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Old 08-05-2019, 07:08 PM   #1
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Axles out of alignment?

I just had the tires replaced on our 2013 Escape 19. Tread still looked fine, but it was time. I finally decided to stick with the Carlisles as I have been happy with them. Here's the issue.

We use Rotochoks ( similar to X chocks) who have gone out of business. After fooling around with chocks and swapping tires, and changing pressures, I finally came to the conclusion that the chock on the passenger side just was not going to fit. Same size tire, although the newer model of what came installed on the trailer. The new ones have 30k fewer miles.

It appears that the distance between the road and the little drop down divider portion of the wheel well is nearly an inch lower on the passenger side than the drivers side, which kept the unmodified rotochock from fitting. Meaning the trailer must be listing to starboard. I never noticed it before because the chocks fit, although snugly, with the old tires. No strange wear pattern on the old tires.

What do you think? Do we have an axle adjustment problem? Historical photographs are inconclusive that show the position of the chocks with the old tires.

Glenn
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Old 08-05-2019, 07:47 PM   #2
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Could be:

https://www.etrailer.com/question-85531.html
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Old 08-05-2019, 08:28 PM   #3
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...
It appears that the distance between the road and the little drop down divider portion of the wheel well is nearly an inch lower on the passenger side than the drivers side, which kept the unmodified rotochock from fitting. Meaning the trailer must be listing to starboard...

What do you think? Do we have an axle adjustment problem?
The ride height of Torflex suspensions (axles) is not adjustable, at installation or later.

Tires of the same nominal size can vary slightly in actual diameter, in addition to tire wear differences. To eliminate that, you could measure from a reference point on the frame to a point on the hub, and compare that side-to-side.

The rubber in these suspensions does degrade with time, but it should still be fine after only 6 years.

It is also possible that the trailer is loaded more heavily on one side. I have weighed each side separately to check this.
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Old 08-06-2019, 08:22 AM   #4
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My brother had to get his axles aligned at bit. It was an easy job for the suspension shop. Not sure exactly what was done though.

I know on a construction trailer with regular axles I was wearing out tires fast, and an adjustment in the axles at the same shop fixed thing great.

A trip to an axle shop should at least tell you if there is an issue.
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Old 08-06-2019, 11:03 AM   #5
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I would not rule out that the fiberglass bit you are measuring is not the same on both sides. You could try some measurements from the belly band down under the bit to see if they are the same on each side.
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Old 08-06-2019, 12:53 PM   #6
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I would not rule out that the fiberglass bit you are measuring is not the same on both sides. You could try some measurements from the belly band down under the bit to see if they are the same on each side.
Good point. If the left and right sides are loaded unevenly, resulting in different ride heights and perhaps the tire wear issue, then the frame-to-ground measurement would show this. The fiberglass body might not be identical side-to-side, so any body measurement could vary.
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Old 08-06-2019, 12:58 PM   #7
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If there is enough slop in the mounting holes on the frame brackets, that might be enough to make a difference to whether or not the two axles point the same direction... but that seems irrelevant to the issue here. Otherwise, there is nothing adjustable about a Torflex; toe, camber, ride height, etc. are all fixed. If parts are bent, they could perhaps be bent back, but even then ride height is unlikely to be affected.
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Old 08-06-2019, 03:35 PM   #8
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I knew I could count on you guys! Interesting about the axle adjustments.

I decided not to worry about it for now. I'm thinking there may be a slight difference in the mold from side to side.

I worked on a enough projects on tire building machines in my past to not be surprised about slightly different tire sizes.

I "fixed" the Rotochoks with a rasp and a plane. Works fine now. If I have a problem I'll have the axles looked at. My son and his wife take the trailer to Yellowstone in a few weeks, and if he comes home with it, we leave for Yosemite. By the end of September we will know if there is anything wrong or not!

Glenn
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Old 08-06-2019, 03:43 PM   #9
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IF he comes home with it?
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Old 08-06-2019, 03:46 PM   #10
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My son and his wife take the trailer to Yellowstone in a few weeks, and if he comes home with it, we leave for Yosemite.
Then you can get a new Escape!

Enjoy,

Perry
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Old 08-06-2019, 04:34 PM   #11
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He's a lot like his dad. What can I say?
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