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Old 02-18-2013, 02:46 PM   #1
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Axle Issue - Am I being told a tale?

I have extreme wearing on the outside of the rear left tire on my dual axle toy hauler late last fall. I took it into my local RV service location to determine cause. The tire had approximately 3,500 miles on it. In a previous thread, some suggested that I have the alignment checked.

I just spoke with the RV service center tech about this issue. He did measurements to check alignment and all is okay. He thinks it may be a bent spindle on the axle and wants to replace the axle.

My questions are:

1. Does this sound logical? We have never hit anything to bend the spindle. Anything else I should ask him to check?

2. The axle in question is manufactured by AL-KO. It looks like they have a 2 year warranty but require you to crate and ship the old axle back for inspection before they decide it it is covered. I am not getting my hopes up on that. I saw the FR warranty excludes axles. Any suggestions on how to get this covered under warranty? We are 21 months from purchase but have the extra FR warranty.

3. The quote I am getting on a replacement axle (45-P 5200 LB) is $561.00 plus shipping. Any recommendations on replacement axles - manufacturer, source, ect?

Thanks so much for your assistance!
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Old 02-18-2013, 03:06 PM   #2
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Linnemj,
Sorry to here about the axle issue. Since we both have the same trailer and I have no issues with the original tires ( over 9k on the original tires) here is what I did to look at my trailer .I put my trailer on jack stands and drop a line with a plumb bob to straight lines that I drew on the cement. I then checked to see is the axles were in line with the straight line that I drew off of the frame as the reference for the set up. The plumb bob will tell you if its straight with the frame and the distance of the plumb bobs will tell you if they are the same. I would believe that if you only have wear on one tire, you do probably have an axle issue. I have the ability to check with lasers to see if all is parallel. Please pm me if I can help with your issue.
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Old 02-18-2013, 04:04 PM   #3
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a bent spindle can be as easy as bumping a curb. The price for the axle does not sound out of line, though most good axle shops should be able to replace just the spindle. I know I had a dexter done last year on my car hauler for less than 250.
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Old 02-18-2013, 05:13 PM   #4
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I have read several posts of getting axles replaced under the FR warranty. Start there.
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Old 02-18-2013, 06:41 PM   #5
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Here is how our tire looked when I pulled it. All of the wear was on the outside.

Price I quoted for the axle above is for the part only. Labor at $120 an hour is to be added as well.

Can anyone who had Forest River replace an axle under warranty share how they did it?
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Old 02-18-2013, 06:57 PM   #6
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call FR and ask. or have your dealer call and see what they can do for you
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Old 02-18-2013, 07:55 PM   #7
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I couldn't exactly follow what Jester on post #2 did but I'm sure if done carefully it will show any bent problems. I also know this much about alignments. Except for the toe setting, it is very difficult to use a tape measure to determine alignment issues. We are talking about parts of a degree which is almost impossible to measure with out a good alignment machine. TT's don't really have any alignment angles to deal with. The axles can be mounted at an angle with one tire closer to the front or rear than the other or be bent causing one or both tires to tilt in or out. If overloaded an axle will bend and both tires will camber in and both will wear on the outside. If you only had one tire wear I'd suspect a bent axle or spindle.
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Old 02-19-2013, 07:20 PM   #8
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From the picture it looks like the spindle is bent. I had this happen to my boat trailer when I ran over a curb making a tight turn.
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Old 02-19-2013, 07:47 PM   #9
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Linnemj,
I have seen spindles and axles bend from making an EXTREMELY tight turn while under a load. A slight bend and cause a tire to wear fast. Possibley happened before you took possesion. I hope FR can help you out on the warranty when it's all said and done!
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Old 02-19-2013, 08:11 PM   #10
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It looks like a bad tire. Do you still have your chinabombs on. I thought I had a bad axle so I ordered a new one from Lippert it cost 125.00. Had it a day later. I also put on a set of Firestone Transforce HT and 3 out of 4 tires had bad belts.
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Old 02-19-2013, 11:14 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dmer364 View Post
Linnemj,
I have seen spindles and axles bend from making an EXTREMELY tight turn while under a load. A slight bend and cause a tire to wear fast. Possibley happened before you took possesion. I hope FR can help you out on the warranty when it's all said and done!
Since this is on the left (driver's) side of the dual axle trailer on the rear it can't be from making a hard right hand turn.

