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AmiLaurie · 10-05-2016, 12:08 PM

Purchased 2014 Northwood Nash 23D June 2. Tires original, but even wear. Over the 4,000 to 5,000 miles I pulled it, rear passenger-side tire wore unevenly. Other three fine. I checked pressure every 1000 miles or so and adjusted as necessary. Tire place said they'd find and repair the problem when they put on new tires. Then they said they could only put on tires and sent me elsewhere. Next place, guy walked around trailer, proclaimed bent axle and said "it was this tire, right?" NO. Wrong axle, wrong side of trailer. He said it still could have caused the problem. I really need your help with this. I've had very poor luck with my two other repairs and don't want to waste more money. Included are photos of the bad tire and one of the others for comparison. Thanks!

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Old-Biscuit · 10-05-2016, 12:27 PM

FEATHERED and/or CHAMBER WEAR
Bent axle spindle (new axle)
OR
ALIGNMENT

Trailer shop or a semi trucker shop

38Chevy454 · 10-05-2016, 12:34 PM

Agree it seems to be camber or toe-in is messed up. Trailer axle is either mounted wrong or bent.

If the wear is uneven, that could be bent wheel or hub not machined square, but your description indicates it is same all over that tire.

Cumminsfan · 10-05-2016, 12:48 PM

Take it to a large alignment shop that does RV's. I had a similar issue once. Dealer said it's the tire. Tire dealers says, tires just don't wear out like that on their own. Went to an RV alignment shop. Sure enough the axle was bent. They bent it back in place. Had both axles done for a total of $195.00 FWIW it had Lippert axles. The tech guy said he thought the axle material was pretty soft. Guessing it didn't take much to bend back in shape. He added some extra camber also.

Harley1994 · 10-05-2016, 12:59 PM

If your axle is bent you should be able to see by looking from the rear and sighting along the side, another way to check is to park on a level surface and use a level on your rim to see if they are the same. have someone drive and stand behind and watch to see if anything looks different with that one tire combo, I seriously doubt that there is anything wrong with the other axle that is not wearing tires. jack it up and see if the bearings are loose causing a slight wobble, I like to check the "simple" things before saying that and axle is to blame, it takes quite alot to damage and axle, although one good pot hole can do alot. As far as alignment a quick check is to take a tape measure and go from the center of the axle to the center of the receiver (where the ball goes) it should have the same measurement.

AmiLaurie · 10-05-2016, 01:18 PM

And neither the guys at the tire shop or the other guy could tell me that. Sigh. Thanks!

Lv2Roam2 · 10-05-2016, 01:49 PM

Have them look at shocks (if any), springs and shackles also as they try to figure out what caused the bent axle. They might suggest going to a heavier leaf spring for better support. A switch out is fairly reasonably priced, and can be a DIY project with a little skill and simple tools ...

Franka548 · 10-06-2016, 01:18 PM

It could be as simple as a broken belt in the tire causing the wear pattern on that one tire. Usually if an axle is bent, both tires wear funny, inside on one, outside on the other. It could be bent on the outside of the spring hanger. I would check as Harley1994 suggested with an eye and level. Then if it looks OK, I would have the tire checked by a competent tire technician. I still think that it is a broken belt.
Frank

Wireman1 · 10-09-2016, 08:01 AM

Looks like the 2nd tire pic also shows uneven wear, just not as bad. As stated, check wheel bearings, shackle bushings, etc.

Sure doesn't look like a inflation issue.

Were both of these tires shown on the same axle?

AmiLaurie · 10-10-2016, 07:02 AM

Don't think so. For the sake of expediency, I think I just took pics of the two tires on the same side of the trailer. But the other three tires look to have pretty much normal wear patterns.

miniceptor86 · 10-12-2016, 05:48 AM

Due to the fact that there is still a chunk of tread left on the outside edge I think it's a bad tire. The tire problem could have been caused by misalignment overheating the tire. Going with the cheapest fix first, you need a new tire(s), dismounting the bad tire may reveal what happened. Find a tire dealer that does alignments on RV's or tractor trailers for the tire replacement(s) and they may check the alignment for free or at a minimal cost. Adjustments if necessary will most likely cost more.

AmiLaurie · 10-13-2016, 10:04 AM

Thanks. The wear was on the outside of the tire. Got new tires, but after saying they would check things like bearings, etc, the tire place said they weren't equipped to check anything; they could only replace the tires. About to head back out on the road and don't want any unpleasant surprises!

wingnut60 · 10-16-2016, 07:46 AM

Your only real answer it to take it to an alignment shop that has the space to put the trailer on a rack and check the axles. For my Suites, in Fort Worth, it was quoted at $225 an axle to check and align if needed.

Looks to me like it was curbed badly at some point. Is this on the front axle?

Doesn't sound right that all was ok prior to your purchase--was it used normally, or just sitting since 2014?