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1. My castle nuts don't fit.
2. I'm missing some small parts. How can I order them?
3. My hubs on my X-33 axle won't stay tight.
4. My Posi-lock nut won't stay tight.
5. Can I get smoking deals on E-bay?
6. Front Lowering kit for the Honda 450R (04) 20-1008
7. Bearing carrier Z400-AH
8. Raptor 700 Lowering Kit
9. My kfx700/Vforce 700 wheel hubs are wearing down frequently
10. Loose Wheel Hubs
1. My castle nuts don't fit.
Problem: On some axles the plating fills in the threads and makes it difficult to put your castle nuts on. If your axle did not come with castle nuts then you must use your stock nuts.
Solution: Secure the axle. Put some axle grease (not Vaseline) on the threads. Make sure the castle nut is perpendicular to the axle. This means make sure it is on straight! (See picture below and remember your warranty does not cover damaged threads). Take your crescent wrench and turn your castle nut 1/8 of a turn and back it off, 1/8 of a turn back it off until the nut threads itself all the way down. Remove the nut and wipe off the grease, install your hubs in the normal way.
2. I'm missing some small parts. How can I order them?
If you are missing small parts to your axle you can call us and order them direct. See the picture below to find out the names of the parts you might need. We will help you with the part numbers when you call.
3. My hubs on my X-33 axle won't stay tight.
Let's face it. If you are like me you probably saw how easy it is to install the pin drive hub and threw the instructions away. Let's go back to the instructions and see how to install the hubs and then we'll see why they don't stay tight. The instructions call for us to apply lock tight, torque the nut down to 60 to 90 foot pounds and finally add a jam nut. If you didn't tighten the nut down correctly and the nut comes loose and the hole (bore) in the hub becomes long shaped, and it will shift back and fourth. Once this happened it will not stay tight despite our best efforts.
Solution: Unfortunately the only solution is to replace the hub(s). Please note that if the bore in the axle is egg shaped it will not cause any problems. If the hole in the hub is cone shaped it must be replaced! Yes, you can buy just one hub!
4. My Posi-lock nut won't stay tight.
The Posi-lock nut system is designed to be light and strong. It keeps your axle from moving side to side in your carrier. There are two reasons why the nut comes loose.
In example #1 Below we see one of our common posi lock nuts where the inner sleeve is extended to far. There are not enough threads inside the nut to grab onto. We have several models of posi lock nut including one model that has a very long inner sleeve. On this model it will stick out about 1’ and that is ok. In general there should be at least 3/8” to 1/2” of threads inside the sleeve. This will give the posi lock nut enough threads to grab and hold the inner sleeve tight. Remember, it is not how much thread is sticking out of the nut as much as it is how much thread is inside the the nut!
The second reason your Posi-lock may be coming loose is that the big nut was over tightened and has collapsed. Remember, using a pipe wrench to tighten the big nut down can cause the nut to collapse and or warp its shape. Get the big nut snug then tighten the allen bolt. On rare occasions you may need to add a washer or spacer to shorten inner sleeve travel.
Solution: Tighten the big Posi-Lock nut until it's snug (not tight). Tighten the allen bolt. ( 17 lbs/ft) Ride quad and re-check the Posi-Lock nut. Re-tighten using a small amount of lock tight on the allen bolt. Check the threaded inner sleeve to make sure it's not out to far. You should be good to go! Thanks to our customers for the pictures!
My Posi Lock nut still comes loose. Now what?
There have been a few cases where the nut appears to come loose despite the fact you did everything correctly on the list above. First, we have to determine that the Posi Lock nut is actually at fault. You can test the nut by taking a felt tip pen and marking the edge of the nut (see picture). Ride your quad for a while and check your index marks. If they are still lined up then it's not the Posi-Lock that is coming loose, but some other component. Bearings are the usual suspect. If the index marks have shifted, then the Posi-Lock nut is coming loose. You can apply some Loctite to the inner sleeve of the nut. Use the blue medium strength Loctite and apply a couple of drops to the threads. Don't over do it with the Loctite ( more is not better). You may need to get the nut off someday! Give the Loctite about 5 minutes to dry so you get full effectiveness. Most people have the red Loctite. If you use the red, apply only one drop!
Some of you have noticed that if you grab the nut, you can rotate the whole assembly by hand! Don't panic this is normal. Remember the Posi-Lock nut system keeps your axle from moving side to side in the bearing carrier.
