Uneven tire wear

[patodonn]

I would sure be curious as to why you have two different rated axles on your rig!! If Keystone did that by accident, and either axle is not rated for the load it is carrying, I would think they are liable, both for the axle replacement and the trashed tires.

If the axle(s) are both within weight limits, then it is a matter of getting them aligned ("bent"). Still sort of weird that there are two different rated axles on the rig..

[kmh3212]

FYI
My 3670 RL 2004
GVWR 14.160 lb
minus
UVW -10,920 lb I think weighed at factory
Fresh water 60 gallons
- 498 lb
14 gal Lp- 60 lb

[kmh3212]

My 2004 3670 RL

GVWR 14,160 lb Gross vehicle weight rating
Minus-
UVW -10,920 lb Weighed at factory unloaded vehicle weight
Fresh Water 60 -498 lb
LP Gas 14 gal - 60 lb
= GCC 2,682 lb Gross carrying capacity

2,682 lb is a lot of stuff. Unless I was hauling concrete and lead instead of clothing, towels, food, pots pans, dishes etc. failed axles is not hardly possible. The axles should never lose there arch or crown unless severely overloaded. The 5200 lb rear axle is almost straight. 95% of the storage on my unit is forward of the front axle. I believe the axle was never correctly arched from the factory.
Yes Patodonn I am due some relief on this one. The two different weight rating axles is one issue from the frame factory and the failed axles from AL-KO.

[sreigle]

Kmh3212, the UVW is the same on all of a given model and year. The weight is that of a rig with "standard options", per Keystone. I am not sure what that means but it would probably be a base rig. There are some "required options" and I suspect that is what "standard options" means. So if you have any options, your uvw is likely higher than the number on the sticker. The only way to know for sure is to weigh it before loading anything into it.

I would be very surprised if Keystone does not replace that axle and those tires for you. Let us know what happens.

[kmh3212]

Got weighed today! $8.50 at truckstop Cat scales
Trailer loaded less water 12,900 lbs.
Tongue weight 2,780 lbs
Axle weight both 10,120
Truck weight 7,840 fuel to the top (F350 DRW CC dually)

The axle weight rating is 11,200 lb (6000 front and 5200 rear)
I am under the rating and axles are bent. I don't think there was enough service factor in the axle weight rating sizing. I will put 7000 lb axles back on the trailer. The price difference is probably less than $100.
I hope to hear from AL-KO Monday morning. Jan. 29th

[kmh3212]

AL-KO refused to help me and warranty my bent axles. Montana says no warranty from them they refer all this to AL-KO. I guess intelligent conversations with the facts in hand don't matter.
I talked with the selling dealer and they are working on the problem. I do have an extended warranty however this is a manufacturing defect with severe safety issues. This has got to be fixed!
My dealer said he had never heard of having two different rated axles on any trailer. Whoever built this frame or engineered it made errors that can kill people. Maybe it is time for a letter to the NTHSB.

[patodonn]

Kevin, it would appear to me that Al-Ko is not in the "blame" loop. The axles didn't "fail". "Fail" means "break".

In order for the problem you described to happen, the axles were either installed incorrectly, or not aligned (or "bent") correctly, pre or post installation. That's Keystone's area.

Further, to "muddy the water" a bit more, the axle ratings, even given the very unusual situation of two differently rated axles, are within "combined" limits. No fault there.

It is possible that the smaller rated axle is NOT rated to carry its load, due to the actual weight distribution between both axles. You need the individual axle/wheel weights to get a correct picture of that situation.

I might note that the axles on your truck also have two very different weight ratings.

Keep working the problem, through your Dealer if Keystone isn't responsive (so far). Patience, persistence and reasoned discussion USUALLY resolve this sort of issue.

Good Luck!!

[kmh3212]

Thanks to all that continue to follow this problem. I am of course upset at my findings. I must pursue this situation to the end. The end of course is to get my trailer fixed and roadworthy. At this point it is not. I don't want 12,000+ lbs of trailer behind me that was built on axles that bent with normal use. Would anyone want my axle to collapse on I-XX with you anywhere near me?

By the way AL-KO had no problems with the weights as I described them. They just denied warranty due to the time with no further discussion.
Montana has now flatly denied taking care of these axles.

[deeway1]

We had problem with wear on inside of tires because the axles were not crowned. Alko replaced the axles and paid for 4 new tires on our 2004 3295RK

[lightningjack11]

kmh,

I would send registered letters to your dealer, General Manager of Montana, and Alko simultaneously with pix's of the axle's weight bands. That is before hiring an expensive lawyer.

There might be shared responsibility. Did Alko install the axles? If not they would be cleared. If Montana installed the axles then they have to assume responsibility. But If you paid for dealer prep then the dealer will also be liable since it should have been caught in their preparation.

Sometimes you don't get the right person on the phone. They are just employees. That is why you must inform the General Manager of the Montana Division by registered letter. Once that is done you may not need a lawyer.

