axles

[dunrovin1955]

We bought a 2014 Montana 3850. Can someone tell me what axle is used for this coach. I know they are Dexter but are they 7000 #. Was told 10,000 and also was told 7500 #. Would be great if they were 10,000 but I would doubt it. Thanks, Brent

[therink]

Best way to find out is crawl underneath and look for the ID stickers somewhere on the center of the axles, where model # should be posted. Go to dexter website and you should be able to confirm axle capacity.
Steve

[hankpage]

Axle ratings should be given on the ID sticker on the side of the trailer along with shipping and gross weight. But as mentioned the best way is to check the tags on the axles themselves. Looking at the specs I would assume 7500lbs. were used. With a gross of 16000 and a hitch of 2400 it would not be cost effective to use 10k axles. JM2¢, Hank

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by dunrovin1955

We bought a 2014 Montana 3850. Can someone tell me what axle is used for this coach. I know they are Dexter but are they 7000 #. Was told 10,000 and also was told 7500 #. Would be great if they were 10,000 but I would doubt it. Thanks, Brent

They are most likely 7000# axles. I doubt they are listed that way on your trailer's certification label. I suspect the GAWR displayed on the certification label is 6840# According to your trailer's specs that's the minimum amount they could use and be in compliance with DOT regulations. For them to use anything higher than that they would have to amend the certification label with the actual tire size and its load capacity. The standard tire for your trailer according to its specs is the ST235/80R16E. That tire is produced in three load capacities for the LRE series. 3420#, 3500#, and 3520#. Without amended documentation all three load capacity tires will default to the lowest (3420#) load capacity and would not be acceptable fitments for a GAWR 7000# axle.

Actual axle size is a nice to know figure but is not the driving force for tire selection and fitment. With RV trailers the GAWR is the limiting factor for all tire selections and fitments.

CW

[jlb27537]

OK, you have 7,000 lb Dexter axles. However, you need to look at the sticker on your trailer and it will list the actual GVWR ratings based on the tires that Keystone installed on your trailer.

Realize the weakest item on the axle is it's limiting factor. For example, if you put tires on it that are 3,000lb each rated, that would make your axle rating 6,000lb, the lowest rated item. The axles are ONLY 7K axles if you have tires that are rated for at least 3500lbs each.

Since you have a reasonably heavy Montana, you need to look at the tires and make a decision if you want "Made in China" tires on it.

You might want to go over to the Montana Owners forum, read the tire section and plan on replacing the tires with a "G" rated tire.

http://montanaadministrator.forumco.com/default.asp

Most of the guys there are experienced RV'ers and can give you real world experience with "China" tires

Jim

[CWtheMan]

Ok, I guess I should have posted a reference on my previous post.

RV trailer manufacturers MUST follow government regulations when building trailers. Government regulations are normally easily disseminated by those that use them regularly and are required to abide by them. Many of them lead to other regulations until the whole chain of events that must happen to manufacturer a trailer is completed. In other words, the simple act of following the tire/rim fitments could not be accomplished without certification regulations. And the chain goes on.

The trailer manufacturer must determine a trailer's GVWR, GAWR, tire and rim fitment for the GAWR and the (correct) recommended tire pressure (s) for the Original Equipment (OE) tires and put that information on the trailer's certification label. As described in the attached reference, the OE tires MUST have enough load capacity to support the maximum load capacity of the certified GAWR axles.

As described in my earlier post there are other regulations that can come into play when there are tires used with multiple load capacities for identical sized tires such as the ST235/80R16E.

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-201...sec571-120.pdf

Here is a reference I found in my files. (I take a lot of pictures when at RV showings). This trailer's axles were clearly certified by their manufacturer to be 7000#. However, Keystone derated them during the vehicle certification process to 6750# and put that GAWR on the trailer's certification label. It allows Keystone to use any of the ST235/80R16E tires without having to modify the owner's manual and certification label. It's perfectly legal and follows the directions of the certification process.

http://www.irv2.com/photopost/showfull.php?photo=22027

CW