New Shoes

[TeJay]

mike.T,
OK' I'll go into a little more detail. "Installed correctly" means just this. There are two styles of shock mountings. One employs a long stud coming from either the top or bottom. The shock is installed using two rubber grommets, two flat washers and locks nuts. The grommets are sandwiched between the washers and then mounted into a hole. This style of mount allows some movement of the shock body as it travels during suspension movement. The second style of shock mount uses a through bolt usually 1/2" or larger going through a rubber grommet at right angles to the top or bottom of the shock. This style allows the shock body to rotate fore and aft as the suspension moves.

Here's what I have seen on several applications. One was on a Heartland Big Country ($60,000-$70,000) unit. The shocks used the first style of mount and the shock was installed almost parallel to the frame. Two things. If the leaf spring suspension moves at right angles to the frame how in the heck is a shock going to compress when it is almost parallel to the the frame?? There was maybe a 15 degree angle to the frame. Second how is the stud style mount going to allow movement of the shock body as the axle moves up and down???

It was obvious that shocks were only there as a selling point because they sure couldn't work like a shock. Most guys have responded to my posts saying that their shock mounts were all bent, twisted and useless.

If one is in the market for a TT just take a look at how some mount the shocks. It's truly a joke. If you look at an Air Stream they do have shocks and they are mounted correctly. They are also said to be one of the best pulling TT in the industry. Gee I wonder Why???

I do like the Dexter Tor-Flex axles. Each wheel works independently but there are still no shocks. It also has no leaf springs and therefore no spring shackles to have worn out bushings to replace. We wore out a set of shackle bushings in one trip of 2,000 miles. Our last TT had the Tor-Flex and I was going to put some shocks on it but the DW suggested getting a MH.

TeJay

[Michael guy]

Main problem I have with Dexter independent axle is while less parts to replace routinely, when it does need repair it's a big one

[dmullen]

Here is the wheel, axle, and tire information.....

Tires are Trailer King ST205/75R/14C
Wheels are ArcWheel. Not sure what the wheel max load is...it looks like 870 or 1870.
Axles are Dexter 3500 lbs Dex#3631962

[dmullen]

Is 1870lbs the correct Max Load for my trailer?

[TeJay]

dmullen,
Each tire will handle (with maximum tire pressures) 1870 LBS X's 4 equals 7,480 lbs max. You have two axles rated at 3,500 lbs or 7,000 lbs total.
That's the total max load your tires and axle can safely handle. Now we all know that your truck will take some of that weight on the tongue. Lets say it's 800 lbs. The TT industry says that the tongue weight is being placed on the truck and not the TT. Lets talk about that for a bit.

You probably have a weight distribution hitch on your truck or a WD hitch. They were invented so you can shift the TT (tongue) weight onto your truck and balance the weight equally to the front and rear wheels of your truck. They do work and work very nicely. It's like picking up the handles of a wheel barrel loaded down with concrete. You take the weight off the rear legs and put it all on the front tire.

The TT industry uses the tongue weight situation so they can minimize the weight on the TT axles and tires. I suppose that's OK but I never liked that idea. Why??? Because they are already built on such a limited margin of safety the tires and axles are already very close to being overloaded. If you, without knowing or trying load a corner or an axle with to much weight you are over your max limit. There's very little margin for true safety. I've read many, many posts from guys with bent axles and worn tires. Why does that happen??? They are probably overloaded and since there is so little margin the axles bend. The only way to fix that is to bend them back. They can't be shimmed or adjusted any other way.

You know your tire and axle limits now what is the actual weight of your TT loaded for a trip???? Once you know that you can subtract your tongue weight to determine what the industry says should be the load on your tires and axles. If you want some margin of safety then don't subtract your tongue weight. It just depends on how you feel about it.

Here's the question that I always ask. Do a search and find me a TT that has tires and axles rated 1,000 lbs above the maximum weight the TT is supposed to handle. I'll bet you can't find one.

Now add the fact that most TT's have drum brakes and not disc which means they are marginal already. And there are no shocks to reduce the bounce and vibrations inherent in anything that you pull down the road.

Common sense tells me shorter life for all parts and it is a potential disaster waiting to happen.

We had 3 TT's and I really never felt comfortable pulling them.

TeJay

[dmullen]

My TT loaded for a trip will not be over 6545 lbs.

[fbh31118]

Two years on my Carlisle tires and no issues.

[FastEagle]

Originally Posted by dmullen

I will get all the info from the tires and wheels today and post it here. Where can I find the axle information?

Tires and rims are fitted to the GAWR established by the trailer manufacturer and displayed on the trailer's certification label. The GAWR does not have to match the axle manufacturer's certified weight, normally found on a tag affixed to the individual axle.

FastEagle

[dmullen]

Here is another question. The inside of my wheels are stamped "1870 Max Load." Can I use tires on these rims that are rated at 2271 max load?

[TeJay]

dmullen,
When you say stamped on the wheels are you saying the metal rims or the tires??? We've established that your tires are rated at 1870 lbs with max pressure which is also placed on the tire.
If you use a tire that can handle more than your stock tires as long as you stay close to the max pressure for those rims there should not be any problems. If you increase the pressure so you can carry the greater weight then yes you are pushing the envelope. Make sure you have metal stems installed on your stock rims. I was told that any tire using 65 lbs or more should use a metal stem. Also if you hit a tree branch going into or out of a CG the metal stems are more likely to not be damaged. It's just a good idea.
We bought tires with as high a load rating as we could buy in the 14" tires just to have the extra safety margin.

If you know your max weight is going to be 6,500 lbs you should be good to go. You'll have some margin of safety with the tires and axles.

I always liked to use one of those infared temperature checkers to monitored the tire and hub temps. You can be alerted to pending bearing issues and low tire pressures.

Happy camping and enjoy

TeJay

[Cumminsfan]

Your rims have a max load of 1870lbs @50psi. You need to run your tires @50psi. Using this chart from Goodyear Marathon you can see the various size tires for 50psi. It looks to me like they put undersize tires on your TT According to the chart a rim with an 1870lb load rating should have a 215/75/14 tire, not a 205/75/14. Not that the 205 won't work, but the 215 offers more load. Typical RV scrimping.

Looking at the Maxxis load chart Trailer Tire Load/Inflation Chart | Maxxis USA there's only 50lbs more for the 215 over the 205. Not much but every little bit helps.

[timetogo]

Originally Posted by dmullen

Here is another question. The inside of my wheels are stamped "1870 Max Load." Can I use tires on these rims that are rated at 2271 max load?

You will need at least 6" wide rims for tires rated at 2270 pound load. I assume you want 225's?

[dmullen]

I was considering the KUMHO Radial 857 205R14C Trailer Use Only which are load range D / Max Load 2271 lbs / Max Inflation 65 psi. Would these not work with my current rims?

@ Cumminsfan - You are saying I can run 215/75/14 tires on my current rims?

@ timetogo - how do I find the width of my rims?

[timetogo]

There is typically a sticker on the side of the trailer with tire size and rim width. The tire you want only needs a 5.5" width. Sorry for confusing the issue.

I think your current rims will be just fine with the 857's you are looking at, and at max sidewall pressure.