3 hrs old, anybody else have this???

[Ford Idaho]

Originally Posted by roaddiva

I got the last one of this model :-(

One can only hope for a easy quick fix.

[spower]

Originally Posted by DaveSchwartz

BTW: The start angle of the particular axles you have is printed on the label on the axle - its after 'SA:' on the line above the large-font numbers. Mine is '22DT' which stands for 22 down (and they're almost 0 degrees sitting in the driveway with no food, water or clothing).

Maybe the OP had the wrong axles installed at the factory... wouldn't be the first time.

Roaddiva: assuming you do have Torflex axles, which is kinda what it looks like judging by the square axle tube, what is the start angle printed on the label? That could be a good place to start.

Lable says it is a Dexter 3500 and it also says 22DT

[toslow]

regardless of what axle you got, i would not tow this trailer ten feet with that kinda problem going on. maybe call a flatbed tow truck and have it dropped back to the seller.

[Ke5rbd]

Another thing that may get you out of bind until you can get it back to dealer is to look at camper hooked up. I think this cutting is coming from the rear of rear tire. If the front of camper is above level this will cause much less clearance behind rear tire. If front is low the clearance behind tire will be more. The tires move a bunch when you change how parallel the frame is to ground. Just suggestion you may look at.

[elchilero53]

Originally Posted by roaddiva

Bought my 2016 2604ws, drove it 3 hrs to my sisters place. When I go to open the slide it makes a bad noise. Upon investigation we find this....look at the pictures, sliced my tire and copper piece dragged across tire. I am told it may need adjustment or wrong tire size??
Any body have this happen?

You said that when you tried to open your slide, it made a bad noise. Was that plated square piece in contact with the tire at that moment? In the pictures it appears that it is about an inch from the tire. One good bounce could have produced a blowout. We had a 2000 2602 with torsion axles. The tires were on the small size so there would be clearance.

[spower]

No the noise was that copper piece behind with the bent edge, the edge was dragging over the tire.

[elchilero53]

I missed the bent metal part, but see it now. So the entire end of the pictured assembly was in close proximity/contact with the tire! I'm amazed the tire lasted as long as it did! You are very fortunate.

[DaveSchwartz]

Originally Posted by roaddiva

Lable says it is a Dexter 3500 and it also says 22DT

And what angle are the spindle arms with respect to the axle tube (i.e. are the spindles above or below the axle tube)? According to the diagram, the spindle arm of the 22down axle should be no higher than horizontal under full load. Unless you loaded it to the gills when you picked it up, you should have been no where near to the fully loaded (on the wheels) weight of 7000 lbs. Notice how the GVWR of your trailer (7714) minus the 714 tongue weight magically matches the sum of the rated load capacity of the axles? That's no accident, its how its calculated.

It would take quite a nose-high, virtually unmanageable, tow to put so much weight on the rear tires to deflect them into the metalwork - the Dexter documentation I referenced said there should be 3 inches of extra bump clearance under static full-load conditions. That doesn't look even close to 3" in the first picture and I bet you were unhitched. Were those pictures taken with the trailer approximately level on level ground?

That 'copper' piece is called the stop can (not copper - that's just the plating) and is what stops the gear train from pulling the slide actuator too far back into the frame. It stalls the gear train and makes that ratcheting noise like the variable torque clutch on your cordless drill that tells you that you really should let go of the retract switch now. It shouldn't slide across the tread either. The only way I can think of that the stop can could drag across the tire when opening a slide is if the trailer is level while parked on an extreme grade. Of course the other way is that the slide actuator shouldn't have been located at that place in the frame in the first place.

[DaveSchwartz]

Originally Posted by DaveSchwartz

Of course the other way is that the slide actuator shouldn't have been located at that place in the frame in the first place.

Ooooo, that's a wicked thought...

The actuator only pushes out on the tab at the end of the slide support on one end. That slide support has that gear rack on it and a pinion gear on a shaft transfers the motion to another pinion gear that moves a rack on the bottom of the undriven support arm to keep them synchronized. Is there a round hole in the frame where the actuator could go through and bolt to the tab on the undriven arm?

