Tire Wear / Bad Axle

[ncitro]

Good to hear! I hope the alignment reveals root cause. Our original fifth wheel was 2014 Reflection 337, which had Correct Track cams which we took to a Hunter shop in Colorado Springs. They were able to dial the axles to perfect thrust/scrub angle, which did help. I hope your fifth wheel has the Correct Track, seems GDRV went away from them. Eagerly awaiting your update!

Nope no correct track, thats part of why I was unsure an alignment shop would be able to do anything other than change the axle anyway.

[steve gravelle]

Good to hear! I hope the alignment reveals root cause. Our original fifth wheel was 2014 Reflection 337, which had Correct Track cams which we took to a Hunter shop in Colorado Springs. They were able to dial the axles to perfect thrust/scrub angle, which did help. I hope your fifth wheel has the Correct Track, seems GDRV went away from them. Eagerly awaiting your update!

[ncitro]

As a former Hunter representative, service, sales, and distribution, I have been away from the company for a few years. Their website, www.hunter.com, had access to heavy duty alignment shops. I tried yesterday but was unsuccessful in accessing that information. But I learned of major updates in their heavy duty aligners to gain much quicker alignment data. Maybe some other computer savvy individual can have more success.

Thanks I put a call into the shop in Woodstock, IL near me and he stated that will do an alignment on a trailer so thats a good start. Rig was at the detailer last week, so I will be calling him this week to get it in hopefully.

[steve gravelle]

As a former Hunter representative, service, sales, and distribution, I have been away from the company for a few years. Their website, www.hunter.com, had access to heavy duty alignment shops. I tried yesterday but was unsuccessful in accessing that information. But I learned of major updates in their heavy duty aligners to gain much quicker alignment data. Maybe some other computer savvy individual can have more success.

[ncitro]

Here's a list of places with Hunter equipment that work with MORryde.

STATE	CITY	SERVICE CENTER NAME	PHONE NUMBER	ADDRESS	ZIP
AZ	Buckeye	Arizona Alignment Products	602-568-3923	22424 Meade	85326
AZ	Bullhead City	RV Care Center	928-763-3301	1535 E. Ramar	86422
AZ	Gilbert	Spectrac Parts and Services	480-545-5533	405 E. Baseline Rd	85233
CA	El Cajon	Tru Line Wheel Alignment	619-258-1800	210 W. Bradley Ave.	93308
CA	Redding	All Wheel Alignment & Brake	530-241-1010	18730 Old Oasis Rd	96003
CA	Santee	East County Alignment	619-562-4110	10741 Woodside Ave.	92373
CANADA	St. Laurent, QC	St.-Laurent Spring, Inc	514-336-1910	1142 St-Amour Ville	32254
FL	Jacksonville	Horton Truck Service	904-388-1488	2525 W. Beaver St.
FL	Ocala	Tampa Spring Company	352-690-1656	4225 W. Hwy 40	30236
FL	Tampa	Tampa Spring Company	813-933-2805	8820 Brooks St.	52241
GA	Austell	Big Mo	770-948-7443	7190 Delta Circle	61264
IA	Coralville	Greer Motor Frame & Axle	319-339-4678	2421 James St.	52241
ID	Boise	Alignment Specialists	208-362-9087	2269 S. Liberty	83709
IL	Coal Valley	Mutual Wheel	309-757-1234	3215 E. 1st Ave	61240
IL	Tilton	Burke Spring & Alignment	271-443-1888	100 E. Ross Lane	61833
IL	Woodstock	Bott's Welding Truck Service	815-338-0594	335 N. Eastwood Dr.	60098
IN	Elkhart	MORryde International, Inc	574-293-1581	1966 Sterling Ave	46516
IN	Terra Haute	Burke Spring & Alignment	812-232-5017	45 S. 12th St.	47807
KS	Hutchinson	Anderson Alignment Center	620-662-7671	725 W. 4th Ave.	67501
KS	Phillipsburgh	Mac's Alignment	785-543-6647	47 US 36	67661
KS	Pittsburgh	Holland Alignment	620-231-4420	306 E. 5th	66762
MA	Shrewsbury	Tri State Truck Center	888-874-9120	411 Hartford Turnpike	1545
MI	Bay City	Gary's Safety Center	989-892-2013	407 S. Linn St.	48706
MI	Grand Rapids	State Spring & Alignment	616-455-2650	734 Division Ave.	49548
MI	Pontiac	Clyde's Frame & Wheel	248-338-0323	725 Cesar Chavez Ave	48340
MT	Billings	D & H Spring Machine & Welding	406-245-3997	826 Wonderpark Dr	59101
NC	Winston-Salem	Auto Spring Co	336-723-7001	1323 N. Liberty St.	27105
NH	Portsmouth	Coastal Truck & Auto Body	603-431-7606	3600 Lafayette Rd.	03801
NM	Albuquerque	McBrides Spring & Weld	505-242-2174	1010 2nd St. NW	87102
NM	Cruces	J & J Muffler	575-526-4068	1865 S. Valley Drive Law	14606
NV	Las Vegas	Ewing Bros Truck & RV	702-382-9261	1400 A St.	89106
NY	Rochester	Thru-Way Auto Spring	585-254-6100	1069 Mt. Read Blvd.	14606
OR	Grant's Pass	Henderson's Line-Up	541-479-2882	417 Henderson Lane	97527
PA	Harrisburg	Stanley Springs	717-257-5050	1300 N. Cameron St.	76110
PA	Meadville	Point Springs	814-724-7746	11377 Mercer Pike	37210
SD	Belle Fourche	Linstadt's Alingment	605-892-4776	501 5th Ave
SD	Rapid City	Rapid Tire & Alignment	605-348-2502	1302 E Hwy 44
SD	Sioux Falls	Soo Alignment	605-582-7588	1204 E. Hemlock Blvd	57005
TX	Ft. Worth	Ft. Worth Champion Spring	817-332-2115	1117 Henderson St.	76102
TX	Ft. Worth	Ray's Champion Spring	682-350-3119	3336 S. Fwy	76110
TX	Houston	Kacal's Auto and Truck Service	713-747-8076	5030 Old Spanish Trail	77021
TX	Lubbock	McWhorter's Truck Center	806-763-8208	213 N. Ave. U	79415
TX	San Antonio	Alignment Right, Inc	210-241-9018	6910 NE Interstate 410 Loop	78219
WA	Yakima	White Front Shop	509-457-5595	332 S. 1st St.	98901
WI	Altoona	Truck Aline Suspension Center	715-835-7701	1420 N Hillcrest Parkway	54720
WV	Parkersburg	Glotfelty	304-489-4110	Route 14/33 Clinton Ave	26101
WY	Casper	Kelly's Alignment & Brake Service	307-235-7949	515 N. Elk St.	82601

