6 blown tires and bent axel- help!

Tom/Barb wrote:

rider997 wrote:

Tom/Barb wrote:
If this isn't proof that anyone buying a new trailer should automatically upgrade the tires I don't know what is.

Bold statement, not knowing what was on the OP's trailer from the factory...

All the trailers that I see setting on lots have load range "C", most any trailer over 18' need Load range D or E when loaded for traveling.

Travel trailers set a lot, then get pulled out loaded up and away they go. Tire care is at the bottom of the list.

Don't depend on the dealer to check the tire pressure before they send down the road.

All four tires on my rig had different air pressures and all were underinflated 10#s or more.

Call MorRyde and check out their I S suspension system.

str8nzem wrote:
"cheap Chinese axles"

Be wary of folks who want to blame problems on "cheap Chinese" anything. It is often an easy excuse to get a sale without really finding the problem.

Note - I personally don't like to buy anything not made in the United States if possible. I learned that from the Japanese when I was stationed in Yokosuka. Buying made in my country stuff helps the economy and jobs.

Yes, there are a lot of "cheap _______" products out there. There are also a lot of very good products made in that country used in thousands of trailers every day.

str8nzem wrote:
He also told me that the 'road camber' was gone. The axles should have a slight camber.

Road camber is the tilt of the road, for drainage and curves. It is not a setting on a vehicle.

Tires/ axles should be adjusted so that the tire maintains even contact with the road - no tilt in or out - when loaded.

Unlike the automobile - the trailer hub mount for the wheel does not have any adjustment possibilities. The axle and hub together set the camber and it cannot be changed without bending the axle.

Many trailer axles will have a slight bend. Many do not. If the axle was installed properly, it was adjusted for that individual trailer.

str8nzem wrote:
He mentioned that if the trailer drops off the edge of the roadway the axles could be damaged, he also warned about 'jack knifing' too sharply when backing up.

Also driving over curbs can damage the axle / hub angles

str8nzem wrote:
I dropped the trailer off on Friday morning, Greg called at noon on Monday that my trailer was done. Out the door cost $700.

That's fast work. Be sure to take it back a month later and have him check.

I had a trailer 'alignment' issue. Never had a blowout, because after 1,000 miles, I saw a strange wear problem on the outside edges of the curb side tires - and took it in. Dealer had no idea. Finally took it to a friend who builds race cars, and he pointed me to a company which builds lots of trailers. They were able to help me.

Maintaining tires:

Multiple blowouts always indicates a problem. Either mechanical such as an axle issue, but almost always a usage problem.

Speed - stay under 65 as much as possible. Running 65 usually cuts your MPG by 10-12% from running 60. Another reason to go slower.

Tire Pressures - I highly recommend a TPMS system. I had one tire damaged by a road hazard (piece of steel) on my boat trailer running with a TPMS, and got stopped before the tire blew because of the TPMS warning. Also - make it a firm habit to check tire pressure before heading out for any trip over about 30 miles, or any time the trailer has sat for a week or longer without rolling.

Loading - Trailer gross weight can be within limits, and one tire can be overloaded by as much as 150%. Axles and hitches do not equalize the load on all four trailer tires. Placement of gear inside the trailer - the way the trailer is built - etc - can result in one tire or one axle carrying too much of the load. The only way to be sure is to have the trailer weighed ready for a trip with a per tire scale set or at least by a per axle method.

As mentioned above - the trailer should be level when hooked up and towing. Nose up puts more weight on the back axle, nose down puts more weight on the front axle.

Sudden explosive tire failure on a 150 mile trip is almost always (1) tread separation; or (2) overloading and low pressure and resultant over heating. (Second cause is much more common)

A bad axle issue simply can't cause that much damage that fast to a tire.

Tread Separation - this is a failure of the tire to hold together internally. There is always warning. Mostly the tire will start to bulge slightly. You can find that by running your hands around the tread of the tire. There will also be a fast vibration as the separation creates pockets as the layers separate. Unfortunately, you can't feel the vibration in a trailer in the TV most of the time. That is where a TPMS can save your trailer.

Watch the tire pressures. Watch the tire temps. Touch the tires after a tow - see if one is hotter than the others.

ST trailer tires can last 30,000 miles - if you tow that much in three years, and you take care of the tires.

Any luck finding someone to check the axels? Results?

I think I would be sending a not-very-nice-but-very well documented letter to that dealer with a copy to Coachman expressing my knowledge about the tire condition at the initial purchase, my frustrations with getting resolution to repeated tire failures since the purchase, and my time and expenses in relation to the problem that was there prior to my purchase ie a "new" trailer with a prior blowout. And I do hope you kept receipts. I'd be PO'ed.

It seems to me that you just paid 700 bucks to fix a problem that was there when you bought the trailer. Maybe the concurrent blowouts didn't help, but the dealer was well aware of those yet made no effort to find the cause or to help his customer. I guess as long as you were buying tires he was good with that.

