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The short of it is, I just bought a 1981 Sunrader with the dreaded 5 lug bolted together dually rear axle and a broken clutch cable.
The owner said the RV started acting weird so he parked it and after he saw online all of the horror stories about his axle he just assumed the axle was the problem and left it parked. So I'm not totally sure if the axle's bad or what but I figured it'd be smart to go ahead and upgrade it. And the clutch cable seems to have gone bad sense it's been sitting.

Now, the plot thickens:
I live in Roanoke Virginia and the RV is currently in Ohio, up near Youngstown/about an hour from Pittsburgh.
My options seem to be:
1. Get the RV towed back home (400miles) and work on it myself.
2. Get it towed to a local shop in OH and be at the mercy of a mechanic that may be untrustworthy/knows I'm from out of town(also, I'm not sure if I would need to take it to just a regular auto repair shop or would it have to be a place that specializes in RVs, like with special lifts and things).
3. Throw that beautiful hail mary, fix the clutch cable myself then see if that axle has at least 400 miles left in it and attempt to drive it back home.

My wife and I got it for next to nothing and that's the only reason I figured I had wiggle room to fool with the axle.

I'm sure these are questions that have been asked a million times already, but I'm a total scrub when it comes to Toyotas.
If I find a replacement rear axle assembly, what year ranges should I be looking for?
Do any other rear axles work on these trucks other than the coveted full-float 6 lug?
Could I get a more readily available rear assembly from a dodge/ford/chevy and mill a driveshaft adapter? (Only an idea because my uncle is a machinist)
I found a rear assembly on craigslist in VA from a 6 lug 1984 4x4 truck, and for the price I'm wondering would something like that be heavy duty enough to take the place of the old/dually axle?
This is the link: http://danville.craigslist.org/pts/5369577806.html

I have lots of questions and I'd hate to over load everybody right off the bat, but I am just excited to get this thing home.
I've been on the hunt for an 18ft Sunrader for 3 years now and this is also our first ever RV haha so thank you for your patience

A little dirty but not in bad shape:
post-8544-0-03311400-1451103659_thumb.jp
Here's a shot of the rear end:
post-8544-0-64191100-1451103746_thumb.jp
And here's the hub:
post-8544-0-55010600-1451103780_thumb.jp

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Your clutch should be hydraulically operated. No cable involved.

Not knowing the mechanical condition of the drive train I'd either have it towed or find a local mechanic that can evaluate the vehicle and see if its safe to drive back home.

Did you check the condition of the frame?

From the pictures you posted, there seems to be potential rust issues with the vehicle.

Obviously, there has been little maintenance done.

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Don't know which axle you need, they seem to be abundant and stay on the market a long time. Of course the one you find will be on the other side of the state :angry03:

It is hard to find a honest competent mechanic locally, I do not want to try it out of town!

When I was looking at buying a non trust-able vehicle out of state I got a couple quotes, if I recall correctly from https://www.uship.com/ The rates were surprisingly affordable. I did not buy the vehicle so have no experience with them.

HTH Jim SW FL

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Your clutch should be hydraulically operated. No cable involved.

Not knowing the mechanical condition of the drive train I'd either have it towed or find a local mechanic that can evaluate the vehicle and see if its safe to drive back home.

Did you check the condition of the frame?

From the pictures you posted, there seems to be potential rust issues with the vehicle.

Obviously, there has been little maintenance done.

Well, there you go! haha I didn't know it was hydraulic.

The frame is seems to be surface rust.

And yeah, the previous owner said it's been sitting 9 months.

But surprisingly, we poured a little fuel in the carb and it fired right up.

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Its going to be a crap shoot no matter what you do. So FWIW here are my thoughts

1. It has an hydraulic clutch, read up on what is involved to change it out the master and slave. Buy them and take the parts with you and do it. Then go for a drive and look, listen for strange noises. If its good take it home, if there axle noises your looking for a transport.

2. IF it seems drivable put 15 psi more in the inside dual.

The failure mode is the axle breaking from stress NOT the bearings. If you have the tools and talent, get a set of used axles from a wrecking yard and swap out the axles and rear bearings. Then drive it home and start the BIG search for a good axle.

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Don't know which axle you need, they seem to be abundant and stay on the market a long time. Of course the one you find will be on the other side of the state :angry03:

It is hard to find a honest competent mechanic locally, I do not want to try it out of town!

When I was looking at buying a non trust-able vehicle out of state I got a couple quotes, if I recall correctly from https://www.uship.com/ The rates were surprisingly affordable. I did not buy the vehicle so have no experience with them.

HTH Jim SW FL

I got a quote through uship on they said it'd be just shy of $1,000 to ship it down here.

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Its going to be a crap shoot no matter what you do. So FWIW here are my thoughts

1. It has an hydraulic clutch, read up on what is involved to change it out the master and slave. Buy them and take the parts with you and do it. Then go for a drive and look, listen for strange noises. If its good take it home, if there axle noises your looking for a transport.

