Tire and axle problem caution

[chips686]

I just had to have the axles aligned and tires replaced on my 2016 Wildcat Maxx 5th wheel. The tires were showing abnormal outside edge wear and the trailer only had 7k miles on it . I pointed out the wear to Sprads RV in Reno on my first service but the service manager said it was normal. When I went back this time they said yes the tire wear was bad and the axles were out of alignment, but they did not do alignments and I was out of warranty. Beware...the axles were way out of alignment from the factory and they had put so much grease in the bearings they leaked out on to the drum backing plate. Thanks to Forrest River for buying the worst Chinese tires available after 7k miles I had one with the tread separating and two out of round, I guess three out of four isn't bad. Get your rigs checked and avoid a failure.

[Paulie1138]

chips, that is well over the 1,800 miles I got with my bombs before ALL FIVE tires separated....with one never even hitting the ground-still had all its nubs! My rig is parked indoors. Seldom sees the sun. All tires were about 2 years old. I am assuming 1600 miles tops for delivery. All separated on my first trip of 75 miles to Payson!

[ACE110]

Originally Posted by chips686

I just had to have the axles aligned and tires replaced on my 2016 Wildcat Maxx 5th wheel. The tires were showing abnormal outside edge wear and the trailer only had 7k miles on it . I pointed out the wear to Sprads RV in Reno on my first service but the service manager said it was normal. When I went back this time they said yes the tire wear was bad and the axles were out of alignment, but they did not do alignments and I was out of warranty. Beware...the axles were way out of alignment from the factory and they had put so much grease in the bearings they leaked out on to the drum backing plate. Thanks to Forrest River for buying the worst Chinese tires available after 7k miles I had one with the tread separating and two out of round, I guess three out of four isn't bad. Get your rigs checked and avoid a failure.

What type of alignment shop did you use to align your axles? I have similar issues, but my usual car/pickup alignment shop said they can’t handle my 5er.

[chips686]

The only places I could find was Camping World near sacramento and sunshine automotive in sparks Nevada . Sunshine automotive did it and I couldn't be more pleased ,, other than the expensive cost to set things right...Usually one of the RV dealers with know who does it in there area....hope this helps

[ACE110]

Thank you!

[herbike]

This is nothing new, we had similar problems. They even had to cut the spring hangers from the frame on the right right side and move them back about 2 inches. Lippert did the work and paid for new tires after less than about 7K miles. Put new Goodyears on, now they seem to be showing some wear on the outsides, had the alignment checked at an independent shop. They said they can't find anything wrong with the alignment. I think the 6K axles are too light for a toy hauler that grosses out at 12K# much of the time.

Better luck in the future!

[SeventyGTX]

Originally Posted by chips686

The only places I could find was Camping World near sacramento and sunshine automotive in sparks Nevada . Sunshine automotive did it and I couldn't be more pleased ,, other than the expensive cost to set things right...Usually one of the RV dealers with know who does it in there area....hope this helps

Good info! We also have a 2016 Wildcat and I plan on getting a set of 16" Sailun 14 ply tires for it before spring. It currently has the stock junk 15's on it, I assume the same as yours with around 2k on them. 14 ply is probably overkill for our fiver, but I will feel much more at ease.

We are in Fallon and took our Class C motor home to Sunshine Service in Reno for camber kits and alignment. They were pricey, but have a great reputation.

As far as I know, these axles cannot be aligned without bending them as they are solid with no adjustments. If they aligned yours, they should have given you a print out of before and after.

[ACE110]

Finally got mine aligned last week. Ended up going to a semi-truck frame & axle shop. As was suggested above, they bent the axles, to correct both camber and toe-in/toe-out. I thought cost was reasonable at $125/axle. Took about 2 1/2 hrs.

I debated on tires, but decided on the GY Endurance. Get them installed next week.

[chips686]

So far I have about 2k on my goodyear endurance and they seem fine , will never buy another forrest river or from anyone else until they put it in writing on what they will fix and will not.....new trailer 3rd world construction

[SeventyGTX]

Originally Posted by chips686

So far I have about 2k on my goodyear endurance and they seem fine , will never buy another forrest river or from anyone else until they put it in writing on what they will fix and will not.....new trailer 3rd world construction

I agree and also put the GY Endurance on ours as you suggested and they are MUCH beefier than the 15" China bombs that came off it. A lot more piece of mind going down the road.

