Is my Dexter Axle still adequate or is it something else?

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by coralcruze

Apparently I need to pull a rabbit out of a hat to find it in my area Bill. �� I was told 3" is more common size. However having 1.5" now and using a lift kit that is 2.5" would bring me to over the necessary 3" that Dexter recommends and TM didn't/doesnt provide.

3" will work just fine. Just be sure that the wall thickness is 3/16" or better. The original ones from TM used to be 10G. I thought that they were pretty light when I did mine so I opted go thicker steel. I see now that the new TM ones are thicker too.

You can also find Dexter axle lift kits on etrailer.com.

[Bill]

Apparently I need to pull a rabbit out of a hat to find it in my area Bill.

When I said that "there is nothing magic about 2.5 inches", I meant that any size would do. There is no magic about 2.5 inches - it is just what TM has in stock.

using a lift kit that is 2.5" would bring me to over the necessary 3" that Dexter recommends

There is also "nothing magic" about the minimum 3" clearance that Dexter mentions. It can be larger.

Bill

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by coralcruze

Thanks for this. I think what you say is a possibility. Wonder what speed is needed for this type of expansion to occur. Great point.

Some trailer tires are rated @ 65mph, some 80mph Maxxis are rated at over 100mph. I doubt that is your problem though. I'm thinking that it may be tread separation. That's a common issue with trailer tires. When the tread comes off, it usually all comes of at once and can cause considerable damage, especially on the driver's side. I've seen posts of it taking out all of the plumbed and tearing up the grey water tank. Very expensive repair.

[coralcruze]

Originally Posted by Bill

When I said that "there is nothing magic about 2.5 inches", I meant that any size would do. There is no magic about 2.5 inches - it is just what TM has in stock.

There is also "nothing magic" about the minimum 3" clearance that Dexter mentions. It can be larger.

Bill

Yes but loaded clearance needs to be a min 3" according
to Dexter to allow road play in the torsion arm so this kind of damage I and others are seeing would not occur.

[coralcruze]

Originally Posted by Wavery

Some trailer tires are rated @ 65mph, some 80mph Maxxis are rated at over 100mph. I doubt that is your problem though. I'm thinking that it may be tread separation. That's a common issue with trailer tires. When the tread comes off, it usually all comes of at once and can cause considerable damage, especially on the driver's side. I've seen posts of it taking out all of the plumbed and tearing up the grey water tank. Very expensive repair.

I will def. Post a pic of the tire in question. Thanks for this info. Much appreciated as always.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by coralcruze

I will def. Post a pic of the tire in question. Thanks for this info. Much appreciated as always.

Unfortunately, you cannot see tread separation in a picture. That's something that happens internally on the tire.

You can feel it on a car tire because the tire will bounce, shimmy or vibrate (like severely out of balance condition). You cannot tell any of that on the trailer while driving.

If you take it to a tire store, they can check it for tread separation.

[coralcruze]

Originally Posted by Bill

When I said that "there is nothing magic about 2.5 inches", I meant that any size would do. There is no magic about 2.5 inches - it is just what TM has in stock.

There is also "nothing magic" about the minimum 3" clearance that Dexter mentions. It can be larger.

Bill

Yes but loaded clearance needs to be a min 3" according
to Dexter to allow road play in the torsion arm so this kind of damage I and others are seeing would not occur.

[coralcruze]

Originally Posted by Wavery

Unfortunately, you cannot see tread separation in a picture. That's something that happens internally on the tire.

You can feel it on a car tire because the tire will bounce, shimmy or vibrate (like severely out of balance condition). You cannot tell any of that on the trailer while driving.

If you take it to a tire store, they can check it for tread separation.

Got it. However I would think-tire tread separation could also be caused by excessive heat from friction such as the trie rubbing on the fender weld. It's a question of which came first. Chicken or the egg.
Lol��

[Bill]

Firstly, thanks for your input. It is appreciated even if a bit sarcastic lol.

CoralCruze -

I did not mean my post to be sarcastic, and if it came across that way, I apologize for that. The purpose of the post was to indicate - and ask for - the kind of information that you need to provide when you ask for help. Information such as what kind of tires you used as replacements is important. Yes, load range D tires are now available in 14 inch size, but that is relatively new. You stated that you made the change years ago, so the likelihood was that, like many of us, when you went to LR-D they were were 15 inchers.

The use of the term "alligator" to describe a piece of road debris refers to a piece of rubber tread from a big truck, so often seen lying quietly on the pavement. The name comes from the fact that the tread pattern on the piece looks like alligator hide, and if you hit one, it will jump up and bite you. The term is so common that I assumed you knew it, and if I was wrong, again I apologize.

You assured us that your trailer, which you have used for years, has never had anywhere near 3 inches of clearance, but has always been around 1 1/2 inches. But suddenly you are having a problem. Something has changed, and it seems reasonable for us to ask what. And it seems reasonable to ask why you are suddenly homed in on the axle.

This kind of info is really helpful as we try to assist in solving the problem. Nothing sarcastic is intended. At this point, I will back out of the discussion. Wavery has made some of the same points, and perhaps did so better than I did. Good luck.

Bill

[coralcruze]

Bill in no way was I asking for you to leave the convo. I have seen your posts and they are very informative. I do admit I never heard of the alligator term but that's not what I was referring to as sarcastic. Please feel 100% welcome to post any of your extensive knowledge. It is appreciated. And again thank you.

Lastly again Bill I am not honed into anything in particular. In fact in my OP I have suggested three areas of possible cause of the issue. One of those is the axle yes. You may be ignoring the other two.