Wheel Alignment - Montana Owners Club

Rob Walters · 07-02-2012, 08:20 AM

I blew a tire last month coming home from Texas Motor Speedway. An experience I don't wish to repeat. My Good Sam Insurance covered the price of the tire and the subsequent damage to the underbelly. Sometimes I hear about "aligning" the wheels of the 5ver but I don't know if this is someone's idea of creating a solution to a non-existent problem. It would seem to me that the axles would be aligned at the factory. (Wow, typing that actually scares me, now that I think of it.) Has anyone actually had this done? Can it be done by a regular alignment shop? Is it necessary?

ols1932 · 07-02-2012, 09:16 AM

The wheels do need to be aligned. Unfortunately, when the chassis are assembled, the axles are to always "trued" the way they should be. That's one of the reasons we went to the MOR/ryde Individual Suspension. We get the wheels aligned at MOR/ryde whenever I think it's necessary - usually notice some abnormal wear. The wheel alignment is just like aligning the front wheels on a car.

Orv

Tom S. · 07-02-2012, 11:35 AM

Orv hit on it - watch your tires. If they are wearing funny, get the alignment checked. If they are wearing OK, you should be good to go. Don't trust your eyes though, measure the tread depth to be sure.

kdeiss · 07-02-2012, 11:53 AM

Can someone out their explain how they align. I see no way to adjust other then bending the axile

Jolu · 07-02-2012, 12:23 PM

I can tell you how mine was aligned. The shop wrapped a chain around the axle and used a pneumatic jack device to tug on the axle and bend it to where it was supposed to be. This was done at the well known and long time alignment shop in Colorado Springs.
The result was the chain left dents in the axle which caused a weaker axle. I was advised later that aligning trailer axles this way weakens them and they would go out of alignment again.
I ended up replacing my axles with axles with higher ratings.
Tubular trailer axles are not designed to be aligned period. They come with a camber when they are made and that is supposed to be sufficient.

The trouble is, I feel that the manufactures are using the lowest rating axle they can use. This does not take into account if the axles are squared up on the frame or not. Then we load the rig up with what we need and hit those really fine roads we have.

Yes axles can be bent into alignment. Some are happy with that method and some of us are not.
If you have your axles aligned as I describe above it would be best if they used a sleeve or an old tire section over the axle where they wrap the chain around it.
Joe

kdeiss · 07-02-2012, 12:52 PM

Joe thanks for your answer Just as I thought!

Ken D

TLightning · 07-02-2012, 01:42 PM

I thought I had an alignment problem...it was the lousy Chinese tire. But, if you looked at the tire, you'd swear it was an alignment issue.

ols1932 · 07-02-2012, 01:51 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Tom S.

Orv hit on it - watch your tires. If they are wearing funny, get the alignment checked. If they are wearing OK, you should be good to go. Don't trust your eyes though, measure the tread depth to be sure.

Or, run your hand both ways in the direction of the rolling tire and in the opposite direction. A normal wearing tire, one that is not involved in alignment problems, will not feel rough to the touch. However, if the wheels are out of alignment you will feel it when you run your hands over the tread. Plus a bad alignment will definitely show up in the outer and inner tread wear.

Orv

dieselguy · 07-02-2012, 06:13 PM

I've had axles aligned from my brand new 3150 to a boat trailer with good results. Any competent alignment shop catering to trucks and trailers can fix your woes. Some say bending an axle into alignment won't stay for long ... mine did. How would you suppose an axle gets camber in it at the factory ... that's correct ... they bend it. Back to my brand new 3150 ... I noticed right away that the tires were wearing ... long story short, both had zero camber and the front one had toe out instead of toe in. Keystone paid for the alignment with the supplied photos and alignment data from the shop. Dating myself a bit ... if your old Ford F series pickups with the twin I beam suspension were out of alignment ... bending them was the only way to make them right .... I know an I Beam and an axle tube are different ... just throwing out trivia about bending stuff.

Jetson · 07-02-2012, 07:04 PM

The other tire on the same side of the trailer that blew out should also be replaced because it is very likely to blow soon.

Jolu · 07-03-2012, 12:29 AM

It's not the bending of the axle that does the damage. It's the dents in the axle from chains wrapped around the axle that can cause the problem. When an axle is realigned it is different than putting a bend in the tube for the camber at the factory where the axle is made.
Trailer axles with tubular axles are different than bending hard steel I beam suspensions on Trucks. These trailer axles like the 6000Lb axle that comes with the 3150RL like I have do not have all that thick of a wall for the steel tube. When you move up in the axle rating to 7000Lbs the steel is thicker steel walled. Joe

Champ_49 · 07-03-2012, 03:54 AM

You can also bend an axle by simply applying heat with a torch to one side and a cold rag to the opposite side. It will draw it back to where you want it. And this does not IMHO weaken the axle. I did this on race cars for yrs and never had a problem at all. And its a rather simple procedure. Thats the way I would align it if necessary.

Dave

Rob Walters · 07-03-2012, 05:05 AM

Jetson, why do you think the other tire will blow?

Rob Walters · 07-03-2012, 05:12 AM

I spoke to the mobile RV repairman that I use whenever I'm home, and he says the axles are bowed intentionally when constructed so they can be aligned by rotating them in the U-bolts. This makes sense to me and it certainly seems a better way to align than bending them with chains. I called a couple of Mor/Ryde dealers in the area and they told me they didn't do alignments, they only sold and installed the stuff. They referred to to some large RV dealers with service centers. I'm gonna call them today. Pretty sure this ain't gonna be one of those cheap endeavors.

Exnavydiver · 07-03-2012, 05:36 AM

When they aligned mine in Goshen 2 years ago I watched and they did not wrap the chain around the axle, they used a sleeve on the axle then wrapped the chain around it. There were no dents left in my axle and so far it is still running true...

old turbo · 07-04-2012, 06:24 AM

You need to find a shop that has the EZ Line Laser alignment system to check your alignment. The old hit and miss that some shops use is old style. You may not need an alignment. It could be possible that you were overloaded or you weight was not evenly distributed in your 5vr. With all the slide out and storage area we tend to load a lot of maybe stuff. I hope you get your rig fixed soon and remember to take it to a truck scale the next trip you take.

dieselguy · 07-08-2012, 05:10 PM

Rob ... if I were you, I'd never have that mobile repairman touch my fiver again ... if he told you with a straight face that you can rotate the axles on the springs to adjust alignment ... he's a professional con man. No way, no how, is anyone going to rotate an axle like the ones on our fivers to adjust alignment. There are spring mounts welded in place on the axle tubes preventing any rotation. They are welded there to position the spring pack correctly. You need to locate a spring and axle shop catering to large trucks and trailers ... they have the equipment to do the job without denting the axle tube as an experience mentioned earlier. Like I've already mentioned, I've had several trailers axles recambered and toed with good lasting results.

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