[Cujo7240]

Originally Posted by Paulie1138

chips, that is well over the 1,800 miles I got with my bombs before ALL FIVE tires separated....with one never even hitting the ground-still had all its nubs! My rig is parked indoors. Seldom sees the sun. All tires were about 2 years old. I am assuming 1600 miles tops for delivery. All separated on my first trip of 75 miles to Payson!

What brand of tires were they?

[Paulie1138]

Mine were tow max. they could not....lol.

My rig came with the optional heavier duty axles, rims, and "tires". Fortunately, they had a warranty on them and I was given 119.00 per tire X 5. I was in Payson, Az when they did their thing. Did not have much of a choice for replacements. They only had a tire called Commodore. I have about 6,000 miles on them, and they seem fine. I have not been able to find information good or bad on these.

Before the tire police jump in, no Tpms at the time, yes to vigilant temperature (with an IR heat gun) and pressure checks.

Anybody out there please chime in and let me know if I am on borrowed time!

[andymil]

Originally Posted by chips686

3rd world construction

That’s kinda harsh. If I were a third world country, I’d be insulted. Fairly accurate.

I just bought Goodyear Endurance tires but only have about 50 miles on them. Some say they’re new (design) and unproven but somebody’s got use them to find out how they’ll hold up.

I’ve got a cheap IR gun and a Flir attachment for the phone. I love toys.

[StanleyB]

TST TPMS will alert you before the tire goes, and give you peace of mind while traveling.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have at 210-420-0132

Thanks,

Mike Benson
TST TPMS

[nayther]

still waiting on my new Wildcat but did order the "upgraded" 16" wheels, probably come with crap Chinese tires ("Chinabomb").


Which part of the alignment is found to be off most of the time, caster, camper, toe? Or are they axles not square to the frame/pin? A lot of this can be checked with strings, squares and levels.

[Mike_123]

I think the tire wear issues are within the suspension and the cheap low quality parts used
I to was having odd tire wear on my 2016 wildcat fifth
I wanted to raise the trailer 3 inches anyway so I opted for new springs and a dexter kit with greasable pins and bushings

I tried uploading a video of the amount of play in the old parts however it would not load for some reason

[Cujo7240]

I purchased my 2017 Wildcat last November and it came with 15" wheels and China bomb tires from the factory. I upgraded my wheels to 16" ones and bought 16" Goodyear Endurance tires before I even took it out for our first trip. I also bought Lippert' Correct Track Axel Alignment system, but I haven't installed yet. I plan to install it after our last trip for the season and then bring it to my dealer to check the alignment and take care of some warranty work.
The correct track kit will also give 2" of additional ride height for my 5ver that I need for a more level towing stance as well as giving a way to correct axle alignment issues of course.

[JohnD10]

I have the 'Correct Track' system on my 5'ver but can't seem to find anyone to perform an alignment on it.

Seems that a lot of RV repair shops are opting out of doing RV trailer alignments these days.

[herbike]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

I have the 'Correct Track' system on my 5'ver but can't seem to find anyone to perform an alignment on it.

Seems that a lot of RV repair shops are opting out of doing RV trailer alignments these days.

Either that or they never did have the equipment or personnel to do the job.

[Mike_123]

Originally Posted by Cujo7240

I purchased my 2017 Wildcat last November and it came with 15" wheels and China bomb tires from the factory. I upgraded my wheels to 16" ones and bought 16" Goodyear Endurance tires before I even took it out for our first trip. I also bought Lippert' Correct Track Axel Alignment system, but I haven't installed yet. I plan to install it after our last trip for the season and then bring it to my dealer to check the alignment and take care of some warranty work.
The correct track kit will also give 2" of additional ride height for my 5ver that I need for a more level towing stance as well as giving a way to correct axle alignment issues of course.

I looked into lipperts correct track system and found the hardware to be flimsy weak poor quality steal
Much like their chassis
although it is the only system to allow axle alignment

I checked the alignment on my trailer prior to buying the new springs and hangers
Best way is to plum down off the king pin and measure accurately to the front axle
Then parallel the rear axle
If axle alignment is correct then there should be no issues with adding quality parts that do not allow alignment