Dexter Axle Issue

[Civil_War_Buff]

Hi All,


(This is a reprint of the post that I placed on the Yahoo Forum).

I was (and am) having a problem with my tires wearing on the inside
edges so I took it to a local specialty shop to have the trailer
alignment checked and corrected. The shop informed me that not only
could they not align the trailer, they couldn't even check the
alignment due to the axle being a "torsion" style. I contacted
TrailManor and Ed told me that the factory buys the axles from Dexter
and installs them complete, therefore the warranty is totally on
Dexter, which I fully understand. I have been trying for 4 days to
get a solution (or even an acknowledgement) from Dexter, and they seem
to be ignoring me.

Has anyone else had their Dexter axle aligned? If so, where did you
go? Has anyone had any success dealing with Dexter? If I don't hear
anything from them soon, I will send a letter off to RV Action Line at
Trailer Life, and Highways magazines to see if they can get me any
help. But I was wondering if I am alone in this?????

Larry

[commodor47]

Hi Larry,

I haven't had a similar issue with the tires on our unit. But a couple
of possible sources of the uneven wear come to mind. Could the inside
tire wear be related to the inner or outer wheel bearings? Or the
wheel bearing races? Perhaps the wheel bearings are not the correct
size? Could the wheel bearings be too loose?

(I also posted this reply on the Yahoo Forum)

Hmm Larry, If both tires are wearing on the inside only, it sounds like (in vehicle terms) what's called camber. There really shouldn't be a toe in/toe out problem with a trailer axle.

The axle itself, could possibly be slightly misaligned (the left and right hand sides not bolted equal on the frame), but this should result in one tire wearing on the inside, while the other wore on the outside.

Just guessing on possible causes of camber misalignment (which is where the top of the tire/wheel and bottom of the tire/wheel are not straight perpendicular) for a trailer axle, would be loose bearings....or a bent axle on each end.

We encounter this latter problem on our tire transport trailers, that we always are overloading.
The axle will bend/warp up from the point where it is bolted to the springs and outward. Once it does this, each end isn't straight with the axle anymore, and the camber is out. Ours will get so bad that the top of the tire will actually start rubbing the inside of the fender welds. It is at this point, that we replace the axle.

I wouldn't think your axle should be bent, but it might be something to look at, while you're waiting for Dexter to reply.

Edit: I found the following on the FAQ section of Dexter's website. It is just some good info that everyone might need to know in case they have a flat tire. Dexter doesn't recommend jacking up the trailer under their axle. Dexter also states in this FAQ, what possibly may be wrong with Larry's trailer

MISCELLANEOUS - Is it okay to jack up my trailer?
Dexter recommends that you do not jack up the trailer on the suspension components because there is always the potential for damage. Bent hangers, leaf springs, or axle tubes can cause bad axle alignment with bad tire wear resulting. Also, many trailer builders do not use Dexter hangers and we have no idea how strong these hangers may or may not be. Therefore, we take the conservative approach and recommend jacking up only on the trailer frame.
Back to Top

http://www.dexteraxle.com/faq_s

[Virginia Deacon]

Thanks, wmtire, for the information from Dexter.

As you can see in my signature, our TrailManor is nearly new, and I haven't had to jack it up yet. BUT, if I had, I would have forgotten that the axle is a torsion axle and would have jacked the TrailManor using the axle. Now that I know better, I will use the frame instead.

Many times, the information on this forum has been worth MUCH more than the cost of admission!

Happy Camping!

I for one have never been too impressed with torsion-type axles. The 'torsion' part depends on the rubber mounting and IMHO is a very poor setup. I have built some trailers and worked in a trailer shop for a number of years, and as wmtire says- "there's not much you can do for a torsion axle that's wearing out tires" - there are no adjustments and really no way to repair them. I have the same problem except only on one tire. I have been thinking of putting a "real" axle and springs on our trailer, but haven't gotten around to checking on the cost. I can build the axle, and we have a local spring manufacturer that does custom work. It would also eliminate the lift kit that I've been thinking of putting on. I think I'll look into this some time this summer.

Here's a thread that seams close to your problem, maybe it will help
http://escapees.infopop.cc/eve/forum...1/m/5151011352

It's all about alignment using big rig shops (18 wheelers).

Hope it helps.

[Civil_War_Buff]

Originally Posted by retiredgoat

Here's a thread that seams close to your problem, maybe it will help
http://escapees.infopop.cc/eve/forum...1/m/5151011352

It's all about alignment using big rig shops (18 wheelers).

Hope it helps.

Thanks, but the "specialty" shop that I used was a big rig shop. The operator said that there is no way for them to "bend" torsion type axles.

The wife is now talking about replacing theTrailManor with "another brand"..... I sure hope that I can get this fixed before it's too late.....

Larry

[Bill]

Larry -

I'm surprised that Dexter has been so unresponsive. One of their Application Engineers (Christine) has been quite responsive in the past, though not always instantly. She may be researching the question before getting back to you. You might phone them and ask to speak to her directly.

Bill

[Civil_War_Buff]

Originally Posted by Bill

Larry -

I'm surprised that Dexter has been so unresponsive. One of their Application Engineers (Christine) has been quite responsive in the past, though not always instantly. She may be researching the question before getting back to you. You might phone them and ask to speak to her directly.

Bill

Hi Bill,

I did hear from Dexter this morning, here is their response....

"...Thank you for contacting Dexter Axle with your questions and concerns, I hope I may be of some assistance. It is not unusual for a trailer axle to need the occasional alignment. Road conditions and towing loads can cause axles to become slightly out of alignment. It is possible to have a torsion axle aligned and they do have to be "Cold Bent" due to the axles internal rubber. This may not be an operation that a typical car alignment shop can handle. In our area we have a few trailer axle alignment locations, they specialize in trailer and heavy vehicle alignment. We also find that shops that maintain semi or heavy equipment are capable of "Cold Bending" torsion axles into proper alignment. Dexter's warranty does not cover axle alignment, as we have no control over how trailers are loaded or pulled. However, if a customer is totally unable to find a location to align the axles on their trailer Dexter may assist the customer by offering a reduced price on an axle beam. An axle beam would consist of the torsion axle with spindles and mounting brackets. Brakes, drums and other hardware would have to be reused from existing axle. If you would be interested in purchasing a new beam I would need to get the axle serial number from your old axle...."

Considering that I went to the only heavy duty equipment shop in the San Jose area that can alighn big rigs, it looks like I am on my own. I think that TrailManor welds the axles to the frame, so ordering an axle beam would be a lesson in futility.

Now I must decide what to do......

[mjlaupp]

Two thoughts here:

1) I don't think that TM started welding axles on until at least the 2004/05 model year.

2) Any alignment shop that can repair and align a Ford Twin I Beam suspension should have the necessary equipment. This suspension realignment sometimes requires cold bending.

Mike