uneven tire wear

[campthewestcoast]

On our 1997 21ft, we had to deflate the tires to get them on and off the axel, so we kept with bias ply tires because they would give us a little more clearance.

 

[hilltool]

Well- goes to show what i know. I thought all trailer tires WERE bias ply. Guess its just me. I'm getting a bit suspicious about this trailer and how well the last dealer checked things out each year. Of course- I cant say WHEN the magnet went bad.....could have been during the season last year. I thought I remember a post here last summer on tires and somebody arguing for bias-ply....I'll have to do a search.

Rick

 

[hilltool]

Gotta love E-trailer:

What Makes Trailer Tires Wear on the Inside Only and Can 175/80-13 be Replaced With 185/80-13 | etrailer.com

 

[hilltool]

Update

Talked to the guy that did my bearings and said that the tire seemed to be "normal wear for bias ply." It was his opinion that the tire could have worn in that spot from being overinflated one time or a combination of that and weird weighting as with the torsion axles there is no "auto" adjusting from one axle to the other with weight. I get that. But, I went up and talked to the guy at the semi-trailer place and he said to drop it off and he would check the camber. He said if it is off(bent) my only choice may be a new axle as torsion axles are hard to align (thats been said here, also.) However, he will take a look and I asked him, then, to also look at putting in spacers and give me a quote. He said it doesn't take much to bend one and he had just worked on a travel trailer where the guy admitted to clipping a gas pump island with a wheel while pulling out. This makes me wonder as I more than once hopped a bit of the curb while backing my rig into the driveway. He said, because the axles are often right at the edge of weight ratings, that even "jack knifing" them into camping spots can put enough pressure on them to bend. I have to think about that one...... I'll keep updating as things progress.

Rick

 

[JackandJanet]

Interesting posts, Rick. My money is on a bent spindle. I know my axle is rated at 300# LESS than the max gross weight of the trailer (3500# axle, 3800# max weight). I wanted to install a higher rated axle, but was told by the rep at Dexter that the next heavier one would not fit properly. It would be too wide, or possibly the trailing arms would be too long. It was a bit hard to get a clear reason over the phone and by email.

Anyway, she also said there is a considerable margin of safety built in to the axles, so I didn't pursue that avenue any further. So far, things seem to be working out.

- Jack

 

[hilltool]

update and how much lift?

Took trailer to "Wally" today at trailer alignment place. Wally said:

1. "They sure put dinky axles on these---If it is the camber on axle I can do it(re-bend) without removing it."

2 . "Bias-ply tires wear better if you are out of alignment. Thats why they used them. They ride like crap but they will keep going no matter what your alignment is. With radials the alignment/camber is more critical because they (the tires) are softer (more pliable- I took him to mean).

3. He can put in spacers by adding another tube. I said I wanted enough to put on 14" tires but what do folks think? He thought adding three inches would be "alot" .

So I was thinking 2"----I am curious- how "high " off the ground are the hi-lo trailers that now come (came) with 15" tires? I'm talking ground to frame or sewer pipes. Did the trailers "grow" in overall height as the tires got bigger? Thoughts on how high to go?

Thanks

Rick

( he wont get to any of it for a week---checking camber or getting me an estimate though he was thinking around 400.00 for lowering axle....which I think is about what Jack paid for lowering and moving his single axle...)