Eqilizer not balancing?

[Neal L]

Hi all, looking for some input and/or suggestion to try to figure out the root cause of a sticky issue.

Problem: I have equal, but abnormal, wear on the inside edge of both tires on only the rear axle of my 2020 Raptor 351. Front axle seems fine, wearing normally. A buddy following behind me was able to visually notice the toe out on the rear. So, the symptoms showing as an overloaded axle riding toe out, but based on everything I can figure out we are well under weight…

Facts: We do not haul heavy toys, just a kayak, bikes, etc, so garage is well under spec and the trailer axles scale (fully loaded out) at 12,940 on a certified CAT scale. This is the max load we have ever had in the rig, so the weight is well under the combine 14,000 limit for the 2x 7k axles. Trailer has factory equa-flex installed, and shows a little damage to the rear rubber stop. Still riding on the OEM Sailun tires, which I just rotated after noticing the issues. Spring look ok, but definitely seem like they are at the edge of their capacity, despite being underloaded.

We have covered about 6,000 miles total, mostly back and forth from NH to FL. I visually inspect regularly, so feel like I would have noticed this wear previously, but can’t 100% say this has not been going on since day 1. We have traveled 250 miles since rotating, and the ‘new’ rear tires still look good, so its not a super fast wear.

The only change to the set up over the last 2+ year is that I installed Timberns prior to this trip in the truck, resulting in the pin riding just slightly higher than previously. Overall I am 1/2 degree nose high, which I would think is well within the compensation capacity of the equalizers, but they do point slightly forward on flat ground.

Any thoughts or ideas?

Thanks,

Neal

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by Neal L

Hi all, looking for some input and/or suggestion to try to figure out the root cause of a sticky issue.

Problem: I have equal, but abnormal, wear on the inside edge of both tires on only the rear axle of my 2020 Raptor 351. Front axle seems fine, wearing normally. A buddy following behind me was able to visually notice the toe out on the rear. So, the symptoms showing as an overloaded axle riding toe out, but based on everything I can figure out we are well under weight…

Facts: We do not haul heavy toys, just a kayak, bikes, etc, so garage is well under spec and the trailer axles scale (fully loaded out) at 12,940 on a certified CAT scale. This is the max load we have ever had in the rig, so the weight is well under the combine 14,000 limit for the 2x 7k axles. Trailer has factory equa-flex installed, and shows a little damage to the rear rubber stop. Still riding on the OEM Sailun tires, which I just rotated after noticing the issues. Spring look ok, but definitely seem like they are at the edge of their capacity, despite being underloaded.

We have covered about 6,000 miles total, mostly back and forth from NH to FL. I visually inspect regularly, so feel like I would have noticed this wear previously, but can’t 100% say this has not been going on since day 1. We have traveled 250 miles since rotating, and the ‘new’ rear tires still look good, so its not a super fast wear.

The only change to the set up over the last 2+ year is that I installed Timberns prior to this trip in the truck, resulting in the pin riding just slightly higher than previously. Overall I am 1/2 degree nose high, which I would think is well within the compensation capacity of the equalizers, but they do point slightly forward on flat ground.

Any thoughts or ideas?

Thanks,

Neal

Find a local trailer repair facility, not a RV dealer, that does trailer axle alignments, load the rv as if you're headed on a typical trip & have them align both axles. Cost $250+/-
The factory techs told me that the axle manufacturers have specific specs for alignment but once the RVs are loaded it's not enough & won't change the their specs to allow for loading which leaves that responsibility on the rv owner after noticing abnormal tire wear.
My last 5th wore out 1 tire in about 6-7k miles, was reimbursed by Crossroads, now under Keystone management, for the alignment cost & they furnished a new tire.

[roadglide]

I would look at correct tract alignment plates to see if there the same order on both sides .

[Neal L]

Thanks, I will end up getting and alignment at some point soon but a misaligned axle would present an uneven wear pattern which is not the case here.

Today, I found a very level area to measure the slope when towing. The frame is .6 degrees (4.5” over 35’) nose high. I would think that is within normal range, but perhaps not? Is that enough slope that the equalizer is not able to fully compensate and therefor overloading the rear axle?

I have plenty of clearance on the bed rails @ 7”, but Unfortunately, I can not lower the hitch any further. So will look into adjusting the pin box down.

[travelin texans]

When you log on next time go to the "user CP" in the header bar, scroll down to "edit signature" add your model, make & year of you rv & tow vehicle then "save changes" at the bottom. This will greatly assist others when you ask future questions.

I don't think there's an equalizer out there that will "compensate" for that or any other type levelling situation. If I'm not mistaken it's function is so each axle is semi independent from the other, it will not/does not transfer weight from axles to axle.

[Neal L]

Added sig, good tip. Thanks. To your point about compensation, I am not expecting the equalizer to level the unit, but it should equalize the load on each axle so I am surprised one is acting as if overloaded while the other is not. And given that the total axle load is well under spec, I can only guess that for some reason the equalizer is not doing its job, so My question with the equalizer was more to do with what effective range is has to compensate for a nose high or low since changing the angle moves the fulcrum point forward if pin low, back if nose high. In other words, if I was dead level instead of .6 degrees nose high, would that solve the issue. I know dead level is ideal, but I owned an RV Park and hardly ever saw a unit come in perfectly level, so I would think .6 degrees was acceptable, but maybe not?

If I could drop my hitch further it would be a fast and easy test, but I am as low as it can go because it is sitting atop an adapter plate for my puck system (which adds 3” over traditional rails), so I would need to adjust my pin box or get a different hitch to drop the nose - willing to do either, but I am 1500 miles from my big sockets and torque wrench to adjust the box, and don’t want to drop $1500+ on a hitch if that is not the problem.

What I really need is to find a tire weight scale so I can check each tire/axle independently to see if there is an actual overload being created or if the axle is unperforming vs spec. - but not even sure where to start looking for one of those.

[dutchmensport]

Not to sound mean spirited or anything, but I think the advise others have pointed to is sound advise. Your assumption might be correct, but then again, it might not. A trailer alignment repair shop would be able to diagnose if the front-to-rear level is the problem and they could also check the alignment of the axles and tires and give you an expert diagnosis. All you are doing is guessing at this point, and your assumption isn't going anywhere except causing you more frustration. Sometimes, we need to call in extra assistance.

[adeakins]

Make sure you are towing the trailer flat. If the front is higher - even a little - you are putting excessive stress on the rear axle and it’s wheels. This can force the the wheels to flare-out putting more downward force on the inside of the tires. If that isn’t it, then have the axle alignment measured out. (It’s a lot like squaring the framing on a house.)

[Neal L]

yea, after digging a bit more I found several other guys who installed timbrens on 350’s who also started chewing up the rear tires. Stopped at a trailer shop, on look at the wear and he said not to bother with alignment check, solution is to drop the nose or raise the tail.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Neal L

yea, after digging a bit more I found several other guys who installed timbrens on 350’s who also started chewing up the rear tires. Stopped at a trailer shop, on look at the wear and he said not to bother with alignment check, solution is to drop the nose or raise the tail.

This is just my "way of looking at it", but if I were going to spend two or three hundred leveling the trailer and another six or seven hundred on replacement tires, I'd spend a couple hundred making sure the trailer suspension is properly aligned and undamaged... Seems to me, spending close to a thousand bucks on "fixing the problem and getting new tires, then in 2K miles, noticing the same tire wear on the new ones.... Well, seems smart to fix it all AND rule out any other issues, all at the same time... YMMV