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Topic ClosedBent Axles/Camber Issues - Event Date: 08 May 2019 - 15 May 2019
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Poll Question: Bent axles or camber chamges of axles.
Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
1 [10.00%]
9 [90.00%]
This topic is closed, no new votes accepted

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TheBum View Drop Down
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Posts: 1407 		Direct Link To This Post Calendar Event: Bent Axles/Camber Issues
    Posted: 09 May 2019 at 9:59am
Originally posted by furpod

No option for "no issues"... Ouch


The poll should have had four options: Lippert, no issues; Lippert with issues; Dexter, no issues; and Dexter with issues.
Alan
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mcarter View Drop Down
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Posts: 3419 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 May 2019 at 5:10pm
That's fair Bum. I wasn't concerned about no issues. I was looking at axles with issues and what type they were. I suspect that more owners have Lippert's than Dexter's but that is an assumption. I have a Dexter that has no issues. I could have been more selective in poll options, but it is what it is.
Mike Carter
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Blender Bob View Drop Down
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Posts: 48 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 May 2019 at 7:38pm
So what does one have to do to bend an axle?  I have a 2018 178 HRE and we do go on some rough roads in BLM land.
Bob
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 May 2019 at 9:29pm
It isn't something you "do" as such, it is something that happens. We were on the homeward bound side of our trip so the black and gray tanks probably had at least half each by that point. It is likely that when we hit those really rough roads in Illinois, the additional water weight combined with the bouncing of the trailer on those roads was too much for the axle to handle. Since we did not have an opportunity to weigh it at that point, I could not tell you how close to the 3500 lb limit we were at that point. After that trip was when I started noticing the camber of the wheels was off but it was not until after we went to the Kentucky Mini-Mini that we got it to the dealer for service and repair. By that time, the wear on the inside edge was obvious.
StephenH
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Posts: 144 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2019 at 12:22am
In my case, I think it was putting  about 800 pounds of stuff in the back of the pickup, loading the RV with everything I need for two weeks, and then adding the "Weight Distribution Equalizer sway control"  bars on. They transferred a lot of the pickup load to the RV axle.  Then drove from SC to SD and back. At least everything was level.
Happy Traveling,
Tom
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2019 at 6:46am
From my calcs it would take a momentary peak load of about 3500 lbs on either wheel (or 7000 lbs on both wheels) to bend a Lippert axle tube on an rPod. That can readily happen if you have a trailer axle loaded at or near 3500 lbs (1750 lbs per side with or without a wdh) and then hit a pot hole, curb, or speed bump hard. 

From what I've read, vehicles need to have more like a 3x or higher load factor over their rating in order to avoid bending something eventually. Lippert rPod axles are at about a 2x load factor. 

I'm (almost, not quite) tempted to get one of these, strap it to my axle, connect it to a laptop, and use it to record actual g loads. If it came with an iphone app I'd probably try it. 
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2019 at 7:19am
mcarter or any others with Dexter axles, are your axles 3 inch box tubes? In a diamond or flat configuration? Can you measure the tube wall thickness? 

Drawings on the Dexter website appear to show a flat box tube orientation which would add significant strength. Assuming the tube sections are the same dimensions from both manufacturers, that alone could be reason enough to change to a Dexter if you have a failed Lippert axle. 
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2019 at 9:50am
Originally posted by offgrid

From my calcs it would take a momentary peak load of about 3500 lbs on either wheel (or 7000 lbs on both wheels) to bend a Lippert axle tube on an rPod. That can readily happen if you have a trailer axle loaded at or near 3500 lbs (1750 lbs per side with or without a wdh) and then hit a pot hole, curb, or speed bump hard. 

From what I've read, vehicles need to have more like a 3x or higher load factor over their rating in order to avoid bending something eventually. Lippert rPod axles are at about a 2x load factor. 

I'm (almost, not quite) tempted to get one of these, strap it to my axle, connect it to a laptop, and use it to record actual g loads. If it came with an iphone app I'd probably try it. 

That is likely what happened then.

I looked at those and saw that there were less expensive ones that did not have a housing. I don't know if any of them are made to withstand the conditions under the R-Pod as it is going down the road, especially if it is raining. If that is the case, this one would likely work since it is also Bluetooth and you could put it in a waterproof container strapped to the axle with a battery to power it. If you had a laptop with Bluetooth or a Bluetooth dongle, that would work.
https://www.amazon.com/Accelerometer-Triple-Axis-Acceleration-Transducer-BWT61/dp/B018NL1R0Y/

I am going to see if I can get up with a local supplier for the angle to strap to my axle before we take it out. I don't want to encounter a situation where I could end having to do another expensive axle replacement.
StephenH
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ouR escaPOD mods
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texman View Drop Down
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Posts: 446 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2019 at 10:05am
not sure i understand all of this.
  1. are the axles bending outbound of frame between wheel and frame?
  2. losing the camber at the center?
  3. or both?

if just the camber at the center, then couldn't the trailer be jacked up and put on stands at frame next to wheels and apply a jack to center of axle to return some camber?  

If outbound of frame, then why support the center of the axle?  Confused
TexMan 2015 182g
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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Posts: 2629 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2019 at 10:18am
Originally posted by texman

not sure i understand all of this.
  1. are the axles bending outbound of frame between wheel and frame?
  2. losing the camber at the center?
  3. or both?

if just the camber at the center, then couldn't the trailer be jacked up and put on stands at frame next to wheels and apply a jack to center of axle to return some camber?  

If outbound of frame, then why support the center of the axle?  Confused 
I think the bend is happening at the attach point-outward from the frame. The camber change is a symptom of the bend, and not the main issue.
bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
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