Thanks for all the great advice. I wanted to follow-up. The dealer estimate for new axles was about $2000. The service writer was not sure if they could put upgraded axles on.
I took the camper to a local trailer shop. Viking Trailer in Renfrew, PA. They custom make trailers for all applications. Greg is the owner and a great guy to deal with. He crawled under the trailer and right away said that the factory axles were "cheap Chinese axles". He also told me that the 'road camber' was gone. The axles should have a slight camber. He offered to put thicker walled, true #3500, american made axles on. He mentioned that if the trailer drops off the edge of the roadway the axles could be damaged, he also warned about 'jack knifing' too sharply when backing up.
I dropped the trailer off on Friday morning, Greg called at noon on Monday that my trailer was done. Out the door cost $700.

travelnutz wrote:
The Coachmen 2013 spec for the 292BHDS says: base wt = 5492 lbs, 1306 lbs cargo carrying capacity which totals about 6800 lbs max on the axle for a bsae model trailer with NO options not including the base tongue weight of 740 lbs. His tires are 1760 each max at 50 psi for a total of 7040 lbs max and the tire max speed is 65 mph. Very close to his max trailer tire capacity even at a max of 65 mph. Total trailer weight max including the tongue weight of 740 lbs is approx 7500 lbs for a base NO options added trailer.

He has plenty of truck with an 11,500 lbs tow capacity and with a figure of 600 lbs of passengers in the truck still has 10,900 lbs tow capacity. His cargo weight on his truck is 600 lbs plus the 740 tongue or 1340 lbs total for a bsae model trailer and that's hundreds of lbs below his truck's cargo carrying capacity.

His problem is being at about max or over on his trailer tires and exceeding 65 mph which causes high heat buildup and tire carcass breakdown/fatigue. That's at max inflation of his trailer tires and the tire heat temp goes up with each psi under the max. Is he at max cargo carrying capacity for the trailer with eveything that was added after being built? Including any and all water etc in the tanks, batteries, tools, canned goods, TV, dishes and pans, canned liquids, clothes, etc. Every single thing/item he etc added since purchase, any option added from the base weight of the trailer reduces the cargo carrying capacity, Such as the awning, A/C, you name it.

In my opinion, his trailer is under tired and he needs to actually weight it loaded ready to leave and I'll bet he's got a surprise coming! 14" are tiny tires for a trailer that large and 1300 lbs cargo carrying capacity over a base model is a joke for a bunkhouse trailer that large. Driving higher than the max speed the tires are spected/made for is a real fast tire weakener and YES, they will blow! At min the trailer his size should have "D" range 14" tires at 65 psi or 15" tires of "D" range at 65 psi. 14" tires spin very fast at 65 mph and rotate 773 times each mile driven due to their smaller OD.

Even if they do put new axles on it and new same size tires, they'll fail again because his actual scaled weight is likely higher than the tires can handle and if he drives 70 mph they'll blow again anyway.

x2.

The Coachmen 2013 spec for the 292BHDS says: base wt = 5492 lbs, 1306 lbs cargo carrying capacity which totals about 6800 lbs max on the axle for a bsae model trailer with NO options not including the base tongue weight of 740 lbs. His tires are 1760 each max at 50 psi for a total of 7040 lbs max and the tire max speed is 65 mph. Very close to his max trailer tire capacity even at a max of 65 mph. Total trailer weight max including the tongue weight of 740 lbs is approx 7500 lbs for a base NO options added trailer.

He has plenty of truck with an 11,500 lbs tow capacity and with a figure of 600 lbs of passengers in the truck still has 10,900 lbs tow capacity. His cargo weight on his truck is 600 lbs plus the 740 tongue or 1340 lbs total for a bsae model trailer and that's hundreds of lbs below his truck's cargo carrying capacity.

His problem is being at about max or over on his trailer tires and exceeding 65 mph which causes high heat buildup and tire carcass breakdown/fatigue. That's at max inflation of his trailer tires and the tire heat temp goes up with each psi under the max. Is he at max cargo carrying capacity for the trailer with eveything that was added after being built? Including any and all water etc in the tanks, batteries, tools, canned goods, TV, dishes and pans, canned liquids, clothes, etc. Every single thing/item he etc added since purchase, any option added from the base weight of the trailer reduces the cargo carrying capacity, Such as the awning, A/C, you name it.

In my opinion, his trailer is under tired and he needs to actually weight it loaded ready to leave and I'll bet he's got a surprise coming! 14" are tiny tires for a trailer that large and 1300 lbs cargo carrying capacity over a base model is a joke for a bunkhouse trailer that large. Driving higher than the max speed the tires are spected/made for is a real fast tire weakener and YES, they will blow! At min the trailer his size should have "D" range 14" tires at 65 psi or 15" tires of "D" range at 65 psi. 14" tires spin very fast at 65 mph and rotate 773 times each mile driven due to their smaller OD.

Even if they do put new axles on it and new same size tires, they'll fail again because his actual scaled weight is likely higher than the tires can handle and if he drives 70 mph they'll blow again anyway.

rider997 wrote:

Tom/Barb wrote:
If this isn't proof that anyone buying a new trailer should automatically upgrade the tires I don't know what is.

Bold statement, not knowing what was on the OP's trailer from the factory...

All the trailers that I see setting on lots have load range "C", most any trailer over 18' need Load range D or E when loaded for traveling.

Travel trailers set a lot, then get pulled out loaded up and away they go. Tire care is at the bottom of the list.

gmw photos wrote:
As an example, a GY Marathon ST in that size has 1760 pounds of capacity. If we assume that all four tires on the ground have an equal loading ( not likely ) then he has 1500 pounds sitting on each tire.

Then add the high speed driving at 65-7 Those tires had to be running hot. Small 14" ST tires aren't the best idea for traveling at those speeds.

Get the bent axle question answered and fixed and use a better type/size tire that can stand up to traveling at those speeds.