Axle Problem?
I purchased a 2015 Keystone Hideout with a tandem axle. This trailer has the Correct-Track system. On our first trip, I hit a rut and bent my axle. Long expensive story short, I had to replace my ori...
Forum Discussion
"Tipping" (camber change) of an axle is normal. It's because each axle has a different turning radius and one of them will literally get dragged across the pavement in a tight turn and cause the axle to flex. Some will say they're designed this way, but not me. I think it's more a symptom of designing to the minimum. ST tires are designed with more sidewall flex that can take the frequent "tipping". It can be rather unsettling when you first see it. Everything should return to normal in a forward travel direction.
"They told me they'd never seen anything like it before." Sounds so familiar. When we took our previous TT (brand new) to a certified frame shop for an inspection & report, the owner said "that's the worst frame I've ever seen on an RV". It was the type made from 3 pieces of sheet steel welded together to *look* like a regular I-beam.
I would look VERY closely at your tire and axle ratings vs. the GVWR rating. I would also go weigh it fully loaded for camping so you know what the actual load is on the axles and tires.
I was looking at a Keystone TT at a CW recently that they had on display. TT was 31' with a GVWR rating of 7600 lbs. Axles were rated at 3500 lbs and the tires had a total load capacity of 6960 lbs. It had spread axles and the correct track. Also had the Lippert frame that has I-beams made from 3 pieces of mild steel welded together. These frames flex a lot and can end up having serious problems. (Ask me how I know. Actually, don't ask me because I can't talk about it.) With a deduction off the tires and axles for the tongue weight, the tires are loaded to near capacity (based on a fully loaded TT to max. GVWR). And that is *IF* the weight is evenly distributed between all 4 tires and both axles, which it won't be. This is a recipe for tire issues and bent axles. The spread axles will put more stress on the spring hangers and frame which will eventually lead to frame cracks plus it will cause the tires to wear out sooner. Just a bad, bad design. It's a case of when something will happen, not *IF*...
If you find that your TT is similar, the only correct solution is to upgrade the axles and tires. Not sure how you would address this with the manufacturer. I would even say to go as far as taking it to a certified frame shop for analysis and report. It's hard to imagine a manufacturer doing this, but clearly they do. It's all in an effort to reduce weight and save $$ and to heck with what happens to the consumer. It's a good idea to know how much a TT weighs, as you can end up being close to or even over the GVWR. Our previous TT was only 200 lbs away from the GVWR and one full holding tank would have put it over. Same if packed up for a long road trip with extra stuff.
If you are armed with a professional report, you may have a case with Keystone to get it upgraded. Wouldn't be the first time that's ever happened either with a manufacturer. Sadly, sometimes they will only take care of it on a case by case basis rather than a recall. If you go to a frame shop, ask them if there is anything that could be done in the way of adding strengthening to the frame such as gussets at the spring hangers. If your TT is similar to the one I saw, if you just reinstall new axles to match existing, the root cause will still be there. The worst thing you want to happen is a tire blowout, esp. far away from home and/or a tire shop.
Below is a photo of our previous TT in a CG during a tight turn. The camber changes quite a bit. This TT had 3500 lb axles with a GVWR of 6800 lbs and LRC tires. Our current TT of same length and GVWR rating has 5200 lb axles and LRD tires and the camber hardly changes in comparison (it's shocking to see how much more the lower half of the tires get flexed to one side). The tires on both TTs still get dragged across the ground about the same tho. Depending on the frame type and design, the height of the spring hangers and if axles are over or underslung, the axles can have a lot of lateral force imposed onto the frame which can lead to frame cracks above the spring hangers. I temporarily lashed a camcorder underneath once and was shocked to see how much the spring hangers flopped left & right like a pendulum. When we took possession of this TT, one pair of spring hangers was permanently bent to one side over 1/2" (top to bottom of hanger) and the other pair was permanently bent in the other direction. It's almost as if the delivery driver had done a whole lot of donuts in parking lots or only made turns in one direction...
"They told me they'd never seen anything like it before." Sounds so familiar. When we took our previous TT (brand new) to a certified frame shop for an inspection & report, the owner said "that's the worst frame I've ever seen on an RV". It was the type made from 3 pieces of sheet steel welded together to *look* like a regular I-beam.
I would look VERY closely at your tire and axle ratings vs. the GVWR rating. I would also go weigh it fully loaded for camping so you know what the actual load is on the axles and tires.
I was looking at a Keystone TT at a CW recently that they had on display. TT was 31' with a GVWR rating of 7600 lbs. Axles were rated at 3500 lbs and the tires had a total load capacity of 6960 lbs. It had spread axles and the correct track. Also had the Lippert frame that has I-beams made from 3 pieces of mild steel welded together. These frames flex a lot and can end up having serious problems. (Ask me how I know. Actually, don't ask me because I can't talk about it.) With a deduction off the tires and axles for the tongue weight, the tires are loaded to near capacity (based on a fully loaded TT to max. GVWR). And that is *IF* the weight is evenly distributed between all 4 tires and both axles, which it won't be. This is a recipe for tire issues and bent axles. The spread axles will put more stress on the spring hangers and frame which will eventually lead to frame cracks plus it will cause the tires to wear out sooner. Just a bad, bad design. It's a case of when something will happen, not *IF*...
If you find that your TT is similar, the only correct solution is to upgrade the axles and tires. Not sure how you would address this with the manufacturer. I would even say to go as far as taking it to a certified frame shop for analysis and report. It's hard to imagine a manufacturer doing this, but clearly they do. It's all in an effort to reduce weight and save $$ and to heck with what happens to the consumer. It's a good idea to know how much a TT weighs, as you can end up being close to or even over the GVWR. Our previous TT was only 200 lbs away from the GVWR and one full holding tank would have put it over. Same if packed up for a long road trip with extra stuff.
If you are armed with a professional report, you may have a case with Keystone to get it upgraded. Wouldn't be the first time that's ever happened either with a manufacturer. Sadly, sometimes they will only take care of it on a case by case basis rather than a recall. If you go to a frame shop, ask them if there is anything that could be done in the way of adding strengthening to the frame such as gussets at the spring hangers. If your TT is similar to the one I saw, if you just reinstall new axles to match existing, the root cause will still be there. The worst thing you want to happen is a tire blowout, esp. far away from home and/or a tire shop.
Below is a photo of our previous TT in a CG during a tight turn. The camber changes quite a bit. This TT had 3500 lb axles with a GVWR of 6800 lbs and LRC tires. Our current TT of same length and GVWR rating has 5200 lb axles and LRD tires and the camber hardly changes in comparison (it's shocking to see how much more the lower half of the tires get flexed to one side). The tires on both TTs still get dragged across the ground about the same tho. Depending on the frame type and design, the height of the spring hangers and if axles are over or underslung, the axles can have a lot of lateral force imposed onto the frame which can lead to frame cracks above the spring hangers. I temporarily lashed a camcorder underneath once and was shocked to see how much the spring hangers flopped left & right like a pendulum. When we took possession of this TT, one pair of spring hangers was permanently bent to one side over 1/2" (top to bottom of hanger) and the other pair was permanently bent in the other direction. It's almost as if the delivery driver had done a whole lot of donuts in parking lots or only made turns in one direction...