2. IF it seems drivable put 15 psi more in the inside dual.

The failure mode is the axle breaking from stress NOT the bearings. If you have the tools and talent, get a set of used axles from a wrecking yard and swap out the axles and rear bearings. Then drive it home and start the BIG search for a good axle.

Thanks!

Would you say this is an accurate walk through on the hydraulic clutch?:

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Looks about right.

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I just bought a 1981 Sunrader with the dreaded 5 lug bolted together dually rear axle and a broken clutch cable.

The owner said the RV started acting weird so he parked it and after he saw online all of the horror stories about his axle

You gain nothing by buying a 6 lug rear-axle assembly from a 4WD. It is no stronger then what you already have. Even if you buy a rear-axle from a Tundra, it isn't substantially any stronger. They are all semi-floating rear-axles. That means they all use one axle on each side that carries all the weight and if broken - the wheel and axle stub leave the vehicle (i.e. fall off). If none of the wheels actually fell off - I think condemning the entire rear-axle assembly is premature. If an axle is loose - it likely just needs a new wheel-bearing. That is a common replacement item that is often neglected until things make noise, leak oil, or fall apart. The setup is almost identical to what Ford used for years in F100 and F150 pickup trucks. It is likely you can just put in new wheel bearings, take off the outside, non-OEM wheels and just use the RV with single wheel tires. As long as you have good D-range tires in back, it will be fine.

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You gain nothing by buying a 6 lug rear-axle assembly from a 4WD. It is no stronger then what you already have. Even if you buy a rear-axle from a Tundra, it isn't substantially any stronger. They are all semi-floating rear-axles. That means they all use one axle on each side that carries all the weight and if broken - the wheel and axle stub leave the vehicle (i.e. fall off). If none of the wheels actually fell off - I think condemning the entire rear-axle assembly is premature. If an axle is loose - it likely just needs a new wheel-bearing. That is a common replacement item that is often neglected until things make noise, leak oil, or fall apart. The setup is almost identical to what Ford used for years in F100 and F150 pickup trucks. It is likely you can just put in new wheel bearings, take off the outside, non-OEM wheels and just use the RV with single wheel tires. As long as you have good D-range tires in back, it will be fine.

Awesome! I had a feeling the 4x4 6 lug wasn't what I needed but for only $100 I thought I'd at least look into it.

So it really is full-floating or nothing, right?

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Awesome! I had a feeling the 4x4 6 lug wasn't what I needed but for only $100 I thought I'd at least look into it.

So it really is full-floating or nothing, right?

If you want something a lot stronger and don't mind having different wheels front and back, then the Toyota full-floater is probably the easiest swap IF you can find one at a reasonable price. That being said - a stock 5 lug semi-floater like you already have is adequate for the job with good bearings, good tires, and stock single wheels on the back. Now if you had a 20-21 footer and it was mine - I'd feel safer with a heavier rear axle. Also note - there are plenty of USA full-floaters that can be made to fit in there too. But the Toyota is the easiest swap and it also gives you the option of changing the front hubs and then having one spare tire that fits front or back.

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If you want something a lot stronger and don't mind having different wheels front and back, then the Toyota full-floater is probably the easiest swap IF you can find one at a reasonable price. That being said - a stock 5 lug semi-floater like you already have is adequate for the job with good bearings, good tires, and stock single wheels on the back. Now if you had a 20-21 footer and it was mine - I'd feel safer with a heavier rear axle. Also note - there are plenty of USA full-floaters that can be made to fit in there too. But the Toyota is the easiest swap and it also gives you the option of changing the front hubs and then having one spare tire that fits front or back.

Yeah, I agree. Sounds like what we're gonna go for.

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I got a quote through uship on they said it'd be just shy of $1,000 to ship it down here.

I ended up with several bids from Uship. These are independats looking for hauls and they bid on each job. You may get 1 or 2 or 10 bids. Jim

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As I understand the full floating axle - has 2 wheel bearings, designed not to flex like a regular axle (one bearing).

Most of these toy campers have a 6000lb mgvw limitation and most are right at or heavier then that.

Not real familiar with Sunraders - I think I heard that some built early where lighter vehicles.

Do you know what your weighs?

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As I understand the full floating axle - has 2 wheel bearings, designed not to flex like a regular axle (one bearing).

It has nothing to do with the bearings. A full floater has NO weight on the axles or bearings and that is the advantage. A semi-floater has ALL the weight on the axles and bearings.

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Going to single wheels on the 5 lug axle may work for live load.

My concern with this solution comes down to the center of gravity.

Most toy homes are considerably higher than a standard pickup bed. This is why I opted for an axle close in width to the original 5 lug with duelies.

Picture a pickup truck loaded with hay bales to a height of about 7 feet. Now picture that same truck going around a clover leaf or rotary at any type of speed.

The wider you can make your rear track, the more stable the vehicle becomes.

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If it comes down to it, I have a friend in Ohio who owns a shop. He knows the 2xR motors quite well, and is honest and fair. If need be, message me and I can hook you up.

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