Dual Axle Oddity in Kofa...

[Edgefiddle]

My 19 is just several weeks old and I've already experienced something strange. This is the first dual axle trailer I've owned, and this occurred down South of Quartzite just outside the Kofa NWR on Palm Canyon Road.

We had camped along the road on a lovely large hard packed gravel area that had only a single entry point through the edge berm. To exit the area in the right direction I had to scribe a large circle (about 75' diameter) to get turned around. So while making the right turn circle, my wife observed the driver's side tires actually lift an inch or two off the ground briefly. This was outside my field of vision, so I continued the circle and the tires softly landed on the gravel and the world was right again. So what happened?

My only guess is that gravel was providing so much traction to the right front axle tire, that it could not "scuff" over on the turn. This caused the hitch to pull the trailer up over that tire which was acting like a rolling fulcrum, lifting the drivers side tires off the ground.

Makes sense to me. What do the experienced drivers here think happened?

Thanks

Ed

[cpaharley2008]

Sometimes when I am backing my dual axle Escape into my yard, the rear axle is off the ground for a moment until I back further. One or both wheels can be this way without long term damage. On turns you will see one axle wheels turning and the other scruff their way across the pavement. Again it is common.

[Edgefiddle]

Thanks. Scruff wasn't in my spell checker <grin>

Ed

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by Edgefiddle

Thanks. Scruff wasn't in my spell checker <grin>

Ed

If you turn sharp real often on sharp rock the tire will scuff and eventually the edge of the tire will become scruffy. It's not as the kids say "all good" but it is Au Natural.
Iowa Dave

[Edgefiddle]

Thanks for the reply. The tires that came on my new 19 were Rainier ST 205/75R15 Load Range D. We just completed a 2900 mile trip from Oregon to Tucson and back, spending about a week in Kofa and Mojave NWP. No visible wear on the tires, though we were treating the trailer very gently, it being brand new and all! While the trailer will be parked for the next several months, we plan on putting lots of miles on it!

Ed

[Iowa Dave]

Depending upon your storage status and time availability you may want to get into a routine of rotating your tires every several thousand miles. I rotated In my spare on this last set and rotate in a circular pattern with all 5 tires. It has worked well for me. I am now at about 40,000 miles on this set of Goodyear Endurance and at between 5/32 tread depth and 6/32. A good investment is a tread depth gauge if you don’t already have one. Consistent inflation is important also so checking tire pressures regularly is a religion with this old boy. YMMV
Iowa Dave

[cpaharley2008]

and cover them while sitting still. Sun damage can shorten the tire life