Horrible tire wear

[jmcrae3891]

2nd trip in the camper. I noticed this wear when I got to the campground.

All the tires were worn evenly when I bought it used from the dealer. I could only think of a few things that it could be. If anybody knows why this is happening, any imput would be greatly appreciated.

Bad tires? Bent axle? Looked straight though. The trailer sits level on my truck, so its not low in the rear. Front axle tires are still good.


2003 Dodge Ram QC 2500 4x4
2005 Nissan Altima
2011 Forest River Lacrosse 301RLS

[MMattox]

your axles may have lost its camber. the axles should have an arch to them i had a 25foot komfort and after ten years the axles lost the camber and the tires started to wear like that. i went to les schwab and the installed new axles for me and it wan not that expensive really considering the amount of work involved. they can check them for you. way more reasonable than the stealership.

[OldCoot]

A good trailer shop with alignment capabilities can bend the axle back to get the camber back in the spindles.

[jmcrae3891]

Thanks. I would hate to get 2 new tires for this to happen again.


2003 Dodge Ram QC 2500 4x4
2005 Nissan Altima
2011 Forest River Lacrosse 301RLS

[RPAspey]

Simply put, your axle is bad. The axle is supposed to have a curve in it. If its straight, its bad. Check the top clearance bY putting your hand on the top of each tire, and feel on the inside of the tire for the spacing between the rubber and the chassis. I'll bet its closer on the axle with the bad tire wear.

I had to replace one of my axles that had tires with the exact wear.

Cost me $600 to replace the whole axle including new brake drums.

[TURBS]

Did you buy camper used?
Profile says "2011"
Second use?

TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded, 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "2 nights"

[jmcrae3891]

Yeah. Im the 2nd owner of the trailer. Ill try to get under it today or tomorrow to check on the axle


2003 Dodge Ram QC 2500 4x4
2005 Nissan Altima
2011 Forest River Lacrosse 301RLS

[TURBS]

It's a very good chance the previous owner overloaded the trailer or hit something.
Probably need to either have yours checked and fixed or replace axles.

TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded, 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "2 nights"

[BamaBob]

Originally Posted by jmcrae3891

Yeah. Im the 2nd owner of the trailer. Ill try to get under it today or tomorrow to check on the axle


2003 Dodge Ram QC 2500 4x4
2005 Nissan Altima
2011 Forest River Lacrosse 301RLS

X2 on the axel being the issue.

After you get the axel repaired, get good quality tires (most of us on the forum use Goodyear Marathons or Maxxis). Most of us recommend you go up 1 load rating and have metal valve stems installed in the rims.

Get a good Tire Pressure Monitoring System (again, most of us use the TST TPMS-507) []507 Starter System Kit -

If you don't have one get a torque wrench (you can get a reasonable one at Harbor Freight for under $30)

Before every trip:
Make sure your tires are correctly inflated
Torque down the Lug nuts on your trailer as needed
Use your TPMS on the road


If you roll your TT over a curb, take the time to check your wheels and re-torque the Lug nuts.


Every 500 miles or so, check the torque on your lug nuts

Life should be good

[jmcrae3891]

Finally got the rims off. Axle looks straight, no play in the hubs. Could I possibly have the gain on my EBC too high? I have it set on 3.0, but it feels like it slows me down way too much sometimes.


2003 Dodge Ram QC 2500 4x4
2005 Nissan Altima
2011 Forest River Lacrosse 301RLS

[snapper]

An easy way to check and see if the axle is bent is to place a 4 foot or 6 foot level on the bottom of the axle in question. Then measure the gap between the axle and the level. the bugger the gap the better the axle . if it flat in the level you have a bent axle for sure. Someone mentioned earlier to upgrade to the next weight class. Great idea.

[MMattox]

If you look at the axle from the from or the back you should see a arch in the axle tube, higher in the middle than the ends. When I looked at a new one and the old one next to each other it is really obvious what the problem was.

[jmcrae3891]

I found this picture. Look at the rear axle. What would make the tire lean in like that? I cant find any play in the axle. Would this mean the axle needs to be replaced/repaired?


2003 Dodge Ram QC 2500 4x4
2005 Nissan Altima
2011 Forest River Lacrosse 301RLS

[dieselguy]

Your photo shows a situation of either a bad axle (lost camber) or a bent spindle. You'll find no play or looseness with either issue. Like mentioned, perhaps the previous owner overloaded the unit and took the camber (arch) out of the axle. You'll either have to replace the axle(s) or take it to an axle and spring shop to get the axles arched back into spec. You may have toe-out instead of toe-in on the axle(s) this too can be repaired at the repair facility. Best bet is just take your unit to one of those facilities and have them check axle alignment. Taking it to an alignment shop that deals solely in cars and trucks will be a waste of time.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by jmcrae3891

I found this picture. Look at the rear axle. What would make the tire lean in like that? I cant find any play in the axle. Would this mean the axle needs to be replaced/repaired?Attachment 74472


2003 Dodge Ram QC 2500 4x4
2005 Nissan Altima
2011 Forest River Lacrosse 301RLS

If you pulled in (Strait) and the Tire is Leaning you have a Issue! If you were (Turning) and stopped to take this Pic.(All bets are off) NORMAL LEAN! Youroo!!

[jmcrae3891]

In that picture I had to turn to get in there. I do notice only the rear axle leans when Im turning


2003 Dodge Ram QC 2500 4x4
2005 Nissan Altima
2011 Forest River Lacrosse 301RLS

[youroo]

That is Normal,but your (TIRE WEAR) is Not Normal! Have AXLES checked by Professionals! Youroo!!

[jmcrae3891]

First I got 2 new tires. I will have to find a place around here to get the axle checked out. Im in Northeast Florida, so if someone could recommend somebody, that would be great!


2003 Dodge Ram QC 2500 4x4
2005 Nissan Altima
2011 Forest River Lacrosse 301RLS

[BamaBob]

Originally Posted by jmcrae3891

First I got 2 new tires. I will have to find a place around here to get the axle checked out. Im in Northeast Florida, so if someone could recommend somebody, that would be great!Attachment 74487


2003 Dodge Ram QC 2500 4x4
2005 Nissan Altima
2011 Forest River Lacrosse 301RLS

You'll probably need to get 4, won't you?

What kind of tires did you get? and make sure you have them spin balanced to 65MPH

[pgandw]

Originally Posted by jmcrae3891

..... Could I possibly have the gain on my EBC too high? I have it set on 3.0, but it feels like it slows me down way too much sometimes.
2003 Dodge Ram QC 2500 4x4
2005 Nissan Altima
2011 Forest River Lacrosse 301RLS

Though I have a much smaller camper, and a much lighter and smaller tow vehicle, the correct setting for the brake controller seems to vary with each trip, the roads, and the speeds I'm towing at. On the interstate, I generally want the camper brakes to be fairly aggressive - I want to know that they are there and working. I want stopping distance to be the same or slightly better than the tow vehicle by itself. The same is true when I'm in the mountains, but speeds are down aroung 40-50 MPH.

If I leave the setting untouched when I'm at slow speed in the campground (or city traffic), the camper will jerk the tow vehicle. I have to back off the brake controller setting for city traffic and slow speeds.

Fred W
2014 Rockwood A122
2008 Hyundai Entourage (minivan)