I have an ag spreader truck that I evidently have been working to hard. I noticed the gasket out of the drive axle on one side a week ago, so I tightened the nuts and kept working. I noticed the other side starting to leak today. Then my employee asked if I thought the tires were leaning in. I looked and agreed. Yep, sure are. So I need to straighten the axle housing. I have the hydraulic rams and stout floor tie downs. I was planning on leaving the axle in the truck and pulling the tires (66 x 43 x 25). Does anyone have any words of wisdom about straightening axle housings?
Normally once a housing starts to sag/bend it has to much fatigue and will never stay straight. You can weld gussets from tube to center which will help for a while. But more than likely there are cracks developing. Really a new/used housing is in order JMO, what kind of truck and make of housing? Rear housings are tough to straighten without stressing a different area.
Its an Eaton 23A housing, under a GMC8500 single axle.
That's not a real stout housing I would bet it's only a little more than 3/8 wall thickness. As a reference point the old Rockwell SSHD housings were over a 1/2" thick. On the old SQHD drives the bearing support caps for carrier fit into the housing at back, when those housings would fatigue it was and or could be a job just to remove the drive unit.