Montana axles

[maintechfotog]

We have not yet taken delivery of our Montana 2001 3575RL because the original owner lost a wheel the last time he was using it and had a new wheel and axle fitted, but subsequent damage to the trim and the large slide materials necessitated extra work. I asked for a double check on the bearings before delivery and the mechanic found sufficient damage to the other axle/bearing that they ordered another. In a conversation with a Hamilton, Ontario dealer, I learned that the older Montana axles were 'marginal' and that later models had stronger ones fitted. Was this an issue? A neighbor who owns a Big Sky, had uneven tire wear that was corrected he says, by new axles, so should I be concerned? Will the new axle be old or new spec?

[Glenn and Lorraine]

Yes, in the earlier days Montana was having axle problems. Primarily with bent axles which caused some serious uneven tire wear. Had this happen on my 04 rear axle. Had it replaced under warranty and never had another problem.

Haven't heard to many problems in the later models.

[OntMont]

Earlier Montanas (pre-'05?) had Alko axles that seemed to be more trouble prone than the Dexter axles used on later models. Axle ratings are established by the axle manufacturers (mostly Alko and Dexter). The same axles are used by almost all trailer manufacturers. Axle problems are not unique to Montanas. The way a trailer is set-up to its tow vehicle, the way it is loaded, and the way it is driven, and the condition the roads travelled are all factors that affect the axle performance. Probably the most important thing is make sure the axles are properly aligned. They should be slightly arched, not straight or bowed down at the middle. You mention bearing wear, while the bearings are certainly part of the axle assembly, I have not heard of a lot of problems with the actual bearings. As long as they are properly lubricated (a whole other topic) they should not be a problem.
It is hard to know what Outdoor Travel may use as a replacement axle, Would not hurt to ask them though. I would expect it to be at least a 6000 lb Dexter axle. Can you find out what the original and replacement axles are?
(The above are just my personal observations based on my experience and what I have read, others may have a different view.)

[sreigle]

Like John, I've not heard of a bearing or brake problem with those axles. I agree that the 6,000 lb axles on the heavier Montanas were marginal. Technically they met the weight rating requirements but the performance seems to indicate it's not hard to bend one or throw it out of alignment. We had that on all three of our Montanas. On this current Montana, we swapped out the OEM 6,000 lb axles for the 7,000 lb axles and have had no further tire wear problems at all. Montana switched to the 7,000 lb axles, at least on the heavier models, approximately the end of 2006, in the middle of the 2007 model year. Ours was built in August 2006.

I don't think everyone had problems with the earlier axles but those of us who travel a lot and load these things heavily seem to be the ones who experienced the problems, even though we were under the weight ratings on those axles.