molardog
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Re: 2012 Keystone Passport tire wear problem (with pics)....
dadmomh wrote: Looks a lot like the problem we had with our HTT. DH felt sure it was alignment and the dealer agreed. The problem came when the manufacturer of the axels said if it truly was alignment, they would replace, HOWEVER....the dealer would have to remove, do whatever was needed to ship to the factory, they would check them and IF they agreed it was alignment they would replace. Otherwise, we would be stuck with the bill to remove, ship, return ship, replace. Since our problem was only on 1 tire, DH said he'd just replace that tire more often than go through all that hassle and likely the manufacturer would say it was fine. Funny thing was that the dealer doing the work was the one the axel manufacturer recommended as their service source. Just not worth the gamble of having a huge bill and the trailer out of use for likely the whole summer. I can understand that. For now, I am not too keen on someone monkeying with our axle if the problem was one of us overloading the rear end with those bikes.534Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2012 Keystone Passport tire wear problem (with pics)....
Ivylog wrote: molardog wrote: Ivylog wrote: Not sure about posters that do not know axles come with a upward bend in them. Assuming it's the outside of the left tire and inside of the right I'd check that the two axles are parallel. Bikes on the back should not affect handling or tire wear. Its the inside of both tires. Having read your previous posts I'd say your axles are overloaded. I would weigh the rig... each axle if possible and compare to the weight rating of your axles. I would not settle for having to put four bikes on the front of your Burb as adding 150 lbs of hitch and bikes SHOULD NOT change the handling. Heck, I put two dual sport motorcycles on the back of my 5er and it did not change the handling. If you cannot get the manufacture to put heaver axles under it I'd start by putting 1/2" more upward bow in the axle. Using a long straight edge measure how much now and then using a jack start raising up in small amounts and remeasure until you get 1/2". Yes, I've straighten and re arched axles and springs. Since you are in GA somewhere, this ebay seller has good prices on axles if you decide to buy heavier axles. If you are in northern GA there is a scale east of Blairsville that will let you weigh, even getting off to one side so you can weigh each side. Thanks....but you may be surprised at just how much those bikes back there did affect the handling of our rig, especially if we had so much as a drop of water in the holding tanks behind the axle. The passport tracked completely different with them on the back. Did not like how fussy it was at all. Perhaps yours handled well owing to the 5er vs bumper pull?534Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2012 Keystone Passport tire wear problem (with pics)....
GaryWT wrote: Ivylog wrote: Not sure about posters that do not know axles come with a upward bend in them. Assuming it's the outside of the left tire and inside of the right I'd check that the two axles are parallel. Bikes on the back should not affect handling or tire wear. Wow maybe I am not a real camper either, not sure how I or anyone is to know axles come bent. I stand by my thought that the axles are under sized. Thanks for the helpful suggestions. It is so nice to know that manufacturers aren't overbuilding their campers isn't it? Like JJ says though, I think it is easy to underestimate how much dynamic load is placed by something like a 150 rack and bikes bouncing and swaying on the running gear. Throw borderline axles into the mix and then things get even hairier. For now, I have just rotated the tires front to back (and greased the axles while there). I will keep my spare tire close at hand and my eyes on those worn edges for now and see if the problem recurs on the newly rotated ones. I will also take it to a shop nearby to be looked at.534Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2012 Keystone Passport tire wear problem (with pics)....
colliehauler wrote: Do you tow level or is the front a little high? If a little high it could overload the rear axle. Like Ivylog it is normal for axles to come with a upward bend for preload. It is slightly low if anything. I will re-measure to double check.342Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2012 Keystone Passport tire wear problem (with pics)....
Ivylog wrote: Not sure about posters that do not know axles come with a upward bend in them. Assuming it's the outside of the left tire and inside of the right I'd check that the two axles are parallel. Bikes on the back should not affect handling or tire wear. Its the inside of both tires.340Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2012 Keystone Passport tire wear problem (with pics)....
Old-Biscuit wrote: Axles have a upward bend (bow) in center to set camber when loaded. Your axle appears to have a curved bend vs a 'bow' How does it compare to front axle bow? Bikes were on back......did tire wear show up afterwards? Bikes were on back and you had sway issues Excessive wear on inside is an alignment/camber issue which can be caused by overloading or bent axle Identify cause/fix before new tires Wear did show up after bikes began riding on the back. Sway was the big reason I stopped carrying them back there, amongst other structural concerns discussed in my previous thread. Front axle seems to have less bow to it. Wouldn't an upward bend cause outer edge wear vs inner? If so, I am inclined to think the bikes caused it....of course, toe-out may be in play too?340Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2012 Keystone Passport tire wear problem (with pics)....
Lynnmor wrote: It is normal for an axle to be bowed up in the center. It looks like you may have an excessive amount of bow, but that would cause the outer edge to wear more. Did someone place a jack under the axle center? If you have a good level surface, and level the trailer perfectly, you can get a rough idea of wheel alignment by using a good level and a straight edge. A heavy duty truck service shop can do an alignment. To my eye that bend does look slightly up, and would cause an outer edge wear instead of an inner one like you say. Sounds like I need to find a shop to check it, fix it, THEN replace the back tires.... As far as I know, the axle has never been lifted at the center.340Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2012 Keystone Passport tire wear problem (with pics)....
phenrichs wrote: The photo may be deceptive but I would put a level or some other straight edge on that axle. Looks like a curve in it to me. But again it could be a photo deception and not actually bent. Pictures are not always perfect. It looks that way to my eye from a specific angle too. Do they send campers out of the factory with bent axles?340Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2012 Keystone Passport tire wear problem (with pics)....
the bear II wrote: Curb strike knocked the camber off... You indicate alignment can't be the cause, have you had the alignment checked ? I had similar wear and it turned out the factory failed to install cross pieces between the spring shackles which allowed the rear axle to move out of alignment side to side by about an inch. My mistake....I meant to say I have not had the alignment checked. Would a curb strike affect both sides? I try to be careful about those, but have scrubbed a curb a time or two.69Views0likes0Comments2012 Keystone Passport tire wear problem (with pics)....
Hi ryone....thought I'd ask everyone's opinions on this tire wear issue....back axle tires are balding on the inner tread stripe with approx 15k miles on them. Search function tells me this can result from overloading, not towing level, or alignment issues. Unsure as to which applies to our situation....aside from about the last 8k miles towing with 4 bike rack at rear of camper (I no longer run with them back there for various reasons)? Is it possible that the bikes caused enough overload to wear both back tires like this? See pics: Dr side Passenger side Is the axle bent? Tires are the PowerKing's that came with it new btw. Do these tires still have useful life left? I am considering rotating the fronts to the back as a test to se if the wear happens again (now that we aren't carrying bikes on the back) vs just out right replacing them and risking premature wear on a brand new pair! Any suggestions/tips are much appreciated!8.8KViews0likes32Comments
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