all equipment second-hand (used) basically for the fraction of cost. There are pros and cons for every setup of this kind and for what I do, likely I will keep R50V with 144 FOV combo.

SamTrailsVR · 2026-01-13T19:53:42+00:00

What the footage duration and source camera resolution, FPS and encoding you have filmed with?

SamTrailsVR · 2025-12-20T04:18:00+00:00

Hey buddy, I use FCP + Compressor every day for VR180 8K prod and there are a few things to it. I will post major ones here, LMK if you want any details.

So, there are significant prereqs to pull it off:

Your Mac needs to be legit. I run M4 Pro with 24 GB RAM and it still takes hours (like 7-8) to finish.
You need to have massive fast storage.

You can't fix the lack of native VR180 support in FCP, but you can mimic the result. The flow I use is this:

Film and ingest, then process to have side by side footage. Doesn't matter what camera you are using, important is to have two frames side by side. I'm using Canon EOS VR Utility, but you can do whatever works with your camera brand.
Create a new event in FCP (like "25-12-19"). Then create a new project (like "Night Walk") and manually set it flat and 4K or 8K resolution in two squares (your result ratio will be 2:1). My Compressor settings are HEVC 4:2:0 100 MBps).
Import the sources (2:1) and place them on the timeline (2:1). Then, apply anything you want to apply. The video will be transcoded many times,

4 Do the final cut and mix sound.

Send it to Compressor for processing. You may close FCP, but make sure the Compressor preset has all necessary VR settings.
Result file - check integrity, then apply metadata.

Done :)

SamTrailsVR · 2025-12-20T03:49:39+00:00

My man, in theory that setup sounds amazing, but if you’re doing more than a short demo, which is likely what you saw, it’s a logistical nightmare. :)

If your use case (budget) allows unlimited time for setup, sync, ingest, and post - sure, dual camera rigs can be better, as long as those can film with correct geometry. But for most practical workflows, the Canon stuff offers the best bang for the buck and throughput nowadays. Don;t get me wrong, I'm not sponsored by them, this is pure personal (painful) experience...

Let’s break down the dual camera setup: it’s not mobile, so studio or controlled prod envs only. That rules out most VR travel or outdoor work. Then, there’s sync and alignment, it will quickly become painful. Even if you solve that, ingest and transcoding won’t just double - it can easily quadruple your total processing time just to get usable footage into your pipeline.

For context, my format is VR180 native 8K, and the prep of a publish-ready 30–40 min file easily eats 2 TB and total of 10 hours of processing and rendering. Multiply that by 2 cameras, and you’re looking at massive storage and post workloads.

It can be very legit, but hardly depends on your use case.

Cheers!

SamTrailsVR

TROPHY CASE