Suspension Issue on 2022 Forest River

[Rharts]

After blowing 3 tires to and from Louisiana this summer. I upgraded my to 14 ply heavy duty tires. After I installed them I noticed that one side of the tires had more space between them than the other side. I examined the suspension looking for anything suspicious to no avail. Is it possible that the axles were not welded properly at the factory and they are not parallel? If it is what do I do to rectify the situation.

 

[bikendan]

Moved thread from the General Community Discussion section to the Running Gear/Axles/Brakes/Tires and Frames sub-forum since the OP's questions are specific to that particular sub-forum and are not general community questions.

 

[5picker]

Welcome to the forum, I see it is your 1st post.

Yes, it is entirely possible the axles were not properly installed or that the bracketry isn't welded onto the frame correctly.
If you have a tandem axle R/V with a spring suspension, you "could" have one of the center spring equalizers flipped, but you'd surely see that.
If you have Tor-Flex torsion axles, then the equalizer doesn't apply.

A good trailer repair/frame shop will be able to take measurements and tell you if the alignment is out of spec.

 

[Rharts]

Thank you. I appreciate your advice. Do you have any experience with working with Forest River if it is proven that the axle was welded out of spec. In your experience is this something that Forest River would be accountable for and repair.

 

[bikendan]

Thank you. I appreciate your advice. Do you have any experience with working with Forest River if it is proven that the axle was welded out of spec. In your experience is this something that Forest River would be accountable for and repair.

It would help if you posted the brand and model number of your RV since you don't have it listed in your profile.
Forest River has at least 100 different brands.

 

[Rharts]

I was under the impression that all Forest River frames were manufactured by the same company that's why I thought the make and model would be inconsequential but if it will help it a 2022 Cherokee Wolf Pack toy hauler 315pack12. It's 39ft long with a single slide and it's Gray. I hope this helps solve my problem..

 

[DJ252]

You can check the alignment yourself.

Measure from the hitch, to the outside edge of the front tire on each side. They should be the same.

Then with a long straight edge, lay it across the outside faces of the tires on each side. It should just touch at four points.

If any of the above aren't as described, you'll want to consult a repair shop, or your dealer.

I could be wrong but I doubt a 3 yr. old frame, will be covered under warranty.

 

[Larry-NC]

You can check the alignment yourself.

Measure from the hitch, to the outside edge of the front tire on each side. They should be the same.

Then with a long straight edge, lay it across the outside faces of the tires on each side. It should just touch at four points.

If any of the above aren't as described, you'll want to consult a repair shop, or your dealer.

I could be wrong but I doubt a 3 yr. old frame, will be covered under warranty.

A lot of the trailer frames are made by Lippert Components. Lippert seems to guarantee their frames for much longer than a year. There have been stories here of people with broken welds or attachment points where Lippert has sent field representatives to make repairs after several years of use.

 

[DJ252]

A lot of the trailer frames are made by Lippert Components. Lippert seems to guarantee their frames for much longer than a year. There have been stories here of people with broken welds or attachment points where Lippert has sent field representatives to make repairs after several years of use.

That is excellent to know.

 

[tomkatb]

Also possible to have bent axles. Distance between the tires should be the same on both sides. Tires should line up front to rear. Wear evenly.

The guru in Indiana says he has seen many, many of these type of issues the last few years. Quality from overseas maybe. We don’t make much steel here anymore.

We went to commercial Goodyear tires. .614’s as I remember. We had a $2000 blowout in Texas. Took the fender out. I’m not fooling around with tires. The Westlakes lasted 3 years. Plenty of tread.

 

[Mr. Dan]

I was under the impression that all Forest River frames were manufactured by the same company that's why I thought the make and model would be inconsequential but if it will help it a 2022 Cherokee Wolf Pack toy hauler 315pack12. It's 39ft long with a single slide and it's Gray. I hope this helps solve my problem..

The frame under my Wildcat is a BAL NXG frame fabricated by Norco Industries, Inc. of Elkhart, IN. They fixed a major frame issue after Wildcat got involved.

 

[Rharts]

This is excellent information and incredibly valuable. I'm communicating with Forest River at the moment and will update the post with my results. I greatly appreciate all of your participation.

 

[Mr. Dan]

This is excellent information and incredibly valuable. I'm communicating with Forest River at the moment and will update the post with my results. I greatly appreciate all of your participation.

Were you careful to tell the Cherokee division that your unit is “Gray”?

 

[Rharts]

haha, I did not but if it would help I definitely would.

 

[Rharts]

just a quick update. I took it to my Dealer and they sent information to Lippert. Lippert has authorized 2 new axles for my RV. I'm pretty happy with that. I'm probably going to look at some suspension upgrades to help prevent this issue from happening in the future.