Worn tires and bent axles

[scott802]

Hi all,
All of the expert Montana owners on here were SO helpful as we concluded our cross country trip last week (Maine to Texas). We spend most summers up in Maine and unfortunately had to return to Texas early this year.
We had all sorts of slide issues, and on the last leg of our trip lo and behold i notice my almost new G rated tires had extreme wear on the inside and outside edges.
Upon visiting the Discount Tire in Texarkana we confirmed both axles were bent. Is this something that happens frequently due to bad roads? Or overloading the camper? We've been camping going on 4 years now and I never thought my axles would be bent.
The tires were G rated purchased from Discount Tire and overall been extremely happy with them.
So, while the camper is sitting at the dealer getting worked on they've also told us we need 2 new axles as well!

photos of the tires

[scottz]

Several of us have seen the same wear pattern. I asked the same question a couple years ago and there was no real answer. https://www.montanaowners.com/forums...ad.php?t=85520

I still have roll-off on both inside and outside edges, but there is a lot of tread left. I finally decided to just run them since they will hit their five year mark next summer and will be replaced.

[Carl n Susan]

We have all seen inner and outer wear as described. The Thread Scott linked to covers the topic pretty well. The type of wear you have doesn't indicate bent axles to me. A bent axle leads to excessive wear on one side (usually inside edge). I am dubious about a "needing new axles" diagnosis by a RV dealer.

[Lee-CI]

I agree with Carl about being dubious. If it were me, I'd take my rig to a professional trailer repair shop for semi trailers. Most will accommodate fifth wheels if asked to do so and they aren't too swamped. Most all have the equipment to reset the axles to their specified arch (chamber?) - there is another word for it that alludes me at the moment.

Edit: Sorry to have missed you folks coming through our neck of the woods. We live between Texarkana and Paris

[Daryles]

I agree with Carl regarding tire wear and getting a second opinion.
Make sure you are running at the correct tire pressure. Under inflation typically causes outer edge wear.

[bshgto]

After a trip to upper north east I bent the axles to the point of wearing out the rear set of tires in 400 miles because of the roads ( I`ll never go back up there) Just went to a trailer shop, they had a Laser alignment machine and re bent the rear axles into the correct camber. You don`t need new axles. Just a money grab by the dealer because of their unskilled part replacer workers.

[CalandLinda]

I don't know why RV trailer owners don't consult with the manufacturer's owner's manuals. They are loaded with useful information.

https://www.keystonerv.com/owners-manuals

[phillyg]

I agree with the other responses.

[Foldbak]

I'm with Bshgto on this. I'd go to an suspension shop and not a trailer dealership. Their remedy is going to be throw parts at it. Wear on the inner edge could be as simple as the trailer being overloaded. As you can see in the picture the axle straightens out with a load. Too much will cause it to ride on the inside of the tires. If the axles have lost their arch then you'll need to have them replaced. There are shops that can bend them back into position. There are several other factors that can cause this wear as well, bent spindles, loose wheel bearings among other things. A reputable suspension shop is your best bet.
Good luck

[scott802]

thanks all.
A couple of things. On one of my photos you can see the severe wear on the inside edge. Literally that wasn't there earlier in the trip (I do frequent safety checks). So it raised several red flags.
Second thing, when I went to the Discount Tire in Texarkana they helped confirm somewhat of an under inflation they were at about 80lbs and should be higher than that I believe max is 110psi on those tires.
Third, my visual inspection definitely showed bent or bowed axles. that wasn't like that before.
Am I maybe missing something?

Thanks again

[scott802]

On the load side the axles were still bowed even fully loaded. What I'm seriously afraid of is that for years I've been overloading the camper and never knew it. Basically when we go away it's for months so it has a lot of stuff in it. I need to go through the scales which I've never done before either, so it's probably my own fault.

[twindman]

If you worry about overloading, spend $10-15 at a LOves and weigh it. These scales are divided such that I think you can get the truck on one part, the front axle on another and the back axle on a 3rd section. I might be wrong and only 2 sections, but I think 3. My axles have around 5500 on one and 5700 on the other. So tires are around 2850 on the heavy axle.

[rohrmann]

If you were only running those tires at 80 psi, that would definitely be a cause for the higher wear on the edges of those tires. Need to get them up to 110 psi and your wear will be much less. Scrubbing when making tight turns also contributes to wear on the edges with these tandem axle rigs.

[Foldbak]

Here's another example.

[GAinaMontana]

I've run Sailuns for years at 110psi and every one of them have worn down early on the the edges. I talked with the Treadit rep a couple of years ago and he referenced me to a video explaining why this happens. I didn't buy all of the reasons but have continued to run the tires and accept the way they look. Just make sure to use steel valve stems at 110psi and not the oem rubber ones. Bad things happen when they blow out in the bottom of the Mobile tunnel.

[Ahdmeyer]

do you still have the link to the video?
thx

[GAinaMontana]

Sorry, I could not find it. I think I lost the email when I changed phones. Three years ago.

[ReneT]

Can’t stress this enough. The very 1st thing you should do with all your tanks full of water and crap get the trailer weighed. Are they bent the way they are in the diagram in post #9? If they are that’s OK. They are suppose to be bent like that before you start loading the trailer. They straighten out as you load it. Mine were bent one time and I took it to a place called Tampa Springs in Lakeland Fl. They also have a shop in Tampa Fl. Both the toe and camber were both way out. Using a special jacking rig and a computer based device mounted to the wheel, they were able to bend the axles back into perfect alignment .This company specializes in repair of tractor trailers and heavy equipment.
Don’t throw away your money at a rv dealership. They have no idea as to what they’re doing. Remember get the trailer weighed first.

[Rnjmurray]

Yep just went thru the same thing. You can put Moreryde independent suspension on. However that very pricey. I was at an axle shop in Pharr tx called camcos. Owner been there 30 years an I had used them before. He said that dexter makes several 7000 pound axles. Few people know they make a 7000 pound heavy duty axle that is 3/8 thick instead of the standard 1/4 thick. So for $1200 I had the heavy duty axles put on. So far so good. If you want more information call camcos and talk t Jim. I am sure he can get you all the information.

[Dexter1]

All Montana’s built today get heavy wall axle tubes and 4K leaf springs. They are called Dexter ‘Gladiator’ axles and are way more beefier than standard axles.