You know we have a tri-axle trailer, right? Well, the curb side center tire has been grabby and sliding on gravel even with a soft touch on the brakes and today Kent found that there is a bit of grease oozing from that wheel bearing so he decided he’d check into it.  Maybe the grease is swelling the shoe?  We picked up seals while we were in town then he started into it.  No problem getting it apart.  Nope it’s not just the grease messing things up.  The brake shoe is unevenly worn and due to be replaced.  Rats, the drum is scared where the shoe rides and has a big step worn in it where the magnet rides.  That will need to be turned.

Trip one into town (Canon City 26 miles one way) with the old shoes and drum in hand he tries Autozone. Got the bearings but nope, we don’t have those shoes.  Try the trailer guy on the other end of town.   We don’t turn drums.  Try CarQuest.  Off to the trailer guys.  Yes, they can order shoes.  They will be in in a couple days.  Cool, that will work.  Then it is a stop at CarQuest.  Well they can’t turn that drum either.  You could try one of the machine shops in town.  Great.  Maybe we will stick with the old drum for now.

A couple days pass and Kent makes trip 2 into town to pick up the shoes from the trailer guy and decides he better buy a new drum too.   Ok, let’s put this thing together.  Really, the trailer guys ordered two sets of left shoes.  No way!  The right ones are what really need to be repaired.  It is back to town for the third time (we have no cell service in camp so all this has to happen at the shop).  Oh, you want one of each and now you need it right away?  We can do that but it will cost you expedited freight.  Ugh!  Well they finally relented and ordered the correct shoe for next day delivery and no extra freight.  Home then back to town for the 4^th trip to pick them up.  Surely we can get this done now.  Wrong, the bearings slide right through the race in the new drum.   No way this isn’t right.  It won’t even tighten up on the axle.  Trip 5 and it is Saturday.  If the trailer guys can’t figure this out we are in deep trouble.  We are to leave Sunday.  There is some head scratching and they had to call the “old guy” from the shop but they figured out the problem.  Dexter made a design change to accommodate a larger bearing AND they have the correct bearing.  Home again for one last (we all hope) attempt to reassemble.  Thirty minutes later and it is all good as new.  We even have time to head into Bueno Vista for the Gold Rush Days.