2011 280BH Spread Axle Question...

BigDaddyHock · 06-13-2011, 07:03 AM

We got ours 2 weeks ago and wanted to know if it's normal for the axles to be off center of each other when backing in at an angle (my driveway) and turning sharp to straighten it out. I noticed the rear axle was turned a little more than the front and if you look at the tires from the front of the camper straight on to the back, they are not lined up with each other. Hope this makes sense. I figured it had to do with the axles being so far apart and each handles a little different.

ksfis43 · 06-13-2011, 07:14 AM

I have the same trailer but never noticed them being off from each other.
I try to watch them the next time I have it out.

LeeMedic · 06-13-2011, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigDaddyHock

We got ours 2 weeks ago and wanted to know if it's normal for the axles to be off center of each other when backing in at an angle (my driveway) and turning sharp to straighten it out. I noticed the rear axle was turned a little more than the front and if you look at the tires from the front of the camper straight on to the back, they are not lined up with each other. Hope this makes sense. I figured it had to do with the axles being so far apart and each handles a little different.

Yep. My Sprinter did the same thing when backing into my driveway.

BigDaddyHock · 06-13-2011, 07:29 AM

I pull it straight 60 to 100 feet, the axles should line up. If not, it has to be out of alignment.

Adam · 06-19-2011, 07:55 AM

My Passport axels behave same, as I also have to back into my driveway on a very sharp angle and the wheels & axels never have an opportunity to straighten out.

If you jack up the trailer in this position to adjust the brakes you will find the wheels/axles fall back into alignment.

flyrv7 · 07-15-2011, 06:59 AM

We took our new trailer down to a parking lot to practice backing it up and turning corners around orange cones. We also notice how "twisted" the axles look. I took a photo of it. My husband said, they told us there was incredible torque on trailer axles unlike what we are used to on vehicles and he is now convinced we need to check the lug nuts for proper torque before and after every trip. After we pulled away, everything lines back up. Our only other towing experience is with our boat, which only has 1 axle.

Our photos are on our blogsite: flyrv7.com

DAF · 07-15-2011, 11:53 AM

That is normal for trailers that have multiple axles (2-3). That is why trailer tires (ST) have especially designed sidewalls. Tires and axles will be under very high stress when backing up. Make sure you move forward a bit to straighten everything up and relieve the stress. That's why it is also important to check the wheel lug nuts torque frequently.

Pete and Jeanne · 11-19-2012, 12:01 PM

Sorry to come onto this thread so late..My Bullet does the same "out of alignment " thing. To ease stress on the tires when backing into the drive it may be helpful to spray the cement(if indeed you have a cement drive) with water to help the tires slide a bit. I suppose 30w oil would REALLY help but the clean up...oh the clean up.. Seriously, the water should help a lot.

Bowline · 11-28-2012, 05:19 PM

Look carefully at your tire wear pattern. If you notice wear on the inside or outside of your tires, bring your trailer in for an alignment right away. After about 9,000 miles of towing, my tires were wearing thin on the inside. The dealer insisted it was a bent axle and offered to replace it for $500. I was skeptical and took it into an alignment shop that specializes in trailers and trucks and found it was seriously mis-aligned. After re-alignment and new tires, no visible wear is evident after about 4,000 miles.

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