Rob

Thanks Rob! The one in Woodstock is pretty close, I’ll give them a call.

[Second Chance]

Hi Neil,

You might try coming at this from the other end. You want a "Hunter" measurement/analysis of your trailer suspension. What about contacting Hunter and asking them for a list of facilities in your area using their equipment?

Rob

Here's a list of places with Hunter equipment that work with MORryde.

STATE	CITY	SERVICE CENTER NAME	PHONE NUMBER	ADDRESS	ZIP
AZ	Buckeye	Arizona Alignment Products	602-568-3923	22424 Meade	85326
AZ	Bullhead City	RV Care Center	928-763-3301	1535 E. Ramar	86422
AZ	Gilbert	Spectrac Parts and Services	480-545-5533	405 E. Baseline Rd	85233
CA	El Cajon	Tru Line Wheel Alignment	619-258-1800	210 W. Bradley Ave.	93308
CA	Redding	All Wheel Alignment & Brake	530-241-1010	18730 Old Oasis Rd	96003
CA	Santee	East County Alignment	619-562-4110	10741 Woodside Ave.	92373
CANADA	St. Laurent, QC	St.-Laurent Spring, Inc	514-336-1910	1142 St-Amour Ville	32254
FL	Jacksonville	Horton Truck Service	904-388-1488	2525 W. Beaver St.
FL	Ocala	Tampa Spring Company	352-690-1656	4225 W. Hwy 40	30236
FL	Tampa	Tampa Spring Company	813-933-2805	8820 Brooks St.	52241
GA	Austell	Big Mo	770-948-7443	7190 Delta Circle	61264
IA	Coralville	Greer Motor Frame & Axle	319-339-4678	2421 James St.	52241
ID	Boise	Alignment Specialists	208-362-9087	2269 S. Liberty	83709
IL	Coal Valley	Mutual Wheel	309-757-1234	3215 E. 1st Ave	61240
IL	Tilton	Burke Spring & Alignment	271-443-1888	100 E. Ross Lane	61833
IL	Woodstock	Bott's Welding Truck Service	815-338-0594	335 N. Eastwood Dr.	60098
IN	Elkhart	MORryde International, Inc	574-293-1581	1966 Sterling Ave	46516
IN	Terra Haute	Burke Spring & Alignment	812-232-5017	45 S. 12th St.	47807
KS	Hutchinson	Anderson Alignment Center	620-662-7671	725 W. 4th Ave.	67501
KS	Phillipsburgh	Mac's Alignment	785-543-6647	47 US 36	67661
KS	Pittsburgh	Holland Alignment	620-231-4420	306 E. 5th	66762
MA	Shrewsbury	Tri State Truck Center	888-874-9120	411 Hartford Turnpike	1545
MI	Bay City	Gary's Safety Center	989-892-2013	407 S. Linn St.	48706
MI	Grand Rapids	State Spring & Alignment	616-455-2650	734 Division Ave.	49548
MI	Pontiac	Clyde's Frame & Wheel	248-338-0323	725 Cesar Chavez Ave	48340
MT	Billings	D & H Spring Machine & Welding	406-245-3997	826 Wonderpark Dr	59101
NC	Winston-Salem	Auto Spring Co	336-723-7001	1323 N. Liberty St.	27105
NH	Portsmouth	Coastal Truck & Auto Body	603-431-7606	3600 Lafayette Rd.	03801
NM	Albuquerque	McBrides Spring & Weld	505-242-2174	1010 2nd St. NW	87102
NM	Cruces	J & J Muffler	575-526-4068	1865 S. Valley Drive Law	14606
NV	Las Vegas	Ewing Bros Truck & RV	702-382-9261	1400 A St.	89106
NY	Rochester	Thru-Way Auto Spring	585-254-6100	1069 Mt. Read Blvd.	14606
OR	Grant's Pass	Henderson's Line-Up	541-479-2882	417 Henderson Lane	97527
PA	Harrisburg	Stanley Springs	717-257-5050	1300 N. Cameron St.	76110
PA	Meadville	Point Springs	814-724-7746	11377 Mercer Pike	37210
SD	Belle Fourche	Linstadt's Alingment	605-892-4776	501 5th Ave
SD	Rapid City	Rapid Tire & Alignment	605-348-2502	1302 E Hwy 44
SD	Sioux Falls	Soo Alignment	605-582-7588	1204 E. Hemlock Blvd	57005
TX	Ft. Worth	Ft. Worth Champion Spring	817-332-2115	1117 Henderson St.	76102
