Bottom damage

[richclover]

We just got home from a bucket list 5200 mile road trip towing the 2018 Coleman bumper pull. 10K/1K Equalizer hitch.

As usual we hit some rough pavement. Some was unexpected and really bad. Enough to make me think broken spring or shackle or blown tire. We were lucky.

We also had multiple encounters with interstate bridges. The crossings that want to launch the whole rig into the air. Recovery on the other side feels like a roller coaster. I found damage to the plastic covering the underside of the trailer. Above the tires. Torn through above the front tires, barely scuffed above the rear.

The trailer was built on LCI frame, etc., and the axles are already under the springs. It's been suggested that I use Gorilla tape for a temporary fix and find a shop to install a 2 inch lift on the axles.

Any thoughts?

[CharlesinGA]

Springs look way too flat. Should have a lot more curve/arch in them that what I see in those.

Charles

[richclover]

mgirardo wrote:
The weight probably doesn't have much to do with it. You stuffed larger tires in a wheel well not designed for tires of that size. You will need to make more room for the tires to keep them from rubbing.

-Michael

Thanks, Michael, but my tire shop, and me, figured a half inch shouldn’t have made any difference. Last spring, installing the Goodyear tires.

Making more room will only happen with suspension modifications. Question is “what”.

First stop will be the tire shop in the morning.

[ktmrfs]

richclover wrote:

ktmrfs wrote:
There is IMHO to little tire clearance. Either it was built with to little clearance, or the tires are larger than the OEM tires, or the springs have lost the arc.

If it was my trailer and fixing it correctly isn't covered under warranty, I'd find a shop that can do an axle flip to get proper clearance.

I don't think an axle flip will will help. As shown, the axles are mounted below the springs.

correct. I suffered from a bit of "brain fade" when I looked at the picture.

The larger tires of 1" larger diameter only cut about 1/2" of clearance. From the looks it is several inches from the needed clearance.

[richclover]

myredracer wrote:
Sounds like the TT got a good workout! 🙂 Unfortunately, TT manufacturers typically use the lowest rated and least substantial components possible. 5K miles on a TT is nothing...

I would suggest RV scrim tape there. It's a lot thicker than gorilla tape and should be tougher for a location like that. Wash the darco fabric with soap and water then use alcohol to get it good and clean so the tape adheres well.

Tires look way too close. Original size tires I assume? The usual cause of this is springs that have flattened out and isn't uncommon. Hard to tell in the photos but one set of springs does look flattened. What is the TT GVWR and what are the axle ratings? There should be a white sticker on each axle that will give you the rating. Have you ever taken the TT through a scale to get it's weights?

Do not use a 2" lift. Need to determine why so little clearance. This is a standard frame, axle, spring and tire setup and nothing unusual.

The damage to the darco fabric looks different from front to rear tire. Is the TT level to slightly nose down when hooked up?

While in there inspecting things:

I would inspect the plastic spring bushings because they can wear out in as little as a couple thousand miles. Check spring hanger holes because they can get ovalized. Perhaps check the axle tubes to see if they still have the correct camber/arch. Check for unusual tire wear as it could be an indication of a bent axle or misalignment. A pair of Dexter EZ-flex equalizers would be a good idea (along with their wet bolts).

*IF* it turns out the axle tubes have lost their camber (not unusual either), you might look at using the optional 3" dia. tube instead of standard 2-3/8". Al-ko has good tech. info. here on what's available. Stronger springs might be a good idea but don't know if they're directly interchangeable.

A set of shock absorbers can help prevent this. We installed them on our TT and help a lot.

We put a "test" on it! Given the really poor condition of some interstates we traveled we were very lucky.

Thanks for the good suggestions! Right, it's a standard Coleman TT, Lippert components. See my other post WRT GY tires and weights.

I like the idea of installing shocks and will investigate further.

