Lost the camber on a trailer axle.......What does that mean?

[Dave M7040]

Trailer axles, that is the steel pipe itself, are bent at the factory, to produce camber on the wheels. i.e. the top of the wheels will tilt out. The idea is that as the axle is loaded the wheel will move to a more vertical position. It is possible for someone to install the axles upside down and then when the axles are loaded the wheels tilt in at the top which will quickly wear the tires. I would be suspecting worn spring bushings or alignment based upon the symptoms you have provided.
Dave M7040

 

[orezok]

I would contact the axle manufacturer, most likely Dexter or one of the other major brands. I know Dexter had a few mis-manufactured axles and will replace upon request.

Worth the cost of a phone call.

 

[kevin37b]

Are they torsion axles or conventional spring suspension ?

 

[yelbike]

My brother in-law had a deer run between his truck and stock trailer maxed out full of horses and he did not have axle problems only a flat tire from the deer's antler. Without more info it is hard to really give any specific advise other than the axles should be sturdy enough to with stand alot of pot holes and curbs without causing major tire issues. Although that would depend on quality of tires. There are a couple of types of axles and weight capacities. The axles need to be rated for more that the gross weight of the trailer or they will fatigue and bend as you describe. I would say you need either heavier axles or a better engineered trailer. Although the flip side of that is are you overloading the trailer? If you are traveling much you should be able to come across a truck stop with a weigh scale that you can weigh the trailer when you have it "fully" loaded. If you are unhappy with your dealer try a different dealer or type of trailer dealer. Also you can try to contact an trailer axle dealer online and they should be able to give you answers you need with a call or email. The axles should have a data plate on them giving you make, model and weight capacity.

Good Luck

I agree the trailer needs better engineering. Keep in mind this is $50k trailer. The dealer said you can twist an axle be running over train tracks at 70 mph with the brakes applied.

 

[yelbike]

You're sure you hit a coyote and not a buffalo? That sounds like a lot of trailer damage for hitting a small animal on the road.

What is the repair for the camber?
Bent axle and axle replacement?

What do the axles look like? It sounds like the tires should appear visibly bent outward. But, that should only happen with an overloaded trailer. Twisted backwards?

I would tend to agree with others that it sounds like the axle is undersized. Your trailer axles should take a lot more abuse than hitting a small animal on the road, or running through a pothole.

I certainly wouldn't let the dealer put in an identical replacement axle.

No buffalo. I agree to much damage. I can understand the belly covering and plumbing, thats not very sturdy stuff, but the running gear?

The axle still have their upwards crown and the tires don't seem bent out anything obvious.

I mentioned about upgrading from 5200# axles to 7000# but the guy looked at me like I was from mars. He said it would be way to stiff, it would bounce the trailer apart.

 

[yelbike]

If axle damage was reported a year before running over the animal, chances are the animal didn't cause the axle damage.

I think your correct. I think there is something wrong with the trailer, frame not welded square from factory, axles not aligned properly or undersized.

 

[yelbike]

Check the u-bolts. Should be torqued to 80# with a load on it.

Chris

Should be part of the PDI not pretrip inspection.

 

[yelbike]

Trailer axles, that is the steel pipe itself, are bent at the factory, to produce camber on the wheels. i.e. the top of the wheels will tilt out. The idea is that as the axle is loaded the wheel will move to a more vertical position. It is possible for someone to install the axles upside down and then when the axles are loaded the wheels tilt in at the top which will quickly wear the tires. I would be suspecting worn spring bushings or alignment based upon the symptoms you have provided.
Dave M7040

The crown is up. I doubt the spring bushing were worn last year at 250 miles. Alignment is the problem, I'm pretty certain.

 

[yelbike]

I would contact the axle manufacturer, most likely Dexter or one of the other major brands. I know Dexter had a few mis-manufactured axles and will replace upon request.

Worth the cost of a phone call.

I believe they are Lieberts. That would be three bad axles. One "faulty" one last year and now two more. I think its a forest river issue not liebert issue.

 

[yelbike]

Are they torsion axles or conventional spring suspension ?

They are torsion axles. So today the dealer came up with the idea to upgrade from 5200# axles to 6000# axles all by himself.

Looks like they may run this through warranty. The trailer is 2 years old now so the warranty is expired. The may cover two of the four tires.