I am waiting for the RV service center to give me a call after they contact FR about a warranty claim.

Still puzzled how I could have bent a spindle - but several of you as well as the RV service tech commented that the condition of the tire suggests that.

It is an original china made tire with 3.500 miles on it.

Thanks to all for your responses!
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Old 02-20-2013, 12:58 AM   #12
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Linnemj, Tight turn, not right turn.
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Old 02-20-2013, 07:24 AM   #13
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Call forest river-----------

Call Forest River yourself if you do not get a reasonable answer from the dealer that is handling your problem. Call you Representative in the warranty dept of FOREST RIVER. It will speed things up for your problem. Sometimes your dealer will drag their feet fixing your problem.

I got great results when I called my warranty Representative with Forest River. They always need pictures.
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Old 02-20-2013, 08:42 AM   #14
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make sure whatever reaplacement you get is balanced before they put it on. A lot of trailer tire failures can be traced to the tire and wheel never being balanced.
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Old 03-03-2013, 09:47 AM   #15
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Here is an update on my situation. The dealer contacted the axle manufacturer and was told that I would have to box and ship the old axle back to them in ELkhart. They would check it and decide if the warranty would cover it. The cost to crate and ship is about $180. My guess is there are low odds to get it approved.

While the axle is excluded from the FR warranty, has anyone had any luck in getting help from them in a issue like this? Any suggested contact information?

Thanks for your ongoing help!
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Old 03-05-2013, 08:07 PM   #16
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The scalloping on the tire is comes from a lack of balancing.
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Old 03-20-2013, 06:39 PM   #17
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Update and resolution

After talking with Diane at Forest River XLR warranty, I was unable to get my axle replaced under warranty. I met with the RV Tech, Shop Manager, and Service Manager today to discuss why they thought it was a bent spindle. They checked the shackles, measured the axle placements, and did a alignment check so they ruled out all those possible causes. I was told that the wear does not indicate a bad tire or balancing issue.

The axle manufacturer did offer to sell me a replacement axle at a greatly reduced cost. I have to pay for shipping and labor to have it installed. Total cost will be about $500.

The RV techs will look at the axle they pull and advise me if they find evidence of a manufacturing default. I still have the option to pay to have it shipped back to the manufacturer and have them check it over. If it is a defect, they will cover all costs.

While this is an unexpected expense, it was not as bad as it could have been.
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Old 03-20-2013, 09:14 PM   #18
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Linnemj,
If your rear left tire is wearing badly something has to be causing it. You know that and so does everybody else involved but they won't admit it. You say the RV shop checked; shackles, axle position, and also did an alignment check and those items were not out of specs.
I really find that hard to believe. If the spindle is bent it has to show up on an alignment check. If they say they think a spindle is bent tell them it will show on an alignment check. If they don't agree then ask for a second opinion from a truck alignment shop. If it is not bent then either tire imbalance or a defective tire is the cause.

It's just not possible for a tire to wear without something being out of specs. I've balanced many, many tires and almost never had a tire that did not need some weight. Check the bad tire and all the others for weights. If you don't find any weights on the bad one and especially the other tires then none of the tires were balanced and that may be the problem. Also look for places where the weights might have been removed, because they will leave marks.

If they are saying that none of the items they checked are out of specs then what could have caused the tire wear???? I also don't understand why you need to spend $$$ to determine why a tire is wearing when they can't find the trouble. Hope it works out for you.
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Old 03-20-2013, 09:46 PM   #19
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If the spindle is bent (doubtful) it is bent down to wear a tire on the outside. How do you bend a spindle down? From the wear and scolloping on the tire, it looks like an unbalance problem.
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Old 03-21-2013, 07:23 AM   #20
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Coot,
That's an excellent point. It's tuff to bend a spindle down. I think nobody involved wants to get at the truth except the owner and if they found out the reason then they might be held accountable. That's also why I suggested looking for weights on the tires. It's entirely possible that none of the tires were ever balanced. I've actually had people respond concerning balance that since you don't ride in your TT it's not important to have the tires balanced.

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