Rim tolerance

[greengiant]

Two weeks ago I found out one of my TT rims was losing air. Not at the bead, but at the weld in the rim itself. They are dexstar 15x6 (17-233, 15x6 JJ, 2830lbs to be exact). I found one on ebay, exact match, brand new, $35 plus $25 shipping. Since I needed it fairly quickly and didn't have time to look further, I purchased it, received it, and it looks brand new as advertised. Just got back from my mechanic who was mounting it for me. He said it was a bear to balance (he has a large weight on it for balance) and threw it back on the machine for me to show me that the rim is not perfect. I didn't measure the imperfection,but it is clear to the naked eye that when spinning the top edge of the rim went in and out.

My question is this: is it common for trailer rims to not be as perfect as car/truck rims, or should I demand my money back and ship it back to the seller? Will this lead to headache for me down the road? Thanks

[dcg9381]

In my experience, trailer rims are the worst. I've had horrible luck with the steel ones - out of round, out of balance, etc.. To the point that the first thing I do when I buy one (now) is take it to the tire shop and make sure it's not going to be a problem. I'd say about 25% of the trailer rims that I've ordered (steel) have been varying degrees of a problem.

Seems to be an issue not just with trailer rims, but with all "inexpensive" steel wheels. I've had the same issue with 4wd applications.

No issues with aluminum rims to date.

[greengiant]

So it sounds pretty common. Thanks for the input. I guess for me it just comes down to safety and any problems that would result from a out of true rim vibrating down the road. My mechanic said most trailer wheels aren't even balanced (he does balance his trailers and he assumed I'd want mine done too), so I guess that is a step in the right direction. I know from the factory mine didn't have any weights on them.

[dcg9381]

Keystone doesn't balance them. Course, I got rid of the OEM tires - which I'm convinced was a good decision. When we installed new tires, we had them balanced. No out of round issues, but the Keystone wheels are aluminum and cost about $150/each.

I've got a couple of small "cargo" trailers on steel wheels - open stuff.. 5x10, etc. I had one wheel that was so bad that it induced some weld cracking on that trailer via vibration over time. I finally got around to replacing that wheel after finding that it couldn't be balanced (out of round), balanced both wheels/tires, and from now on I get them checked as soon as I buy them.

I've found that it's often cheaper to buy a new steelie with a tire installed, but I'm starting to rethink that..

[greengiant]

I am currently about to spend $1500 to upgrade to 6000lb axles. I have to replace the rear axle as it wore the insides of both tires down to steel radials. I can do that one axle for $700 (including all new brake assembly), or upgrade both. It's a local spring shop doing it. He said the 4400 lb axles are just barely enough for a camper the grosses out at 9700lbs.

This leaking rim has just been the icing on the cake in the middle of my axle issue. I am also upgrading to E rated Maxxis, two of which I just had mounted and balanced, and two that I will do after the axle issue is fixed in a month. Since the two rims my guy balanced so far were not nearly as out of round, maybe I'll get lucky and the spare rim and other OEM rim won't be as bad, and I'll put that new rim on the bumper. I also contacted the seller on ebay to see what they say. Maybe I'll end up returning it, but of course the shipping will cost me. Sooooooooooo......currently I'm in for $2100 already and not sure I'm ready to drop another $600 on aluminum rims at this point-but it does sound nice.

[dcg9381]

I run a business on ebay. The seller is actually on the hook for paying for return shipping for "significantly not as described" items. It doesn't matter what the auction says. If you get in that case, PM me and I'll see if I can send you the details. This was actually a pretty big change, especially as it obligates sellers from China to pay for return shipping. Most sellers and most buyers don't actually know.

I haven't actually had a dispute play all the way out, but if I'm the buyer this means the seller provides a return tag for the item or it doesn't go back. If you send it back (your cost) and expect to be reimbursed, that probably won't happen, despite what ebay says - as I don't think ebay can force the funds out:

If the item is damaged or not as described, sellers must cover return shipping costs. When you're responsible for return shipping charges, we'll charge your PayPal account if the item is shipped with an eBay label. For more details, including approximate shipping costs, click here.

My guess is that this is ebay trying to be as consumer friendly as Amazon.

A smart seller knows this and will bend over backwards for his customer... But most aren't smart sellers. And most consumers assume that the return terms of the auction apply - they don't.

[Pull Toy]

Greengiant,

My first move would be to contact the "e-bay" guy who sold the wheel. Most reputable dealers offer a satisfaction guarantee, even if it's just to avoid negative reviews. Even if he splits the shipping, and replaces the wheel with one that is in tolerance, your still probably ahead of the game.

