Uneven wear on rear axle tires

[Bclayton]

Hello. I have a 2020 keystone outback with dual axle. The tires on the rear axle are wearing uneven; more wear on inside of tire. Also, one of them is ‘ballooning’ (top of tire is not flat but rounded up like it is over inflated). It’s just the one tire that is ballooning. Tire pressure is even @ 55 for all four tires. Any ideas what is causing this wear? Photos attached for reference of uneven wear/ballooning and of tire on front axle with normal wear. About 8k miles on the tires/trailer and bought it new

[JRTJH]

The first tire appears to have a tread separation. It is not "flat across the tread" but rather looks like a "round like a bicycle tire"...

I would not tow that trailer anywhere until that tire is checked by someone who knows what they're looking at.

As for the axles, I replaced both of mine last year, in my driveway, using basic hand tools, jackstands from WalMart and an 3 ton axle jack from Harbor Freight. It's not a difficult job.

As for alignment, Keystone does not align axles during assembly. They rely on the spring hangers that are welded in place during frame assembly at Lippert and "pin placement for axle pads" that are welded in place by the axle manufacturer.

Wheel/axle alignment is specifically excluded from the Keystone warranty. You may have some recourse with Lippert, since they built the frame and the spring hanger spacing can affect axle alignment. Otherwise, it's an issue between Dexter and you. That said, during the first couple of months of ownership, if there's a problem, you may be able to get Keystone involved. After that first 90 days, don't expect much help from Keystone. They typically "defer all axle issues to the axle manufacturer and those are handled by the dealership, not Keystone"....

But, I'd urge you to have that tire checked, it looks "defective as it sits under the trailer in your photo". I'm no tire expert, but if it is on the same axle as the tire in the second photo, that tread separation may be partially the cause of the tire on the other end of the axle wearing abnormally....

[bobbecky]

Your tandem axles, not duals, have a tendency to scrub when making turns which will wear the shoulders of the tires, and that one tire doesn't appear to be that bad, but you should make sure you aren't overloaded. The other tire has been damaged, something wrong with the carcass and should be replaced before it blows. If these tires are the cheap Chinese tires, you might be better off just replacing them with a better tire, like Carlisle or the Goodyear Endurance.

[Bclayton]

Update on this thread. Went to tire shop and they confirmed the crowning tire was bad/defective and would eventually blow out due to tread separation. They only had 2 of the Goodyear D rated tires on hand so I had them replace both worn tires on the same axle and the other 2 tires look okay. I plan to replace them next month after a trip next week that’ll be around 400 miles total. I’ll check for uneven wear on rear axle tires after that trip.

As far as the wear on inside of rear axle tires, it seems like it would be overloaded, but we don’t put a lot into trailer when towing. And, most stuff goes into fridge and bedroom on front of trailer where that would add to tongue weight? I do use a weight distribution hitch which may put extra weight onto rear axle? I plan to keep an eye on tire wear and rotate front to rear to prolong life of new tires if rears are going to have uneven wear.

Lastly, when I had a tires off to rotate them yesterday, prior to going to tire shop, I noticed all 4 had a slight bit of play in them, I could move wheel about a 16th of an inch or so. All four had this ‘wobble’ in them. With wheels off, brake drum had the same movement. Is this a sign of bearing wear or normal for trailer axle set up?

Sorry for the long post.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by Bclayton

Update on this thread. Went to tire shop and they confirmed the crowning tire was bad/defective and would eventually blow out due to tread separation. They only had 2 of the Goodyear D rated tires on hand so I had them replace both worn tires on the same axle and the other 2 tires look okay. I plan to replace them next month after a trip next week that’ll be around 400 miles total. I’ll check for uneven wear on rear axle tires after that trip.

As far as the wear on inside of rear axle tires, it seems like it would be overloaded, but we don’t put a lot into trailer when towing. And, most stuff goes into fridge and bedroom on front of trailer where that would add to tongue weight? I do use a weight distribution hitch which may put extra weight onto rear axle? I plan to keep an eye on tire wear and rotate front to rear to prolong life of new tires if rears are going to have uneven wear.

Lastly, when I had a tires off to rotate them yesterday, prior to going to tire shop, I noticed all 4 had a slight bit of play in them, I could move wheel about a 16th of an inch or so. All four had this ‘wobble’ in them. With wheels off, brake drum had the same movement. Is this a sign of bearing wear or normal for trailer axle set up?

Sorry for the long post.

Wheels shouldn’t have any “wobble”. I would pull the drum and inspect the spindle. You’ll have to replace the rear seal to look at the inner bearing. When you re assemble, tight the axle nut 1 1/2” tight, spin the drum then loosen the nut and hand tighten until you can insert the cotter pin or the nut lock.