Tire Feathering

kphammer · 09-10-2009, 09:24 PM

wore one tire out and working on another. I assume that this is a toe-in adjustment issue? I have an 07 831BHSS. Are the axles adjustable? Only one tire is doing it.

rockwood06 · 09-11-2009, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kphammer

wore one tire out and working on another. I assume that this is a toe-in adjustment issue? I have an 07 831BHSS. Are the axles adjustable? Only one tire is doing it.

If you have AL-CO axles then yes they are adjustable. The mounting holes on the axles are slotted and the axles must be pushed back to the rear of the camper before they are tighten. But sounds like you my need to have your tires balanced. All of my tires are balanced and I can fell the difference in the way It tows as far as handling. If you do have them balanced don't forget the spare.

ScottnKimmer · 09-11-2009, 11:26 AM

Although balancing can cause premature wear it wont cause a true feathering issue. It will cause a cupping issue and rideability issues like vibrations that can be felt at different speeds and sometimes during braking. Feathering if that is truely your issue would be caused as you thought by an axle or tire alignment issue. If the axle is adjustable (not sure in this case) then it may be taken care of that way. If not it could be anything from a bad axle, bent axle, bad axle mount to anything that would cause that one particular wheel to be heading a slightly different direction then the others. It should be checked by the dealer or other authorized repair facility and if adjustable it would be more then likely handled. If not then it all depends on whats bad, bent or mounted improperly.

Good luck and let us know what you found.

rockwood06 · 09-11-2009, 12:16 PM

A true feather affect is when the TOE ALIGNMENT is out. As stated above the tire are riding in a different direction other then square to the frame. If you can get on the ground and look directly at the face of the tires on one side and see if the tires are riding on an angle form left to right. Then look up at the position of the axles from one side to the other, see if they have shifted. Do you recall hitting a curb at one time or another while making a turn? There is a possibility that the axles may not have been in stalled correctly in the beginning and with a hit to a curb or pot hole the axles could have shifted. There are other issues to consider as stated above as well. Balancing is not a cause of feathering but just wanted to state that it is a good thing to do. I hope it is just an alignment problem. Inspect everything, check for stress cracks as well.

kphammer · 09-13-2009, 07:25 PM

My trailer is still at the dealer so I cannot verify alignment underneath. Everything is still covered under the warantee so we'll see what they say.

ScottnKimmer · 09-13-2009, 09:13 PM

Good luck and keep us posted.

**Bama Rambler** · 09-14-2009, 06:43 AM

Have them measure it and request the measurements. Don't let them just tell you "it's within Specs".

kphammer · 09-14-2009, 08:08 PM

The dealer is telling me its an alignment issue and we are waiting on a shop that accepts trailers. Another week or so.

rockwood06 · 09-14-2009, 08:12 PM

Can't the service department at the dealer handle it?

Question: Do you have torsion or leaf spring suspension?

midnightpumpkin · 09-15-2009, 09:20 AM

I just finished replacing both axles under our 2007 Rockwood 8315SS.

There were two issues.

1. Both axles had stress cracks in the mounting flanges on the passenger side.

2. Three of the four tires were wearing prematurly on the insides.

I worked directly with Al-Ko to get the replacements under warranty, they were very responsive.

The replacement axles were at my house exactly one week after they were ordered. It took about 9 hours of my time to replace the axles, a lot of that time was spent making sure they were properly aligned.

John U

kphammer · 09-19-2009, 08:25 AM

I have a torsion suspension.

kphammer · 10-09-2009, 05:27 PM

My question to Al-Co:
I have a tire feathering problem on one side of the from axle on my 2007 Forest River 831BHSS travel trailer. Is the toe adjustable on these axles or is this a symptom of another issue?

Al-Co's response:
If the axles are leaf spring, yes you can realign them. If they are torsion, they will need to be replaced.

Sounds like I'm getting a new axle!

You may also like: