re-torque of trailer wheels/what's the ft.lbs.

[thoer]

Good price Dave. If I can resurrect my old calibrated eyeballs and arms from my mechanic days I may be sending you to the liquor store....;D

 

[Iowa Dave]

What do the kids say? It's on like Donkey Kong. Gotta do something besides just tell lies all day. And it's Co-Ed.
Dave

 

[Iowa Dave]

Hmmm is this Escape Trailer trash talk?
Dave

 

[Brian B-P]

Just be careful if you order from Harbor Freight online. I did that to find I inadvertently ordered the 1/4 inch drive one, which is useless

There are currently 8 torque wrenches offered online by Harbor Freight, and the 3/8" drive models are useless for this purpose, too - they only go up to 80 lb-ft. Most people also wouldn't want the ten-pound 3/4" drive wrench (although it offers lots of leverage, being almost a yard long).

That leaves two inexpensive 1/2" wrenches... and an inline 1/2" drive torque meter.

 

[Donna D.]

This is the one I have, got it on sale at HF for <$10 at their parking lot sale: 1/2" Torque Wrench

 

[Jim Bennett]

I just take a digital torque adapter along. Fits in a nice small case, and I can use it on any 1/2" drive, either a swing arm or ratchet. I have a really good torque wrench, but it is so big, I just leave it at home.

 

[MyronL]

This might be of interest here.

Just replaced all 4 tires. Plan A... Had a local shop do the job, upgrading to Carlisle 8 ply load range D, bottom line came to $110.27 per tire. That includes taxes, balancing, disposal, and drive away, job done.

Then at home, went online, checked out Plan B: Found the same Carlisle tires, bottom line, delivered, $77.48 per tire. Good price. Of course then I would have to jack up trailer, remove old and take them to be replaced with the new. I figure that's another $15 per tire, bringing the tab up to $92 per tire.

PS: My local tire guy offered three other cheaper tire brands but they were all foreign made. I went for the US made.

Too late now, but I was thinking, maybe Plan B was the smarter move? Of course, with Plan B I would need to do my own torqueing. Just sayin'.

 

[cpaharley2008]

It is good every now and then to help the locals and spread your wealth, otherwise they may not be there for future comparison shopping.

 

[azjack]

trailer wheels & tires

Dave, that first set of Marathons must have had a lot of miles since 2010. Glad to hear that since I spent $250 just to upgrade to Marathons in 2013. I do use my calibrated lug wrench once in a while to make sure lug nuts are not falling off and then I do check the pressure before every trip and the weight is good on each tire.
Jack

 

[Iowa Dave]

Jack, I think with what you told me you pulled and what I know I pulled there was about 45,000 on those original Marathons. They still had 1 @3/32nds, 2@ 4/32nds-and 1@5/32nds. The thinnest one was my right rear "scuffer". As you know, I am very picky with tire pressures, lug nut torque, and try hard to keep the load balanced side to side. Looking forward to a great year. Going to fish a crappie tournament in Southern Iowa for our first camp out. Hope Nancy and you have a great year. I visited the Auburn, Cord and Duesenburg Museum in Auburn Indiana a couple of weeks ago. The beauty of some of those automobiles almost made me cry.
Dave

 

[MyronL]

45K ?? Wow I only had 22K miles on my factory installed load range C Carlisle's. No clear reason why the one tire was so badly worn compared to the others.


Yep, Jim, always happy to help with the local economy.

 

[Iowa Dave]

I am assuming that you did not "rotate" them front to back and if you did not have the balance on the tire checked along the way, my guess would be you might have been a little out of balance or your alignment might not be perfect. Just a guess as it looks like the wear is uniform and not undulating which can be bearing tightness or play in the bearing. Just my guess. I think Jack and I towed primarily on concrete or asphalt. No gravel for me for sure and tire compounds do vary greatly.
Dave

 

[MyronL]

Right, tires were never rotated. My tire guy said if the wheel was out of balance the result would only be cupping. He couldn't pin the issue down but speculated it could be related to the axle not being correctly aligned. In any case he thought rather than have him do that work it would be cheaper to just replace the one tire if it happened again.

This issue will require some further thought.

 

[rbryan4]

The front right looks to have too much positive camber, Myron. My guess is it's the axle/hub. Bad news is, that's not a snap to correct. Here is a pretty good thread I found on the subject. Not the same suspension (his uses leaf springs), but some good descriptions and details of the problem.

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/22677205.cfm

 

[escape artist]

45K ?? Wow I only had 22K miles on my factory installed load range C Carlisle's. No clear reason why the one tire was so badly worn compared to the others.


Yep, Jim, always happy to help with the local economy.

Hi: MyronL... Isn't that the tire that suffers most when doing a tight turn? I noticed that making an acute left turn on a paved drive. Almost looked like the wheel was loose as it tucked in at the bottom. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

 

[Iowa Dave]

In our country up here there are some good frame and axle shops. I guess if it were mine, when I had it hooked up one day, I'd tow it out to one and ask someone to look at the tire, look at the axle setup and ask what it would cost for a diagnostic analysis and an estimate of a min/max repair cost. In the mean time, I'd keep my eye on new tires to make sure it's not getting worse ( faster wear).
Dave

 

[Iowa Dave]

And as Alf says, what I call my "scuffer" is on the right rear, as I tend to back in short the same way each time. With the windows down you can hear the gripping / sliding goin on.
Front to back rotation on same side may help too.
Dave

 

[Iowa Dave]

Alf, that rear tire and I have a lot in common, a heavy push to get rolling with a lot of pressure from the top.
Dave

 

[Brian B-P]

The front right looks to have too much positive camber, Myron. My guess is it's the axle/hub. Bad news is, that's not a snap to correct.

If the issue is camber, I don't think it will be the hub - as a rotating component, it is fundamentally incapable of leaning in or out. The spindle or arm or the square tube that runs across the trailer could be slightly bent.

It's relatively each to check camber at home with nothing but a carpenter's square and ruler, if you have a smooth and flat bit of driveway; toe is more work, but still a reasonable do-it-yourself task. Of course any alignment shop (including tire stores with alignment equipment) can easily check it as well.

If the whole suspension/axle assembly is mounted out of alignment, that can be fixed. If it is bent, the practical fix is replacement.

Here is a pretty good thread I found on the subject. Not the same suspension (his uses leaf springs), but some good descriptions and details of the problem.

RV.Net Open Roads Forum: TT axle alignment & install - Detailed (long lot's of pics)

Interesting - that's the first homebrew alignment adjustment system I've ever seen. For those with leaf springs, Lippert offers a commercial alignment adjustment product: Correct Track.

 

[Iowa Dave]

My father in law aligned car frames as a body man with porta powers and a tape measure and square and most of the time had them very close when they were put on the alignment machine. Like a lot of them old boys, he forgot more than many of us will ever know, especially about steel and iron.
Dave