Axle Replacement

[Beaver]

My local RV dealer is recommending replacement of both axels and all tires on my 2017 Escape 19, saying that the rubber inside one axel is compressed. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Apparently this rubber replaces what would normally be springs on the trailer.

[Ron in BC]

A number of us have had axles replaced, usually because of damage or defect resulting in the axle not being in alignment.

Your situation sounds quite different and not one anyone has posted about.

Without some data I'd be curious how your dealer came to that conclusion and what Dexter's opinion about it is.

Who's expected to pay for this double axle replacement, you or Dexter?

Ron

[splitting_lanes]

I’ve had one axel replaced because one tire was wearing out much fast than the others. It lasted 5-6 thousand miles to bald. My axel was a manufacturing defect, so Dexter paid for a new one. These Dexter axels should last 10-15 years (or more). Ron is right on target with his reply.

[Donna D.]

Be kind. If you can't be kind, be quiet.

[Donna D.]

It's pretty normal for torsion axles to finally die... but it takes 15-20 years. I replaced the one on my 1988 Scamp... and it was 17 years old. What did the RV dealer due to measure travel? Or was that done? Travel is when the axle actually moves and that happens at the wheels.

[CharlesinGA]

With the trailer sitting on the ground you measure from the center of the spindle to the wheel well edge or other place on the trailer directly above the spindle. Then you jack the trailer by the frame and allow the axles to drop until they stop. Make more measurements and figure out the difference. This difference, found in Dexter articulation charts for a #10 axle is between 2 and 2½ inches, depending on the loading of the trailer (starting measurement) and down angle that the axle was manufactured with. See the second page of the link below, I think it was page 20 (excerpted from a larger manual).

If the shop did not measure the droop they have no way of knowing if something is wrong with it.

Is your trailer perfectly level when towing? Torsion axles operate independent of each other and if the trailer is tongue high when towing, this puts more weight on the rear axle, wearing those tires more, and making the trailer handle better (more tongue weight). If the trailer tows tongue low, this puts more weight on the front axle, and wears the front tires more, and makes the trailer less stable, as there is less tongue weight.

Airstreams have torsion axles and suffer the same issues.

Charles

http://www.dexterpartsonline.com/fil...%20Catalog.pdf

[Doug2000]

It is reasonable to expect 10 years from any rubber product before hardening and rot becomes an issue. 6 years seems a little soon. I suspect the RV dealer is trying to up sell you on a new trailer or new axles. I would only replace the axles if the trailer was sitting way lower than normal or if I wore a tire in under 5000 miles. It's not all bad, comes with new bearings and brakes, less to worry about next year.