Bent Axle?

[Washingtonia]

We had our tires replaced a couple of days ago. The worker at the tire place was having trouble getting the jacks to work when using the frame, so the supervisor told her to place the jacks under the axle. I asked if he was sure about that, and was assured that, with this type of axle, that's the best way to do it. So they proceeded. Afterwards we took it out on the freeway to put a few miles on it. I didn't notice anything wrong. It handled fine.



Turns out my initial thought was correct -- one shouldn't ever use the axle. It looks to me like the axle has a bow to it (see enclosed pics). However, I don't know if that's how it ought to look, or whether it's been bent. The jacks were used about a foot away from each side of the frame.


Does it look bent? If so, what are the ramifications? Uneven wear on the tires, or something worse? And do I demand they pay for a replacement axle, or is this not that big of a deal? Thanks.

[Rossue]

Dexter says no- dont put a jack under them; yet those axles are bowed from the factory and with a 15A like you have (love that Wilson Art laminate!)- it may not have done any damage. Nevertheless, if it were me I would be documenting this in emails to the shop in case you start seeing abnormal wear.

[Ron in BC]

My axle was bent, but not that way. It affected toe-in and tire wear. Don't know if it was my fault, hitting big pot holes or defective from the factory.

Anyway Dexter gave me a new one free of charge right to my door.

You can see from my photo on the new axle that the crown is normal.

Lifting very close to the ends is unlikely to do any damage.

Ron

[JohnK]

My practice when replacing tires is to raise the trailer myself and then take the wheel and tire sets in to the shop leaving the trailer on stands in storage. I'm wary of auto shops placing jacks underneath torsion bar axles. John

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Lifting very close to the ends is unlikely to do any damage.

True, and lifting directly on the brackets under the frame is harmless and has even been recommended by ETI.

[Donna D.]

"Dexter axles are bent to align them. That bend can be in the middle or to one side. The only way you can check for damage, is to check the alignment. There should be a small tow in and there should also be a slight camber, which means the top of the tire should stick out a little further than the bottom."


https://www.airforums.com/forums/f43...nt-108961.html

[Ron in BC]

To clarify, yes the axle has the bend shown to put the camber in. All axles look like that.

Yes, checking the amount of toe can only be done by an alignment process. In my case one wheel was the odd man out. That is, with the axles aligned and all other measurements the same one wheel wasn't toed in the same as the others.

Ron

[rubicon327]

You are probably just fine but next time ask that they lift from under the axle mounting bracket as per Escape Owner’s Manual

[Washingtonia]

Thanks for all the good feedback. The axle is probably fine, but I'll keep an eye on the tire wear. The shop knows about the issue and will be changing/updating their employee training.