Trailer tires wearing uneven

[CampStewart]

Frankly I am very surprised to see that kind of wear with so little miles on the tires and so little weight on a 3500lb axle. I don't think air pressure is going to have anything to do with it. If the bearings are that loose I would have expected lots of noise and wobbling and probably a failed bearing. I don't think the trailer frame or tongue is going to have anything to do with it. If the bearings are not bad use that straight edge on all sides of the axle and then use a framing square or something similar to look at if the tires are perpendicular to the ground. I think you have a bent axle or misaligned spindles. If it turns out to be the bearings inspect the entire internal brake assembly for rubbing and wear due to the misalignment.

 

[shade]

Frankly I am very surprised to see that kind of wear with so little miles on the tires

He mentioned recent trip mileage, but I don't think he meant that was the total distance on them. They look pretty old to me.

 

[WOODY2]

yes outer edges = out side. Looks like a alignment problem from top to bottom Did you get your axle from CCC before they went to Rockwell . If so look for broken welds on axle. Pull tire and place a strait straight edge on hub and turn .dose it turn true?










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By outside I meant outer edges of tread on each side of tire, not just outer edge of tire.

 

[rnArmy]

What shocks are those?

Monroe 555002 shocks on my little trailer.

More Information for MONROE 555002

www.rockauto.com

 

[rnArmy]

I will check the brake pads for uneven wear when I pull the drums to pack the bearings. That's a good idea.

 

[4S50]

They are Speedway Motors T-Bucket Short Tube Shock,they have a ride height of 9-9.5” and were difficult to find. They have other short travel shocks on their site.

 

[opp]

Did you find out what was wrong.

 

[rnArmy]

Sorry for not following up.

Bearings didn't seem too loose, but I packed them and tightened them up. Brake pads looked evenly worn.

I've got new tires for the trailer, and later this week I'm heading out on a 5000 mile trip with the trailer. We'll see how the new tires wear. If they wear the same as before, I'll replace the axle (on the assumption it is bent).

 

[old_CWO]

I've got new tires for the trailer, and later this week I'm heading out on a 5000 mile trip with the trailer. We'll see how the new tires wear. If they wear the same as before, I'll replace the axle (on the assumption it is bent).

There is an alignment shop where I live that can straighten out trailer axles. They are well known for doing alignments on all types of trailers; people even come from neighboring states to have them solve tire wear problems.

Perhaps there is a shop in your area that is similar?

 

[rnArmy]

There is an alignment shop where I live that can straighten out trailer axles. They are well known for doing alignments on all types of trailers; people even come from neighboring states to have them solve tire wear problems.

Perhaps there is a shop in your area that is similar?

That would be worth checking out. Thanks!

 

[old_CWO]

Sure, it's better to cover all bases before swapping parts.

I see that you do a lot of trips up through the Great White North. I believe that road surfaces in areas that receive significant snow and ice are paved with quite a bit more crown for better runoff. Given you are wearing the inside edge of the tires, that may be the contributing factor. That explanation also sort of makes sense with how the passenger tire is worn more than the driver. I will assume that while towing you spend more time in the right lane on multi-lane roads. The driver side tire would then be riding in the "flatter" sections of the road more often so less off-camber wear.

An alignment check would prove out the theory as they will see what your current camber is. I know the trailer axle alignment shop I mentioned takes road crown into account and they don't set the axles to zero camber.

OR, you just leave it alone and have a good excuse to buy new tires every few years!

 

[rnArmy]

That's an interesting theory (and kinda makes sense). We'll have to see how the tires wear on this upcoming trip (5000 miles through Canada to the Arctic Ocean and back). There's also a little more weight on the passenger side of the trailer than the other side.

 

[Brianj5600]

Camber and toe are the two things you need to measure. A stick axle doesn't even need to be level to check camber since you are only verifying they are not tipped in at the top. A digital angle finder is the easiest method for measuring camber, but can be measured with a bubble level and some math. Since you are only needing to know if they are not cambered, a level and a machinist scale is all you really need. Toe needs two straight edges and a measuring tape.

 

[verdesard0g]

You should not have ordered a straight axle, they are mostly set with a slight camber for just the reason you are experiencing!

 

[Brianj5600]

I don't see a 3500 lbs axle flexing at less than half, maybe closer to a third of it's rating.