Defective Trires & Wheels
I am kinda tired of the junk being manufactured by the major RV companies. I have owned 5 different travel trailers & one 5th wheel. Quality issues with all of them. But when they risk peoples life's...
Forum Discussion
Those wheels are distributed by Lionshead Tire and Wheel. They are the Lynx model. They are used by multiple manufacturers on multiple types of trailers and cracking like in your picture does not appear to be a widespread issue. Very few posts on all RV forums, no complaints or recalls at NHTSA.
Could be a bad casting prior to the machining, but since both are cracked on the same side of the trailer and not the other that lends itself to some related problem causing it. Aluminum wheels seldom "just crack" be they made in China or anywhere else. There are literally millions of those Lionshead wheels in use.
Manufacturer defect? - Possible.
Your axle traveling up and impacting the foam put undue stress on the wheel. - Possible.
Road hazard impact, (ie pothole curb)?- Possible.
Even though you say you visited a CAT scale before every trip, you have no way of telling if the side where the wheels cracked are carrying substantially more weight than the oopposite, but I can not fathom overloading would cause a crack in one spoke like that.
As far as the tire load rating lots of manufacturers play that game. They deduct hitch weight from the GVW and tires only need to be rated to carry that number, it has nothing to do with the axle rating.
It looks like OEM put the fresh water tank between the axles, and it appears the axles should of had enough clearance for upward travel, until the foam was applied.
What brand / model of trailer? Having an RV manufacturer blow all that foam on there as a factory option is a new one on me, I've never heard of anyone that does / offers that.
When you moved the axles to under the spring did you flip and re weld the perches on the axles themselves, or physically flip the axles over without relocating the perches?
Could be a bad casting prior to the machining, but since both are cracked on the same side of the trailer and not the other that lends itself to some related problem causing it. Aluminum wheels seldom "just crack" be they made in China or anywhere else. There are literally millions of those Lionshead wheels in use.
Manufacturer defect? - Possible.
Your axle traveling up and impacting the foam put undue stress on the wheel. - Possible.
Road hazard impact, (ie pothole curb)?- Possible.
Even though you say you visited a CAT scale before every trip, you have no way of telling if the side where the wheels cracked are carrying substantially more weight than the oopposite, but I can not fathom overloading would cause a crack in one spoke like that.
As far as the tire load rating lots of manufacturers play that game. They deduct hitch weight from the GVW and tires only need to be rated to carry that number, it has nothing to do with the axle rating.
It looks like OEM put the fresh water tank between the axles, and it appears the axles should of had enough clearance for upward travel, until the foam was applied.
What brand / model of trailer? Having an RV manufacturer blow all that foam on there as a factory option is a new one on me, I've never heard of anyone that does / offers that.
When you moved the axles to under the spring did you flip and re weld the perches on the axles themselves, or physically flip the axles over without relocating the perches?
