With the destruction of the Tip Top Tier Drop
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=56232&start=15#p1087994 I purchased another HF 1720# frame kit. The assembly went about as expected until it came time to mount the hubs after repacking the bearings. Then I ran into the same problems as described above but with some twists:
Problem: There is a mismatch between the axle and hubs preventing the hubs from being mounted to the axle. One hub fits OK to one end of the axle, but not the other end. The second hub fits neither end of the axle. This suggests that
(1) the bearing race on the defective hub may not be fully seated (although it is visually difficult to see) and
(2) the spindle on one end of the axle is machined too short (clearly visible).
When the good hub is mounted to the good end of the axle, there is no problem inserting the cotter pin. However, when the same hub is mounted on the shorter axle end, it requires excessive tightening and hammering the cotter pin in place leaving the bearing over stressed.
The bad hub can not be mounted to either end of the axle. On the short end of the axle, the castle nut can only be installed a few turns.
In general I found the quality control of this newer version of this kit to be far less than what I experianced with the original kit purchased several years ago. I am waiting to see what HF customer service has to say. Anyone have any luck with similar HF trailer issues?