Tire Problem-One Badly Worn Tire

[T Alan B]

Good Morning All,

We own a 2019 GD 29RS Fifth Wheel and have one badly worn tire. We travel 6,000 miles a year or so (under 20,000 miles total) and routinely have the hubs repacked. Yesterday I noticed severe wear on the inside of the rear tire of the fifth wheel on the drivers side. All other tires look good and seem equally worn. The suspension looks fine. They are original West Lake Tires and I intend to replace the set next summer. I've heard a lot of ideas on what this could be but I'm hoping for some expert feedback here based on the photos I've attached.

Thank You,

T Baker

[Cate&Rob]

Uneven tire wear as shown in your pictures is an alignment problem. When this happens to only one tire of a tandem beam axle suspension, this usually means that one spindle is bent. This is easier to do than you might think. Touching a curb with that one tire is the most common cause. The only way to know for sure is to have the trailer alignment checked by a facility with the equipment to do this. A truck/trailer repair facility . . . not your RV dealer. Some repair facilities will suggest bending the axle to correct the alignment. This is common practice on heavy trailers with thick wall axle tubes, but perhaps questionable on the thin wall axle tubes used in RV suspension. Check the price of a new axles vs the price for bending . . . they will be more similar than you would expect.

Rob

[Jkwilson]

Uneven tire wear as shown in your pictures is an alignment problem. When this happens to only one tire of a tandem beam axle suspension, this usually means that one spindle is bent. This is easier to do than you might think. Touching a curb with that one tire is the most common cause. The onlyway to know for sure is to have the trailer alignment checked by a facility with the equipment to do this. A truck/trailer repair facility . . . not your RV dealer. Some repair facilities will suggest bending the axle to correct the alignment. This is common practice on heavy trailers with thick wall axle tubes, but perhaps questionable on the thin wall axle tubes used in RV suspension. Check the price of a new axles vs the price for bending . . . they will be more similar than you would expect.

Rob

Couldn’t agree more and my answer almost word for word.

Had a bent spindle on a boat trailer and took it to a shop that thought they could square it up. After they finished, I could still measure a difference in angle between right and left side using a tape measure and straight edge. Talked to a real support guy (not the phone answerers) at the manufacturer and he told me they rejected axles at the factory with as much misalignment as I had after the repair attempt. I got a new axle with an upgrade to disc brakes for a little over twice what the trailer shop charged to try to align it. Trailer axles are simple things with mass produced components so they aren’t priced insanely.

I’m sure there are axle alignment folks out there who can align them, but unless you know you have an axle whisperer, a new axle may be the least hassle.

[Country Campers]

T Alan B

Could you get a good picture of the inside side wall of that tire?

I am wondering with the recent rash of tire tread separation if this tire is starting that on the inside thus causing the tire wear.

I realize the correct answer is a bent spindle as noted above but thinking outside the box here.

Brian

[TucsonJim]

When I received my trailer in 2016, one of the four tires was showing that same exact wear right after delivery. It had been driven the 2000 miles from Indiana to Arizona. I called GDRV since it was still under warranty, and they shipped me a new axle due to a bent spindle. The spindle could have been manufactured out of alignment or damaged during transit. I elected to replace the axle myself instead of waiting for an appointment at the dealer. It took about three hours to swap it out.

After putting about 2000 miles on the new axle, I had similar wear, but it was now on the outside edge of the tire. I called my contact at GDRV and he stated that that mis-aligned spindles were not too uncommon, and I probably had another one. So, they shipped me another axle and I swapped it out again. It's now been five years and many thousands of miles and my tires are wearing just fine.

Jim

[T Alan B]

Good Morning Brian,
I'll get a picture of the inside of the tire and post it again...
Thanks,

[familytruckster4]

I had a 2008 Outback with a similar issue that was unrelated to alignment. It had a similar wear pattern. I talked to a friend of mine who's family runs a heavy truck/auto/trailer service facility and his advice was to change the position of the tire and watch for the wear pattern on the old and new tire in that position. It evened out and we never had another issue. He explained to me that sometimes the tire will exhibit an uneven wear pattern by itself due to manufacturing issues. It was more prevalent on the lower brands of tires. I would bet money its more likely an axle issue but on mine the swapping of the tires fixed it.

[Jeff Barta]

There are many ways to check alignment, not the most professional, but easy. Using a straight edge held against the center of the tire face of both tires, will sometimes give you an idea. The forward edge of the tires should have a slight gap, maybe an 1/8 of an inch. As I said, this is not a professional method, but it could give you some idea. I wonder if it isn't a broken belt on the tire?