bent spindles

[blanchgary]

We have a Sundance that will be 2 years old in May 2012.

Our tires on one side are wearing on the out side.

We had trouble with this on our last RV and paid a lot to have the axle straighten.

Now we are having the same problem on our new RV.

Of course the dealer says that our extended warranty that we paid extra for does not cover this problem as the spindles are bent and we need to replace the axle. Plus we had to buy two new tires.

Has anyone else had this much problems with axles as we have? If so what have you done? We have owned 6 RV and never had problem until the last two.

 

[jnbhobe]

This has been a problem on RV's in general over the years. I have seen it on all makes since all the different new axel manufactures have came about in the last 15 yr. If you don't catch them early enough to fix them under warranty its easier to take it to a good alignment shop and have it fixed right. In the old days it was Dexter axels and they were the best. JMO.

 

[marvmarcy]

Our 2012 Landmark axles are arched up in the middle and the outer edges of the tires are wearing badly. We just bought this new in late Nov 2011 and have only pulled it about 2000 miles.

 

[jnbhobe]

The axels are supposed to be arched up in the middle for alignment purposes.If you are wearing tires in 2K its time for a trip to your dealer or a call to Heartland. Also check the torque on the U-bolts they should be at 65#.

 

[lwmcguir]

It only takes one good pot hole to bend the light weight axles. Using a level and a tape you can generally find out of alignment axles/spindles when your tires are wearing fast. Like the other poster noted check the spring u bolts to be sure they are where they should be and properly torqued. Also check the Shackles and hangers as well as the equalizer. Could be any one of these as well as a bent axle.

 

[GOTTOYS]

We have a Sundance that will be 2 years old in May 2012.

Our tires on one side are wearing on the out side.

We had trouble with this on our last RV and paid a lot to have the axle straighten.

Now we are having the same problem on our new RV.

Of course the dealer says that our extended warranty that we paid extra for does not cover this problem as the spindles are bent and we need to replace the axle. Plus we had to buy two new tires.

Has anyone else had this much problems with axles as we have? If so what have you done? We have owned 6 RV and never had problem until the last two.

It's a shame that you probably spent a lot of money for an extended "warranty' that won't cover your repair. My suggestion is to read the contract over thoroughly to see what it won't cover. You will find there are probably many things that are not covered in spite of what the saleman that made a huge profit selling it to you said. Most of them aren't worth much. I would see if I could cancel it and get a refund..but that's just me. With regard to the tire wear problem. There should be no need to replace your expensive axles. Any good heavy-duty truck/trailer alignment shop can align your axles for under $200.00. RV repair shops are not usually equipped to do this work so instead they sell you new axles and make more $$$. Something as simple as hitting a curb on a right hand turn with your trailer tires can be enough to through the alignment off. Trailer axles are supposed to arched upward in the center. This is called camber. Tires that are wearing unevenly is usually caused by an alignment problem. Once again this can be easily fixed by a shop that works on heavy duty trailers...Good luck..Don

 

[blanchgary]

That is the problem, things made in the old days were made well. Since there is no quality control at RV factories they just throw things together with the cheapest part they can fine.
Thanks for your help. Blanch/Gary

 

[blanchgary]

Thanks. We got a lot of ideas and advice. Gary will look into it all.
Blanch/Gary

 

[blanchgary]

Boy, you have that right and on these California freeways there are a lot of pot holes.
Thanks for your idea, Gary will look into.

Blanch/Gary

 

[blanchgary]

Yes we did spend the money and are finding out it does not cover much. They will not get us again on that.
We do have some heavy duty truck garages in our area so will look into it.
Thanks: Blanch/Gary

 

[SouthernNights]

It is possible to cash back out of your warranty. Sometimes it takes a few phone calls, and if you threw it into the camper price, it might go towards the loan balance automatically-but if you are unhappy with it, it might be worth looking into that.