Overs the years I have been on the forum getting to the right person usually works. Lawyers are a bunch of heartaches and it is garanteed to cut your communication line.

Keep us informed.

[Itakethe5th]

quote:Originally posted by kmh3212

Thanks to all that continue to follow this problem. I am of course upset at my findings. I must pursue this situation to the end. The end of course is to get my trailer fixed and roadworthy. At this point it is not. I don't want 12,000+ lbs of trailer behind me that was built on axles that bent with normal use. Would anyone want my axle to collapse on I-XX with you anywhere near me?

By the way AL-KO had no problems with the weights as I described them. They just denied warranty due to the time with no further discussion.
Montana has now flatly denied taking care of these axles.

kmh3212

I was wondering if you have any more info concerning your tire wear problems. I also have the same problem and a 2003 Big Sky 3670RL and I live in Georgia also. I have been to a couple of heavy duty alingment shops and they tell me I have bent axles and it is a tow out problem and they cannot set the tow out because it is a front to back issue and not a camber issue(up and down)and don't have the proper equipment to bend axles that way. To change out both axle tubes only is going to be ~$800-$900. To change complete axle assembly is~$1300-$1400 this is upgrading to 7K lbs axles. In this area we have a large trucking industry that there would be a shop set-up to do this. If anyone knows of one within a resonable distance please let us know. I also contacted Keystone and AL-KO with no help from them. I also have filled a complaint with NHTSA complaint #10174036 and was told by them it is not a safety issue as far as there office is concerned,and until people start getting killed because of this they will not do anything. So it looks like for those of us with this problem we are on our own. I know my warranty is up but I started this process when the problem first showed up last year and it is a defect with the placement of the spindle on the axle tube.

[richfaa]

I wonder if the Extended Warranties would cover this issue,,I will check mine,,may be another good justification for the extended warranty.

[paulrem]

I think that I would pursue the Al-ko Company. They did have a batch of bad axels at one time. We had an 04 2850 that had a bad axel and they replaced it for us. They also replaced the two tires that it ruined. I would contact them again, by phone, and explain the situation to them. I would talk to the service manager or who ever is in charge. Be nice and calm. Ours was handled by our dealer, but they responded quickly. Good luck and safe travels.

Paul

[madeforeachother]

Boy, have I got a story and 100% knowledge of what your problem is! We also had a '04 3670RL and after one year of traveling and always checking the truck and trailer for any problems noticed the inside tread of all four tires were worn down to where the steel was exposed. I only looked at the tires from the perimeter of the trailer and only found this out when I got down on all fours and ran my hand on the tires. The tires by appearance still looked fairly new. I then went to a Wal-Mart in Baraboo, Wisconsin and had four new tires installed.My next step was to call Keystone in Indiana and found out they had a problem with the axles losing their camber and therefore making the tires run on the inside tread and wearing them out quickly. We were heading towards Indiana and set up a date at the factory to have two new axles replaced. Keystone came through and replaced the axles and paid us for the tires I bought. After six months I noticed the rear axle was level again and had no camber and the rear tires wearing down.Got Keystone on the phone again and set up an appointment at a dealership in Panama City, FL. to switch out the bad axle. Keystone did not replace the tires at this time and we were concerned of how safe this rig was and having to buy tires every year. After another six months we went to the Panama City dealer and bought a new 3400RL. So, as you travel down the road and the 5er in front of you has tires that are not plumb with the trailer and roadway, the axles have lost their camber and those tires will blow someday and hurt someone.

[patodonn]

What did Keystone have to say about two different rated axles on the rig??

[kmh3212]

I pulled my 3670 RL to the dealer in Panama City, Florida where I bought it Thursday. I hope to get my extended warranty to pay for this. I will be upgrading to 7K axles. I should know by Tuesday February 6.
Keystone said they put 5200 lb and 6000 lb axles on all the time. I see big $$$ ahead. Thanks for the replies and check your axles!
On edit: I talked to the head of AL-KO warranty issues. He said NO WAY!

Kevin

[Roberts]

We also had uneven tire wear and discovered our Alko axels on our 2003 Montana were defective. Alko replaced the axels and all four tires and we've been fine every since. This was discovered the first time we had the wheel bearings repacked at 6,000 miles.

[sreigle]

Al-ko replaced one axle for us but not the tires. We had to buy the new tires.

[pirogue]

quote:Originally posted by kmh3212

Anybody have problems with uneven tire wear especially on the inside? I'm having this problem on three tires. One worse than the others.

yes, i have the same problem, same camper, and same two diferent size axles as stated in this thread. my camber is off on the spindles, and inside of all 4 tires are wearing. all of mines seem to have the same amount of wear. not sure of mileage on the camper.

i'm the second owner but by the looks waranty wouldn't have helped anyway. i have yet to contact my dealer but will try today. i'll keep an eye out on this thread, and update my progress.

thanks to all that have contributed to the thread.

[pirogue]

on another note the camper doesn't track straight behind t.v.