[mgirardo]

The weight probably doesn't have much to do with it. You stuffed larger tires in a wheel well not designed for tires of that size. You will need to make more room for the tires to keep them from rubbing.

-Michael

[richclover]

ktmrfs wrote:
There is IMHO to little tire clearance. Either it was built with to little clearance, or the tires are larger than the OEM tires, or the springs have lost the arc.

If it was my trailer and fixing it correctly isn't covered under warranty, I'd find a shop that can do an axle flip to get proper clearance.

I don't think an axle flip will will help. As shown, the axles are mounted below the springs.

[richclover]

downtheroad wrote:
Did you replace your tires and go from maybe 15" to 16"?

Good point. My local tire shop replaced the original 15" factory chinese tires with GY Endurance ST225/75R15. Originals were 205/75R15. I just measured the difference of about 1" bigger diameter on the GY. Spare, on the back bumper, is original.

However, given the amount of "intrusion", especially on the left front, I'm thinking the OEM tires would have done nearly the same thing.

The camper was loaded heavy for the trip, waste tanks empty and water tank with about 255#, which I cut in half before departure. Vietnamese-made wheels rated at 1780#. Axles rated 3500#. GVWR 7600#.

Local Flying J scales: 1080# tongue wt. 6780# on the axles. 7860# gross.

So about 7750# gross after I drained fresh water.

Heavy, but I don't think unreasonable?

[downtheroad]

Did you replace your tires and go from maybe 15" to 16"?

[ktmrfs]

There is IMHO to little tire clearance. Either it was built with to little clearance, or the tires are larger than the OEM tires, or the springs have lost the arc.

If it was my trailer and fixing it correctly isn't covered under warranty, I'd find a shop that can do an axle flip to get proper clearance.

[myredracer]

Sounds like the TT got a good workout! 🙂 Unfortunately, TT manufacturers typically use the lowest rated and least substantial components possible. 5K miles on a TT is nothing...

I would suggest RV scrim tape there. It's a lot thicker than gorilla tape and should be tougher for a location like that. Wash the darco fabric with soap and water then use alcohol to get it good and clean so the tape adheres well.

Tires look way too close. Original size tires I assume? The usual cause of this is springs that have flattened out and isn't uncommon. Hard to tell in the photos but one set of springs does look flattened. What is the TT GVWR and what are the axle ratings? There should be a white sticker on each axle that will give you the rating. Have you ever taken the TT through a scale to get it's weights?

Do not use a 2" lift. Need to determine why so little clearance. This is a standard frame, axle, spring and tire setup and nothing unusual.

The damage to the darco fabric looks different from front to rear tire. Is the TT level to slightly nose down when hooked up?

While in there inspecting things:

I would inspect the plastic spring bushings because they can wear out in as little as a couple thousand miles. Check spring hanger holes because they can get ovalized. Perhaps check the axle tubes to see if they still have the correct camber/arch. Check for unusual tire wear as it could be an indication of a bent axle or misalignment. A pair of Dexter EZ-flex equalizers would be a good idea (along with their wet bolts).

*IF* it turns out the axle tubes have lost their camber (not unusual either), you might look at using the optional 3" dia. tube instead of standard 2-3/8". Al-ko has good tech. info. here on what's available. Stronger springs might be a good idea but don't know if they're directly interchangeable.

A set of shock absorbers can help prevent this. We installed them on our TT and help a lot.

[TurnThePage]

I'm not sure of the best way, but obviously more clearance is needed. Gorilla tape would probably work for a while and is already black. I've used Eternabond for similar repairs, and it's still holding after over 10 years. Yeah, it's white, but who's gonna see it? I think I would want something a little more substantial than darco fabric in my fender wells. I've heard of people spraying truck bed liner in there.

[newman_fulltime]

Stronger springs with more arch

[Lwiddis]

Reinforcement of my TTs tire areas is at the top of my list. Your experiences are another reason I rarely exceed 55 mph.