If so, maybe some rookie on the line installed the actuator on the wrong end of the slide. These things are put together on the frame as the unit is going down the line and there's probably nothing that would mechanically prevent it from being put together like that.

Can someone else with the same unit verify whether the actuator is at the back end of the slide (like the OP) or the front end?

Weird what you think of at 2 in the morning.

On edit... nevermind (said in my best Roseanne Rosannadanna voice)... still wouldn't explain why the tab would be in a position to interfere with the tire even without the actuator bolted to it. Just clutching at straws to explain a really messed-up situation. Maybe you shouldn't post weird thoughts at 2 in the morning.

[stevejahr]

Here is what it looks like with 14" tires:

[DaveSchwartz]

That looks closer to the proper bump room. Looking more like the OP was given the wrong wheels and tires.

[spower]

Originally Posted by stevejahr

Here is what it looks like with 14" tires:

Wow, thanks!! Can you check and see if you have the same axle's, dexter 3500 set at 22DT?

[spower]

Got an email back from the factory, they told me the 2016 2604ws is sold with 15" wheels. Sooooo axle's??
I am taking it back to the dealer tomorrow.

I sent them the pictures, we'll see what they say about them.

[DaveSchwartz]

Steve Jahr proves otherwise with his pic of a 2016 with 14" tires (unless he swapped 15s for 14s).

I'll cross whatever I can to hope you don't lose that RR tire on the way. Good Luck!

Maybe they'll give you 45-series tires... that oughta restore the clearance. Kidding! But I've heard they will often add the lift kit for free to solve problems like this - just can't fathom how it was designed that way in the first place. They will try their utmost to keep from buying back your unit.

[stevejahr]

Originally Posted by DaveSchwartz

...
BTW: The start angle of the particular axles you have is printed on the label on the axle - its after 'SA:' on the line above the large-font numbers. Mine is '22DT' which stands for 22 down (and they're almost 0 degrees sitting in the driveway with no food, water or clothing).
...

Roaddiva had asked what axles I have, and I have verified 22DT which is 22* down as per Dave's info above. They sit level with a basically empty trailer.

Originally Posted by roaddiva

Got an email back from the factory, they told me the 2016 2604ws is sold with 15" wheels. Sooooo axle's??

Hmm. What is your production date from the side sticker? My definite impression and belief is that the concept of model year is extrememly loose on these TTs. Changes happen whenever and are not synchronized with the calendar in any way.

Originally Posted by DaveSchwartz

Steve Jahr proves otherwise with his pic of a 2016 with 14" tires (unless he swapped 15s for 14s).
...

No changes specified by me, I bought it exactly as it sat on the dealers lot.

Regarding the tire... I would check the tire carefully but it appears that the cutting is only into the tread blocks and not into the underlying casing? If the casing (ie: bottom of tread grooves) is not cut nor grooved in any way it would go a LONG way towards improving my confidence in the integrity of the tire. After all, the tread blocks are meant to be worn away without compromising the tire.

I would unload the trailer as much as possible (ie: drain all water) to increase the clearance margin though.

[spower]

Update!!!!

Drove it to the dealer......they went round and round with the factory. Long story short, the factory said the trailer should have come out of the factory with a riser kit on it, but somehow it didn't. They are overnighting the riser kit and a new tire. It will be all "fixed" by Friday afternoon.
So that's the story.

[Ford Idaho]

Interesting, very interesting indeed!

[B and B]

Roaddiva,
Speaking from experience the Riser or lift kit is a good idea. I had less than 2 inches when fully loaded. Now I have 3 1/2 inches of clearance. Go for that solution then make sure you are towing level and the hitch is setup correctly!

Camping soon...

[mustardbucket107]

Make sure to ask them if the axles are aligned, not sure on your style, but moving axles around they should definitely be aligned again to ensure no premature wear

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[Dodge Guy]

Their response sounds odd. personally I think they overlooked a bad design defect! I`ll bet those model trailer are built the same. I think there will be a recall soon!