TX	Ft. Worth	Ray's Champion Spring	682-350-3119	3336 S. Fwy	76110
TX	Houston	Kacal's Auto and Truck Service	713-747-8076	5030 Old Spanish Trail	77021
TX	Lubbock	McWhorter's Truck Center	806-763-8208	213 N. Ave. U	79415
TX	San Antonio	Alignment Right, Inc	210-241-9018	6910 NE Interstate 410 Loop	78219
WA	Yakima	White Front Shop	509-457-5595	332 S. 1st St.	98901
WI	Altoona	Truck Aline Suspension Center	715-835-7701	1420 N Hillcrest Parkway	54720
WV	Parkersburg	Glotfelty	304-489-4110	Route 14/33 Clinton Ave	26101
WY	Casper	Kelly's Alignment & Brake Service	307-235-7949	515 N. Elk St.	82601

Rob

On edit: just noticed they left out part of my hometown's name - should be "Las Cruces." Funny! (Though many of us natives just say "Cruces" any way...)

[Cate&Rob]

Cate&Rob and steve gravelle

Thoughts on what I am looking for to find an alignment shop with Hunter equipment? Would you think I would want to start at a commercial trailer place or a heavy truck shop? My dad had a Allegro Bus diesel pusher we took to a commercial truck tire place to have his tires balanced, I am wondering if they would do it, but there is a big trailer place near me too. They sell everything from plow equipment up to big gooseneck horse trailers.

Hi Neil,

You might try coming at this from the other end. You want a "Hunter" measurement/analysis of your trailer suspension. What about contacting Hunter and asking them for a list of facilities in your area using their equipment?

Rob

[ncitro]

Cate&Rob and steve gravelle

Thoughts on what I am looking for to find an alignment shop with Hunter equipment? Would you think I would want to start at a commercial trailer place or a heavy truck shop? My dad had a Allegro Bus diesel pusher we took to a commercial truck tire place to have his tires balanced, I am wondering if they would do it, but there is a big trailer place near me too. They sell everything from plow equipment up to big gooseneck horse trailers.

[ncitro]

ncitro
Hi Neil,

I would be with Jim on this . . . I don't see how loose bearings would cause tire wear on the outer edge. If the wheel was running out of alignment because of this, it should track up and/or back . . . both of which would cause wear on the inner side of the tire.

I wonder if you have the cause and effect backwards. Maybe misalignment (from some other cause) has created both the unusual tire where and the excessive bearing wear?

Rob

That’s certainly possible. My thought is to get the bearings swapped out and hit an alignment shop to see what’s going on. Could definitely be more too it. The wear was pretty extreme to be just the little wobble I saw.

[Cate&Rob]

I can't seem to wrap my head around this one. I probably need mechanical engineer Rob Cate&Rob to weigh in. In my electrical manufacturing engineering mind, if the bearings were too loose, I'd expect to see the wear on the inside edge of the tire.

Jim

ncitro
Hi Neil,

I would be with Jim on this . . . I don't see how loose bearings would cause tire wear on the outer edge. If the wheel was running out of alignment because of this, it should track up and/or back . . . both of which would cause wear on the inner side of the tire.

