Axle / tire wear

[Djs]

Is anyone else had problems with tire wear on their single axle 17b?
About five months after I took delivery of my 2017 17b I noticed that the tires were wearing on the inside.
I contact the Dexter axle and they said they didn't cover alignment problems but that they would send me a new axle as a courtesy.
I installed a new axle and a few months later noticed that the new tires I had installed we're also wearing unevenly and had worn through to the belts. The replacement axle that Dexter shipped me was assembled without inner wheel bearings and seals but that is a story for another day. I took the trailer to the local trailer repair shop and they told me that the trailer was too heavy for that size axle causing the weight of the trailer to bear on the inside of the tires. I have never put anything except clothing food and fluids into the trailer and have never overloaded it. Is anyone having similar problems?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Djs

I installed a new axle and a few months later noticed that the new tires I had installed we're also wearing unevenly and had worn through to the belts

Time doesn't matter, but distance does. How far was the trailer towed to produce this wear? For most people to wear out tires in a season would be wildly excessive wear.

Originally Posted by Djs

I took the trailer to the local trailer repair shop and they told me that the trailer was too heavy for that size axle causing the weight of the trailer to bear on the inside of the tires. I have never put anything except clothing food and fluids into the trailer and have never overloaded it.

They're correct that the higher the load, the more this axle design causes the wheels to camber inward (negative camber), which would wear the inner shoulders; that's why these axles come with the tube across the trailer is deliberately bent upward in the middle to produce positive camber, which is reduced to roughly zero under load.

Escape has always (as far as I know) used Torflex #10 axles with 3500 pound load capacity on the 17'. While this model has become heavier over the years, it should still never be over 3500 pounds on the axle, and should be well below that with normal loading.

If you use a weight-distributing hitch it will increase the trailer axle load. You would need to greatly over-apply the WD system to increase axle load enough to be a concern... but are you using WD?

[Djs]

No I'm not using WD I never need it as I am towing it with a dodge 3500 Cummins diesel. I had a much larger trailer before and never downsized the tow vehicle.

[Djs]

I have used the trailer more that most people. Probably towed it about. 8000 miles in the last six months. But the wear is so uneven...almost new on outside. Steel belts showing on Iinside.

[Chris R]

Have you weighed the trailer with all your regular camping stuff?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Djs

I have used the trailer more that most people. Probably towed it about. 8000 miles in the last six months. But the wear is so uneven...almost new on outside. Steel belts showing on inside.

Yeah, that's way too early for that degree of wear, and I agree that it shouldn't be so uneven.

[Iowa Dave]

Are your tires balanced? Have you checked the balance to make sure you haven’t lost weight(s)? Where are you running your inflation pressure? Is your king nut tightened properly on the axle spindle? And finally has someone done accurate measurement to make sure fhe axle is attached to the frame true and square to spec. Caster, Camber, Toe in or Toe out at near zero when under normal operating load. As Brian indicated. That’s all I got. Won’t cost much to ascertain the answers to these variables, some you can do yourself for free. Best of Luck
Iowa Dave

[Djs]

I would have to find a place that would. Weigh i. There is nothing that weighss anything though...clothes? Food? Leveling blocks? Hoses? Guitar? I will admit that I have driven the trailer with full holding tanks and a full fresh tank, but I don't do this as a rule.

[suncoastdancers]

Possibly repetitive flexing (compression and release) of the axle, changing the axle camber under load, and pushing out then back the tires where they contact the road. This action could cause scuffing on the inside tread. Not likely a bearing problem if you see the wear uniform on both tires.

Without further info, I would expect that you could be running close to load limits, frequently on rougher roads, at higher speeds, or a combination of any of the above.

I would start first by getting a loaded weigh the trailer.

Best of luck.

Paul