Rear axle tires wearing on inside?

[MojaveJoe]

My 2005 Forest River Sandpiper toyhauler, w/4000 miles, has 2 axles and the rear axle tires are wearing badly on the inside edge only.

Had the dealer put axle below springs, and weld on new axle perches for extra ground clearance, when purchased. I have about 70% the original tire tread on 3 tires. But the left rear tire is almost smooth on the inside edge of the tread. The right rear tire is wearing inside too but only about 1/3 as bad. I use a heavy duty Reese trunion weight distributing hitch with dual cam sway control.

What are the the possible causes of this problem?

The rear tires are wearing inside like they are angled out at the bottom. Could the bearing be loose? The axle bent? Is my Reese hitch causing the rear wear problem? The TH is only a little low in front when towing, not level.

Thanks for any help or advice.
Joe

[MojaveJoe]

My 2005 Forest River Sandpiper toyhauler, w/4000 miles, has 2 axles and the rear axle tires are wearing badly on the inside edge only.

Had the dealer put axle below springs, and weld on new axle perches for extra ground clearance, when purchased. I have about 70% the original tire tread on 3 tires. But the left rear tire is almost smooth on the inside edge of the tread. The right rear tire is wearing inside too but only about 1/3 as bad. I use a heavy duty Reese trunion weight distributing hitch with dual cam sway control.

What are the the possible causes of this problem?

The rear tires are wearing inside like they are angled out at the bottom. Could the bearing be loose? The axle bent? Is my Reese hitch causing the rear wear problem? The TH is only a little low in front when towing, not level.

Thanks for any help or advice.
Joe

[Jeff_in_The_Dalles]

It seems to me that the wheel bearings would have to be hugely loose to cause that.

Assuming the rear axle is not overloaded, I would guess something is bent or out of alignment.

[Erich]

Are you sure they welded a new set of spring perches on the top side of the axle or did they just rotate the axle and bolt the springs back on? The axle usually displays an "arch" when unloaded, (center of the axle higher than the ends) and when weighed down or loaded, it's not as pronounced. If your trailer is running slightly nose down, then it would have slightly less weight on the rear axle and not cause any problems. Loose bearing are a possibility, but that would have to be really loose.

[MojaveJoe]

There are 4 perches on each axle. The top ones are a slightly different size than the bottoms. The brakes work good. I can't visually detect the axle camber. Have to give it a closer look and make some measurements I guess.

I only carry camping gear and 105 gal of water over the axles. So highly unlikely Im overweight.

If I decide to install new axles, with higher weight ratings what would be a good brand to consider? Im thinking straight axles with maybe 6-7K rating.

Thanks,
Joe

[LarryandLinda]

mojavejoe
My neighbor here in Mission just pulled in with his Montana and it is doing the same thing. He took it to a shop that specializes in trailer alignment and they said the axle is rotated and throwing the camber chamfer off (Thats why there is an arch in the axle tube).
Larry

[xc-mark]

I would guess that when the perch was welded on it heat worped the tube on the axel . Is your rig a 6 lug or 8 lug wheel?

[MojaveJoe]

Axle warped due to welding? I was considering that possibility myself, but wouldn't 2 hot welds on the top cause the axle to expand on that side, resulting in wheel leaning out on the top? Exactly the opposite of my problem.

Wonder if I can buy a replacement Dexter axle with top perches?

Axles currently appear to be crowned up in the center the way they should. 6 bolt lug pattern.

Joe

[RustyJC]

I'd suggest finding a heavy truck or trailer repair facility that can handle wheel alignment. They can realign your trailer axles (although you probably won't want to watch! )

Rusty

[Ray,IN]

I agree with Rusty, a competent axle alignment shop can correct this issue. Welding causes parts to contract when they cool, drawing them closer together; such as welding a T together on only one side. The welded side will pull closer together.

[Jeff_in_The_Dalles]

Taking it to a trailer alignment shop would make sense to me, too.

I doubt that welding on the perches would have warped a tube that size.

[MojaveJoe]

Update.........
Called my local RV repair shop and asked where they send their axle alignment jobs. They referred me to a tire dealer, who referred me to a fleet service garage for big rigs.

Next day at 8AM droped off the TH. 2 hours later, and only a $163 charge, I have a straight axle again.

Problem causing excess inside wear? Too much toe-out on that one wheel. They bent axle horizontally to correct. Other 3 wheels were within specs. Tech said axle made that way.

Won't know the end results until I do a 1000 mile tow next summer. But feel pretty good since this shop said they do RV axles all the time, and the tech said he had 15 years experience doing axle alignments, which seemed believeable the way he showed me through the whole process he used to correct the toe-out problem.

Thanks to all for their recommendations. Problem solved way cheaper than I had hoped And thanks to Southern California Fleet Service in Hesperia CA.

Happy Highways
Joe

[xc-mark]

sounds like you found the right place to have the work done ! nice to hear it worked out for you . enjoy your camping