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Bent Axle

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gpokluda View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote gpokluda Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Bent Axle
    Posted: 08 Jun 2023 at 5:21pm
I am beginning to find that bent axles, especially of the torsion variety, are common with RVs these days. Even with a semi-premium brand such as Escape, folks are experiencing abnormal tire wear due to bent axles. A couple of posters even go so far as to say that axles on newer RVs should be considered consumables just like bearings, brakes and tires.
Gpokluda
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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote GlueGuy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Jun 2023 at 10:04am
Originally posted by gpokluda

A couple of posters even go so far as to say that axles on newer RVs should be considered consumables just like bearings, brakes and tires.

Eeeesh.
bp
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ArenaBlanca View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote ArenaBlanca Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jun 2023 at 7:58pm
Has anyone tried swapping the wheels on the camper so the other edge of the tire would experience the excessive wear pattern? If you just swapped the wheels, the inside of the tire would still be on the inside.  So you would have to dismount the tires from their hubs and swap tires and hubs for this to work.

I noticed the wear pattern about 2,500 miles into this year's outing.  But I was encouraged by jato's comment and decide to wait until I get home.  I think I probably got the bent axle last year on our Alaska trip, so the wear has developed over the last 7,000 miles. 

Enjoy Life!!
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hank*pod View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote hank*pod Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Jun 2023 at 7:38am
Are the tires directional? You could just remount the tires the other way on the wheels.

I love the way your proposal addresses the visible symptom without dealing with the root cause. Wink
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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote GlueGuy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Jun 2023 at 9:30am
I don't believe the torsion axles are the issue so much as the cantilever design where the axles extend beyond the frame by a foot or more. If the frame went all the way to the outer wall of the chassis, there would be far fewer issues.
bp
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Jun 2023 at 10:25am
Agreed!

The cantilever design of the walls also is a weak point, particularly with the weight of the slide-out. The aluminum frame of the RPod floor is okay for something that does not bounce down the highway.
StephenH
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DD08 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote DD08 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Jun 2023 at 4:34pm
I am in the process of ordering a new axle.. however upon further inspection I took a look at the tire wear pattern and it's actually only on the passenger side on the inside of the tire. The drivers side is showing signs of wear but nowhere NEAR how bad the passenger is. 

Is this giving me clues to the Axle not being bent and something else? The spindle that holds the wheel possibly? I've seen another post somewhere where they had a bent spindle and not the axle. 
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jato View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote jato Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Jun 2023 at 6:24pm
Anything is possible and on ours the passenger side is totally straight, it is on the slide side where our issue lies, like stated before, it has a 1" toe in at the top yet after 5 years and 20,000 plus miles, there is still plenty of wear and rubber left on the inside of the tire where the greatest amount of wear is takes place.
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