Reasons for Wear on Inside of Trailer Tires

Updated 02/27/2021 | Published 02/24/2021

Question:

Hi, My Dexter Trailer Axle w/ Electric Brakes - 4 - E-Z Lube is wearing the inside of my tires very quickly. Does this mean my axle is bent or is there adjustments I can make to correct this issue?

asked by: Rod P

Expert Reply:

Having the inside edges of your tires wear more quickly than the rest of the tread could have a few different causes. Trailer axles are arched, so that when the trailer is loaded, the tire contact patches sit fully on the ground. If the axle is overloaded, the axle can flex, placing the inside edges of the tires more in contact with the pavement than the center or outer edge of the tread. As you mentioned, it's also possible that the axle is bent. You'll also want to make sure that the suspension is in good shape, with nothing broken and the shackle links on the leaf springs aren't ovaled out. Other than making sure the axle is perpendicular to the trailer frame, there aren't much in the way of adjustments that can be made.

If the axle is indeed bent, you'll want to replace it with one of like capacity. We do offer a few common axle lengths and capacities, in order to check if anything we offer would work for you you'll need to determine the hub face to hub face distance and the center to center spring seat spacing. If you'd care to reply with the hub face to hub face dimension and the spring seat spacing as well as the axle capacity, I'd be happy to check and see if any of the replacements we offer would be a fit for you.

expert reply by: Mike L