Troubleshooting Inside Tire Wear on Single Tire of Tandem Axle Trailer

Updated 08/25/2020 | Published 02/26/2019

Question:

Ive been trying to figure out the inside wear of one tire on a dual axle 5th wheel. Shops have told me that axles are ok not bent and that kind of wear is common for trailers. Hmm. Have the MorRyd suspension, and was wondering if leaf springs could be an issue. Trailer is 10 years old and has GVR of about 14k. Also, tried greasing the suspension wet bolts and couldnt inject grease into a couple fittings. Could this affect tire wear? I already replaced one axle not the axle in question and just want to find a solution before our big summer trip. Your thoughts?

asked by: John M

Expert Reply:

Inside tire wear on one specific tire on a dual axle 5th wheel trailer could be from a bent spindle if you happened to curb it at some point, where the axle itself wouldn't show a difference, yet the tire wear would. This is really difficult to determine by simply looking at the trailer. You'd need to compare the angle of each spindle compared to the axle. Many people don't take good care of their trailers, so the shops aren't incorrect that it is common but that doesn't mean it is good to go.

It also could indicate an overload in weight on that part of the trailer, because inside wear would indicate the axle being overloaded. That could be leaf springs failing if there is a lean, but that would be noticeable to make that much impact. The suspension wet bolt greasing you mentioned wouldn't impact the tire but simply would lessen the noise of the system.

The wear could be that specific tire wasn't made as well as the others. I've attached the link to our axles, leaf springs, and tires to assist if you are looking to replace parts. Note if you replace tires, you want the tires on a single axle to match and ideally all to match.

expert reply by: Jason S

Mike

8/1/2020

Left rear tire on back axle wears out on inside edge. That tire bows out at bottom when turning left in parking lot, but realigns when driving straight. Several opinions including bent spindle, bent axle, bad alignment. Any tips?

Chris R.

8/11/2020

It definitely sounds like you have a bent axle or spindle. I would take the trailer up to a local shop so they can fully inspect all the suspension components.

Mike

8/12/2020

@ChrisR From what I am hearing that sounds right. Do you think it can be repaired ir do I just need a new axle?

Jon G.

8/25/2020

@Mike If it's a minor repair then I'm sure a skilled shop can fix it. Otherwise you're looking at a new axle. Here is a link to our selection of axles for you to check out. You need to find your hub face and spring center measurements to make sure you choose the correct replacement. You can reference the attached answer page to see where those measurements would be.

Helpful Links

dept-pg-trailer_axles.aspx

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