5. Can I get smoking deals on E-bay?
I spend quite of a bit of time on E-bay. I’ve gotten some great deals there, but judging from the tech calls I’ve received, many of you are getting bad deals. I’ve gotten plenty of calls from riders who bought axles on E-bay and wanted to know what parts they needed to make their axle work. When I tell them it will cost an additional $100.00 I hear cries of anguish! The good deal they got isn’t so good now. One customer called and wanted to know why his posi-lock kept slipping. Turns out that while he thought he had gotten an eliminator 2 + 2 axle the seller had slipped him a heavy duty axle instead. (ouch!). The heavy duty axle came concealed in an original eliminator 2 + 2 box.
Another issue is warranties. If you are not the original owner you are not eligible to get your axle warranteed! You must also be careful when you purchase a new axle from a company on E-bay. We do not accept pay pal receipts to verify that you are the original owner for warranties. These receipts are too vague and do not show an itemized list proving the axle is new merchandise. You must provide an itemized receipt showing the name and address of the company you purchased your axle from, date of purchase and a description of what axle you bought! Here’s some advice for all of you that want a good deal. If you really sit down and think about how much time and extra money you spend trying to get some of this stuff to work, you are going to end up having a heart attack! The extra aggravation and time spent just isn’t worth the stress, plus the fact you’re taking a chance on losing your money and you don’t have any warranty. The best deals I see are through your dealers who are willing to use their experience and expertise to make it happen for you!
6. Front Lowering kit for the Honda 450R (04) 20-1008
Due to changes by Honda there may be an issue with the lowering kit not fitting correctly. Honda has changed its front shocks so that there are two small cylinders protruding from the bottom shaft of the shock. These small cylinders interfere with the lowering kit and may cause the shaft of the shock to bend. The problem is due to changes by Honda! The lowering kits were designed correctly when Honda first came out with the 450 R. Durablue is not responsible for replacing bent shocks.
Solution: If you have the right tooling you can cut a notch in the lowering kit to make room for the shocks protruding cylinders. You may also return the lowering kit to Durablue for a replacement. We will pay return shipping only.
7. Bearing carrier Z400-AH
Please Note: The bearing carrier for the Suzuki Z400 has changed mid year. The Durablue Bearing carrier will fit only one of the swing arms but not both. To find out if our bearing carrier will fit your quad please see Figure 49B. If you have the curved rear plate and the mounting holes are the same it will fit. If you have the other swing arm where you have the flat plate in the rear and the wider spaced mounting holes (see chart 49A) our bearing carrier will not work. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Occasionally a manufacturer will find it necessary to make changes mid year. The Kawasaki KFX-400 and arctic cat models are not affected.
8. Raptor 700 Lowering Kit
We've noticed that the Raptor 700 is offered with special shocks. When you purchase this option, it requires a notching of our lowering kit. You can fix this by using a round file allowing for clearance.
9. My kfx700/Vforce 700 wheel hubs are wearing down frequently
There's an issue with the kfx700/vforce 700 wheel hubs wearing down frequently by ripping the splines out of the wheel hub requiring replacement. The cause is due to the bike being heavy and the 2 cylinder engine creating power pulses similar to an impact wrench. Also, the spline on the axle where the wheel hub goes has a small diameter with insufficient surface area to adequately transfer power. The solution is the X-33 axle which increases surface area and locks down the wheel hub, so there's no movement allowing for wear and tear.
10. Loose Wheel Hubs
We have received calls recently about various brands of wheel hubs being loose. This bothers many customers which now say their aluminum wheel hubs are lasting about a season and a half. After surveying a number of customers who bought stock or other brand name hubs, a pattern emerged as to the cause. There are 3 basic reasons why your hubs my be loose. The first reason is hubs are a slip fit. They will naturally be loose by a few thousands of an inch. This is ok and will not affect performance. You might be inclined to tighten the castle nut. This will not solve the problem. If you over tighten the castle nut (example100 foot pounds) you will risk stripping or snapping the end of the axle off. The second cause is jumping. Many riders who jump fail to back off the throttle while flying through the air. When they hit the ground everything stops putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the hubs and axle. The splines will begin to break down especially on the soft aluminum hubs. The third reason is a more recent phenomenon. New more powerful 4 stroke quads may be to blame. These more powerful engines tend to thump more and harder than the weaker 2 stroke engines. The increased power and constant thumping may cause premature spline wear.
“The Cure” If loose hubs are driving you crazy then you should consider the X-33 axle. This axle uses a pinch bolt hub system. The hubs are held in place by a bolt which acts as a lever to cause the hub to generate an extreme grip on the axle. The X-33 hubs won’t move. These high performance hubs must be torqued 60 to 90 foot pounds to generate the proper lever effect. The second solution would be to order a set of Durablue racing hubs. These hubs use a heat treated steel insert which aluminum is cast around the insert. This gives you stronger spline support but the hubs are still light weight. These hubs are far superior than the other aluminum hubs on the market. | 
