Tires or Axles

Were you hitched up in photo #1 and not in photo #2 ? That angel of the TV could possibly cause the camber difference especially on concrete or asphalt. Both driver side tires look the same, or just one axle?

As it turns out the bearings on this side were loose causing at least some of the problem.

This is the "before"



This is the same tires after I repacked the bearings. Considerable different. Note the TT was empty in both photo's Did this fix the problem, I guess only time will tell.


As a side note, I found that one of the brake adjuster's was not seated and I don't think those brakes ever worked as the drum come off with no effort at all.

This is a picture of the drivers side tire looking aft.



This is the passenger side.

Our last trip was a little rough, imagine that in South Louisiana. But not any large pot holes or anything that would do this type of damage. But i did note the trailer sway was pretty bad and the WD needs to be adjusted.

As for overloading, I know this was not the problem, being a old tent camper we pack the bare minimum. This trailer has a load rating of 2100 lbs.

The trailer is only a year old, the bearings do need to be repacked and i guess it's possible the the bearings are defective.

I will locate a axle shop nearby that can take a look and see what's up.

It is ALSO possible that the axles have been overloaded (get individual wheel weights) or that bearings are worn allowing the wheel to fail to maintain it's proper camber.

From the way you describe the condition of your tires, it sounds like you have two bent axles. All it takes is one good hard bump to bend them. If they are Lippert axles then in all likelihood they are bent.

Tubular type axles have a slight bow in them that should be continuous across the whole length of the tube. As the weight is added to the axle tube, it will tend to straighten out to the point were the wheels a basically perpendicular to the road surface. As quick check, park your trailer on a level surface, go to the back of it and have a look at the wheels. The axle tube should be relatively straight and the wheels should look parallel. Also, look at the axles between the springs and the wheels. Each side should be the mirror image of the other. If there is any difference then it's likely that the axles are bent and replacement is the most likely option.

It would be in your best interests to go to a good shop that deals with trailer repairs. They can tell you what the condition of the axles.

As for the tires, replace them now! Any kind of damage on the tire like what you described is not good. When you do replace them, go one load range up for added safety.

You take it to a heavy duty truck/trailer repair shop. Axles need to be bent or replaced for alignment.