I wonder if you have the cause and effect backwards. Maybe misalignment (from some other cause) has created both the unusual tire where and the excessive bearing wear?

Rob

[TucsonJim]

Well I stand corrected. Got back home Tuesday and had a chance to look at things with my buddy. He also agreed it was strange the wear was on the outside, and suggested we pull the bearings. Sure enough jacked it up and wheel had some slop to it. Pulled the bearings out and could see there had been some water intrusion where some of the grease was discolored, and the bearings had a bit of coloration to them from getting hot. We replaced them all with new Timken bearings and races last June, all we can figure is one of the seals failed and water got in somehow. New bearings and seals on the way, should be here Sunday and then we will see. Sure beats changing the axle though.

I can't seem to wrap my head around this one. I probably need mechanical engineer Rob Cate&Rob to weigh in. In my electrical manufacturing engineering mind, if the bearings were too loose, I'd expect to see the wear on the inside edge of the tire.

Jim

[Calbar]

Well I stand corrected. Got back home Tuesday and had a chance to look at things with my buddy. He also agreed it was strange the wear was on the outside, and suggested we pull the bearings. Sure enough jacked it up and wheel had some slop to it. Pulled the bearings out and could see there had been some water intrusion where some of the grease was discolored, and the bearings had a bit of coloration to them from getting hot. We replaced them all with new Timken bearings and races last June, all we can figure is one of the seals failed and water got in somehow. New bearings and seals on the way, should be here Sunday and then we will see. Sure beats changing the axle though.

I had something similar a couple of years ago. Notice one of my tires wearing funny. Thought it was a belt shifting or something with the tire. Tire dealer said tire was fine. Jacked up the trailer and wheel play was sloppy. Outer bearing was shot. Roller pretty much fell out of the cage. New bearings and repack and all was good.

Rob

[ncitro]

Well I stand corrected. Got back home Tuesday and had a chance to look at things with my buddy. He also agreed it was strange the wear was on the outside, and suggested we pull the bearings. Sure enough jacked it up and wheel had some slop to it. Pulled the bearings out and could see there had been some water intrusion where some of the grease was discolored, and the bearings had a bit of coloration to them from getting hot. We replaced them all with new Timken bearings and races last June, all we can figure is one of the seals failed and water got in somehow. New bearings and seals on the way, should be here Sunday and then we will see. Sure beats changing the axle though.

[ncitro]

Neil

If you are thinking of a Solitude in the future I would go the easiest best cheapest route to get the job done , 7k or 8k axels I think would fit this bill. The Timbren set up looks like there would need to be some fabricating or stiffening of the frame to support this.
The tire wear you have pictured has me curious as to how this happened. Outside wear would have to come from toe in , which would mean the axel or spindle was bent towards the front of the RV , how does that happen? It could also mean the spindle was bent down or the axel tube was bent up , how does that happen and only effect one side? Having basically the same set up as you I am concerned that this problem may haunt me at some time although we do not travel as far or as much as you do so I may be safe for a longer time period.

Brian

This is kind of my leaning too. We talked today some about upgrading rigs, but we’ve heavily modified the one we have. I would probably pull the solar, inverter, and lithium batteries to move to the new rig since we would never recoup that cost, and it’s easy enough to do, but we’ve totally remade the bunkhouse to be a toddler bed and play area for our two year old. It works really well for us, but I think it might turn off a potential buyer or at least take a while to sell. All that on top of what a Solitude would cost us (I’d order with 8k axles and probably full body paint which would make it even more). Plus it would mean moving to a 450 foot what we would want. We pretty much decided we are 2-5 years from those purchases.

That’s being the case as much as I would like to abandon the leaf springs entirely and be rid of that problem I think you’re right and the best option would be the 7k axles and keep the wheels and tires I have.

As for what happened, that’s the rub isn’t it. I had figured it was from pulling it over a curb or something. I’ma pretty careful driver, but have on occasion had to go over one in a parking lot, to say nothing of a pot hole or something. But you’re right about the direction of the bend. It can’t be from overweight either (not that I thought that because of which wheel it was), because that would be the other direction too. Maybe I should do the alignment check mentioned above just to find out.

[Country Campers]

Neil

If you are thinking of a Solitude in the future I would go the easiest best cheapest route to get the job done , 7k or 8k axels I think would fit this bill. The Timbren set up looks like there would need to be some fabricating or stiffening of the frame to support this.
The tire wear you have pictured has me curious as to how this happened. Outside wear would have to come from toe in , which would mean the axel or spindle was bent towards the front of the RV , how does that happen? It could also mean the spindle was bent down or the axel tube was bent up , how does that happen and only effect one side? Having basically the same set up as you I am concerned that this problem may haunt me at some time although we do not travel as far or as much as you do so I may be safe for a longer time period.

Brian