Tire Gap Different on Driver/Pass. sides

Good afternoon, all.

We have a 2011 Bighorn 3610RE purchased new. We've made four trips to Florida since purchase with no problems. On our way home this past April we got flagged over in KY and found we had lost the wheel bearings on the driver side rear wheel. Luckily the wheel did not come off! Called Good Sam's Club Roadside Assistance and after a four hour wait (it was a Sunday and KY lost in the Final 4 the night before!) someone came to our aid. It was determined that the axle would have to be replaced so the rig had to be left in Hopkinsville, KY, for repairs.

When the repair shop called to notify me the rig was ready for pickup the mechanic informed me that the gap between the tires on the left side was 3/4" less than on the right side (2.50 vs. 1.75) and there is no way to adjust that. I spoke with HL and was told that there was no problem, that the narrower gap was likely caused by heaver weight on that side of the rig, (kitchen is directly above the axles plus water heater & furnace on that side) that there were equalizers to adjust for that and the bearing failure was not caused by this issue. I will add that the bearings where greased prior to leaving for FL and the other three bearing showed no sign of wear. Tire wear lookes normal.

Has anybody else noticed this on their rig or care to share their thoughts?

Thanks, Mike!

If there's a lot of weight difference, the springs will compress differently on each side, resulting in a different spread. You might have a problem with the spring pack or other suspension components.

If your tires are not showing uneven wear, the axles are probably tracking ok. But, if you want to investigate it further (beyond checking the suspension for a broken or misplaced spring leaf, or equalizer issue), look for a Camping World that can do a Correct Track Laser Alignment check. They charge $99, sometimes discounted to $49. If the axles are not tracking correctly, you can purchase Correct Track II add on gear so they can be aligned.

As for the bearing failure, my guess would be something the last person working on them did wrong or missed.

danemayer said:

If there's a lot of weight difference, the springs will compress differently on each side, resulting in a different spread. You might have a problem with the spring pack or other suspension components.

If your tires are not showing uneven wear, the axles are probably tracking ok. But, if you want to investigate it further (beyond checking the suspension for a broken or misplaced spring leaf, or equalizer issue), look for a Camping World that can do a Correct Track Laser Alignment check. They charge $99, sometimes discounted to $49. If the axles are not tracking correctly, you can purchase Correct Track II add on gear so they can be aligned.

As for the bearing failure, my guess would be something the last person working on them did wrong or missed.

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After CW does the alignment check they will then have an additional charge to adjust it. For less money than all that you can go to a heavy duty truck/trailer suspension and alignment shop and get a complete alignment. The Correct Track will only allow adjustment for tracking, which is how square the axles are with the frame. A complete alignment will adjust tracking, Toe in or out, which is the amount the wheels are pointing toward or away from each other, and camber which is the amount the wheels are tilted in or out from top to bottom. Even a new axle is no guarantee all is correct. They can do this without having to install a Correct Track kit, if you need it which would also be of additional cost. A quality alignment should be in the $200.00 range. I agree the bearing failure could have been the result of the last person possibly over or under tightening the wheel bearing. ...Good luck... Don

GOTTOYS said:

After CW does the alignment check they will then have an additional charge to adjust it. For less money than all that you can go to a heavy duty truck/trailer suspension and alignment shop and get a complete alignment. The Correct Track will only allow adjustment for tracking, which is how square the axles are with the frame. A complete alignment will adjust tracking, Toe in or out, which is the amount the wheels are pointing toward or away from each other, and camber which is the amount the wheels are tilted in or out from top to bottom. Even a new axle is no guarantee all is correct. They can do this without having to install a Correct Track kit, if you need it which would also be of additional cost. A quality alignment should be in the $200.00 range. I agree the bearing failure could have been the result of the last person possibly over or under tightening the wheel bearing. ...Good luck... Don

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If it's a 2011 BH, it wouldn't have Correct Track installed from the factory. Without Correct Track I'm not sure there's any way to adjust axle tracking short of cutting off and rewelding the hangar brackets. You'd have to find out if the truck shop would be willing to install Correct Track for you.

I prefer commercial suppliers were possible. Springs and axles are one of those things.

Dan, you are correct that the proper way to ensure tracking is done right is to ensure the brackets are installed correctly; however a good alignment tech at a quality trailer/truck alignment shop can "correct" for proper tracking in his alignment. My brackets are off 1/4 -1/2 inch for tracking and my alignment shop corrects for the tracking in the alignment.

Brian

Both my axles were 3/8" off tracking to the left from the factory. The alignment shop gave it a little tug and got it squared right up. They also found the camber was off on one axle and the toe was off on the other. I've put several thousand miles on since then with no problems. My tire wear is about perfect...Don