Why Is It....

K Charles wrote:
A lot of people meddle with tire pressure, over grease the bearings or take the brake drum off way to often. They drive over curbs with the TT. They don't do that with their car. If you took the wheel bearings off your car every year they wouldn't last long ether.

Preventive maintenance causes bearing failures??

The Dexter manual that came with my trailer recommends bearing servicing annually.

I understand all these issues.

Tires... replace before 2 years

wheel bearing 4 years.( almost caught on fire)I replace the 2 axles. because the wheel bearing were too small for my heavy camper...

Here's another thought....
I rarely read posts on car or truck forums but I read several different RV Forums daily. If you are like me you will read lots of RV Forum posts about tire and suspension problems. But I always keep in mind the majority of RV owners aren't reading or posting on RV Forums. People visiting or posting on forums are usually there for a few reasons... looking for help with a problem, need to post regarding some issue, like to offer help (like me) or curious about RVs and RV lifestyle.

On the RV Forums we are seeing just a small sample of RV Owners so it may look like there are a lot of problems but in reality the majority of RV owners aren't having problems.

If I read car and truck forums as much as I do RV forums, would I read about a lot more tire and suspension problems on those forums.

I have never had a loose wheel, never had wheel bearing problem, actually very few problems and I have been towing RVs for nearly 55 years. I have had tire problems in the past due to being over loaded. None in the last 5 years since I took out the DW excess junk

ike another post said.
Jacking a Towable, the heavier and longer the worse, into parking spots and just going around curve and over curbs etc puts tremendous side loads on belts etc of tires and causes a lot of tire failures. Chinese tires generally are not up t o snuff; just that simple. Axle assemblies, from the factory don't have high enough load rating for a loaded RV and tanks. The axles and thus bearings, brakes etc are selected by lowest bidder. To make the maximum profit you use the cheapest stuff you can find, these days.

Because most use marginal components for cost purposes, and they sit for 50 weeks a year with no exercise or maintenance and then get pulled at faster than design speeds with heavier than design loads.

Happens to commercial trailers too, most wheel, tire, bearing, spring failures are on the trailers, not the tractors. For many drivers, the tractor is a responsibility and livelihood, it gets taken care of. The trailer is something to be hooked up and taken to whete it is dropped off, and you are kind of hoping that the operating company is taking care of it.

Since towable RVs are usually owned by the person towing them, they should be better cared for, many are not. Many RVers don't have the knowledge of what is needed and how to do it.

My guess is maintenance, or lack thereof. I have had 11 new travel trailers and 5th wheels. Never had a bearing, tire of suspension failure yet. I do check my air pressure before EVERY trip along with lug nuts. I pack my bearings annually. I don't drive 75 or 80 while towing, I stay at the 65mph ST tire speed rating. No failure yet for me

When I bought my TT, the tires on it were lowest cost passenger tires. They were not rated to handle the TT (weight or otherwise). When I switched them out for properly rated tires, it was a HUGE difference in handling.

But, when I went to replace the tires, the shop asked me if I wanted to "save money" and go with another set of passenger tires. (I said no.)

Drove 6,000 miles in nine states this summer. Saw two RV's with tire problems.

Just lucky I guess.

Because most people don`t take care of them properly. they let them go until something breaks and then complain about each thing that is broken not realizing it could have been avoided. I`ve seen people that don`t even check their furnace for proper operation until the night they need it, knowing it was going to be freezing. I check everything before every trip!