Weight causing tires to rub inside of trailer
When my Maverick (utv) is loaded in the garage of my toy hauler its causing the trailer to sag... naturally. But this past weekend I had a blowout and discovered it was because when going around turn...
Forum Discussion
I think you may have frame problems.
Are those cracks in the frame that you can see above the spring hangers? I would check for cracks pdq before you use it again.
The spring hangers are the 6" tall version (not 4") so you can have greater leverage action on side to side movement. I can't see if you have an enclosed underbelly or not. If you do, is there 2x2 cross-bracing going left to right between the I-beams? If so, that allows flex in the vertical web of the I-beam and coupled with tall spring hangers, you can get side to side movement from weight transfer from cornering or lane-changing or off-roading.
I can't see distortion in the lower flange of the I-beam where the spring hangers attach. You *could* be having flex in the I-beams above the spring hangers where the cross-bracing is. You could even have separated welds on the cross-bracing. You appear to have a one-piece forged I-beam and if there is flex going on, I think it is more likely to have lateral movement mid-way vertically up the beam. You essentially have the effect of leverage of the spring hanger height (6") plus another 3" (if 6"tall I-beam) of 9" acting against the side of the beam as the trailer moves left/right while towing and eventually something will be damaged or fail.
I know what I would do. I would take it to a frame shop that has experience in travel trailers and frame issues. If you have a 3-piece fabricated I-beam, that's even more reason to take it to a frame shop. They can put it up on a hoist and see exactly what's going on. For the couple hundred $$ it would cost, it'd be money well spent and you may find more going on than you think. They can recommend remedial work to repair and strengthen the frame. I would consider tying the spring hangers together with the Mor/Ryde X-bracing or making up something similar. Shocks would probably help too I think. Higher rated axles may help.
Another thought, have you ever weighed your TH before and after loading the utv to see where you are against the GVWR? Our KZ Spree is exactly the same length as your KZ TH. It looks like you have the same 3500 lb axles. Your GVWR is 7000 vs 6800 lbs for ours. Based on our experience with scale wt. after being all loaded up, you may not have much CCC before you load the utv in. If we were to tow with just one full tank of water, we'd be overloaded. I wonder if you've been towing overloaded for some time and didn't realize it? That might explain why the springs have lost some of their arch?
Are those cracks in the frame that you can see above the spring hangers? I would check for cracks pdq before you use it again.
The spring hangers are the 6" tall version (not 4") so you can have greater leverage action on side to side movement. I can't see if you have an enclosed underbelly or not. If you do, is there 2x2 cross-bracing going left to right between the I-beams? If so, that allows flex in the vertical web of the I-beam and coupled with tall spring hangers, you can get side to side movement from weight transfer from cornering or lane-changing or off-roading.
I can't see distortion in the lower flange of the I-beam where the spring hangers attach. You *could* be having flex in the I-beams above the spring hangers where the cross-bracing is. You could even have separated welds on the cross-bracing. You appear to have a one-piece forged I-beam and if there is flex going on, I think it is more likely to have lateral movement mid-way vertically up the beam. You essentially have the effect of leverage of the spring hanger height (6") plus another 3" (if 6"tall I-beam) of 9" acting against the side of the beam as the trailer moves left/right while towing and eventually something will be damaged or fail.
I know what I would do. I would take it to a frame shop that has experience in travel trailers and frame issues. If you have a 3-piece fabricated I-beam, that's even more reason to take it to a frame shop. They can put it up on a hoist and see exactly what's going on. For the couple hundred $$ it would cost, it'd be money well spent and you may find more going on than you think. They can recommend remedial work to repair and strengthen the frame. I would consider tying the spring hangers together with the Mor/Ryde X-bracing or making up something similar. Shocks would probably help too I think. Higher rated axles may help.
Another thought, have you ever weighed your TH before and after loading the utv to see where you are against the GVWR? Our KZ Spree is exactly the same length as your KZ TH. It looks like you have the same 3500 lb axles. Your GVWR is 7000 vs 6800 lbs for ours. Based on our experience with scale wt. after being all loaded up, you may not have much CCC before you load the utv in. If we were to tow with just one full tank of water, we'd be overloaded. I wonder if you've been towing overloaded for some time and didn't realize it? That might explain why the springs have lost some of their arch?