[greengiant]

Thanks for the great advice. I already have a message in to the seller. I'm in NY, he sent it from Ohio. In the message, I just described the situation and asked for what he(she) would suggest I do rather than immediately asking how to return it.

[audio1der]

I hope this works out for you. It boggles my mind that folks don't spend the extra few $ to balance trailer tires.

[bsmith0404]

FYI, with the light wheels/axles on your trailer, you can get aluminum for around $400 not $600. I know it's not a huge difference considering how much you're already spending, but it wouldn't hurt to do some looking and see what you can find. My suggestion is to make sure the weight rating on the wheels will add up to match your axles and also are rated for the air pressure of your E rated Maxxis and have room for heat expansion. I would be concerned about that with your current wheels, many times a 15 x 6 is only rated for 80 psi.

[greengiant]

I was looking at aluminum rims and they seem to be rated at 80psi as well. My rims didn't have a number for psi on the side or the sticker, so I called dexstar directly. Very nice customer service by the way. They said that my rims are rated for 80psi and allow for heat expansion and since my new, E rated maxxis are 80psi and 2830lbs, (225/75R15), they match the rim. Of course, stupid me didn't ask if they would send me a new rim for a defective leaking weld. I'm better at compsoing my thoughts via email anyway, so I just sent them an email to see if they can help me at all. I'm glad this is going on while we have a month of no camping.

[greengiant]

Since I first posted this 3 years ago, I've had two more rim leaks on the same trailer.
The quick details:
2013, 29BHS, 9705 gvwr, stock 15" dexstar steel rims (gwr 2830lbs) and Load range D (gwr 2540lbs), Loadstar, st225/75R15 tires, 65psi
8/15, rim with stock tire, leaks from rim, not at bead but at crack/weld-replace with same rim.

9/15, upgrade tires to Maxxis, st225/75R15 for increased weight rating-these are Load range E (gwr 2830), psi 80. My research, and call to dexstar, all verify, this psi rating is ok on this rim.

8/17, second rim fails. see photo for location of failure.

9/18, third rim fails. see photo.

Just started conversation with dexstar today. Warranty department was very friendly, as well as concerned for this 3rd issue, and asked for more info and pictures before moving forward. I'm way past the 2 year warranty as well.

Any advice? I see two options:
1. See what dexstar will do and wait it out, but possibly end up with the same rims, just newer.
2. Don't waste time or energy, and just get 4 new, better quality rims with a higher weight rating and feel safer heading down the road.

I haven't been on the site much recently, so thank you for taking the time to read.

[JRTJH]

greengiant,

Thanks for the update. Like you, I'm interested in how Dexter handles this problem. Beyond that, I wonder if NHTSA has had any reports of similar problems with the Dexter wheels in their database? If this is "isolated to your problem" then replacement wheels may be the answer. On the other hand, if there is a history of more leaking rims being reported by other users, this may rise to "recall action" by the manufacturer.

If you haven't yet, you might want to report your experiences to NHTSA. Their website has a link to report the problem online. It's relatively a "quick, painless and easy to do" reporting system.

[CWtheMan]

You should file a complaint, including the pictures.


https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchSafetyIssues?prodType=T

[greengiant]

John,
Thanks for the info. The NHTSA site is down now, I'll try again later to submit a report. I'm very grateful that I didn't have any blowouts, or major issues, and was able to change all of these safely.

[greengiant]

Just got a call from Dexstar, only 2 days after emailing them. I sent them a detailed explanation of the 3 rims leaking in 4 years, along with about 10 photos and receipts to back up my story. They want to send me 5 new rims and pay for mounting/balancing and return of old rims for testing. I asked about paying the difference to upgrade to a better/heavier rim. They said they don't have any heavier 15" rims. I was also assured that their return (maybe she said defect?) rate is less than 1% on some 5000 rims made on a daily (maybe weekly?) basis.

I'm very pleased with their quick response and offer. The closest thing I can find to my issue on a Jayco forum (link below), but it's not even the same rims. I'm suprised I didnt' find others with Hideouts from the same era having same issue. Based on my trailer weight, I feel the rim safety margin is fair.
Rim rated 2830
Trailer gvwr-9705
Tongue~1200
~8700 on wheels
2175/wheel
655lb safety margin per wheel.

Without any help from dexstar, I would be upgrading wheels. With this offer, I can't see doing that now, and hope it was a fluke. Am I nuts to put the same rims on again?



https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f41/dexstar-rim-leaking-24580.html

[notanlines]

Giant, within reason, I don't see how you can go wrong. Dexter has stepped up and done what a good company should do. You really can't ask more than that. Good on ya!