Axle Rating on the 3400RL

[8e3k0]

Are the axles on the 2009 Montana 3400RL rated for 6000# or 7000#? Also I have notied a lot of the competitors are going to "G" rated 16 tires where as the Montana is still using the "E" rated 16 inch tire. Any experiences with axles failing (bending) as the GVRW is very near the combined axle ratings even though hitch pin weight must be calculated in the combination? Could not find any specs on the above and didn't have the time to crawl under the unit to see what the stamped ratings are on the axles.
Thanks Ellis

[mail2us]

Ellis, our 2008 3400 Montana has 7000 lb rating and your 2009 maybe either the same or greater. Will let tire experts answer your questions on tires. You can do a search here on the MOC on tires and go back to about 120 days in your search. Alot of discussion on tires. Dennis

[Fire5er]

Our 2007 3400RL also has the 7000 lbs rating. In fact they labeled it wrong (6000 lbs) on the side of the trailer and I caught it during the PDI. I crawled under the rig to check what was on the axle and found that it was in fact the 7000 LBS axles. I had Keystone send me a new label to place on the trailer before I would sign the check over to the dealer. I am sure you have the 7000 lbs axles, but you may want to check your axles to be sure.

[stiles watson]

I think you probably have 7000# axles. My Big Sky came with 7000# axles and "E"-rated Mission tires. After about 3000 miles, I switched to G-rated tires and run them at 105 psi. The question is whether your rims will support the higher pressure tires. That will be answered from looking on the back of the rim for their rating. My OEM rims were rated for 110 psi when measured cold.

The Goodyear R614 tires have done well over 13,000 miles of travel. Regardless of tire size, I recommend the pressure Pro monitoring system. It is so great to quickly check the pressure in each of my tires including the TV every morning.

[TLightning]

My 2007 has 6000# axles...that's what the sticker on the axle says...the axles were manufactured 7/21/06.

[TAKPAK]

Ellis, ours is a 2007, and it has the 7000 pound axles under it. I know, I crawled under there to make sure!

[sreigle]

The 3400RL went to 7,000 lb. axles in about December of the 2007 model year. We got one of the earlier of that model year and had the 6,000 lb axles. Last summer we swapped them out for the 7,000 axles because of continuing tire wear and axle alignment/bending problems. It doesn't take many worn out tires and axle straightening/aligning jobs to pay for the new axles. We've put 5,000 miles on the new axles and the tires show no abnormal tire wear at all. In the past we'd be replacing a tire or two about now. You should be able to find the tag on the axles to tell you their size.

[MacDR50]

Ellis:
If you bought in Canada your axles are almost definitely rated at #6000. The same axle in the USA is rated at 7000#. The problem is not the axle tube or bearings but the brakes. The Canadian Standards Association rates the 12"X2" brake in the the Dexter as only meeting the 6000# standard even with the more aggressive magnet. I expect your GVWR is lower than the same unit sold in the USA. One way to check is comparing the GVWR on your trailer with that posted on the Montana web site.

My previous post applies. http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/...ad.php?t=29791

[8e3k0]

Just took delivery of the 3400RL on Saturday and the sticker on the outside does state 6000#. This really concerns me when your running a GVW of 14000 plus even considering hitch load on the truck!! I have a 20 foot car hauler with 7000# axles and I know the axle tube and the brake drums are much larger!
This unit was built in Alberta and I have never had a problem with some very heavy loads all accross North America. Ellis

[sreigle]

Ellis, our 2007 3400RL is heavily loaded. Last time we put it on a scale it weighed 14,620 lbs. That includes 2/3 tank of fresh water, other tanks empty. Propane tanks full. Of that weight, 11,760 is on the axles with 2860 on the pin. Our rig was within the ratings for the 6,000 lb axles, though not by much. Since we went to the 7,000 lb axles, we're easily within the axle rating for the new 7000 lb axles.

However, Roger pointed out something I did not know about, that the Canadian rating differs from the USA rating because of the brake lining size. In other words, if he is correct (and I assume he is) then the actual axles on your rig are the same as the 7,000 lb axles on the USA units. It's just that Canada says the brakes don't merit a 7000 lb rating.

That said, I know last summer right at the time we got the 7000 lb axles, Dexter went to different brakes. Self adjusting brakes. I do not know if the shoe/lining size changed or not.

If your 6000 lb (Canadian) axles are the same thing rated at 7000 lb axles in the US, then you have the same axles we got last summer. And we have had zero problems with bending/alignment or tire wear with these new axles. Good luck.

[ehmcfarl]

Where exactly is the sticker that is on the RV body showing the axle rating? I would like to see what my 2008 3400RL shows.

I have found a sticker on the left front corner that reads max gvw per axle is something like 6703lbs. If this is the sticker, is it saying I have the 6000 or 7000 lb axles?

[dsprik]

I have 6,000# axles on my 2007 3400RL (Build 7/17/2006). I have noticed some "chirping" on the outside of one of my tires, which is a prime indicator of an alignment problem. Wondering now - as per Steve R's post above - if my alignment problem(s) may be from an under-rated axle (6,000# vs 7,000#) that developed over time, because the smaller axle should never have been put on this unit in the first place, rather than something that was out of alignment right out of the factory???

[8e3k0]

As I noted before on another discussion topic that I do have #7000 LB axles but because the brake size does not meet the requirement of our Canadian Safety Standards (CSA) the axles are down rated to #6000 lbs on the sticker left side front on the Monty. Felt much better after verifing that. We also have Good Year Marathon "E" rated tires that are made in China. The last thing I want is a separation and then damaging the wheel housings of the Unit. Will be removing these and replacing all 4 with a "G" rated tires that are non RV. Our son is in the tire business so this helps. Ellis

[sreigle]

Ehmcfarl, there is a sticker on the axle tubes. You have to crawl under the rig to find them. Those are the ones I would trust.

[mail2us]

Steve Reigle is correct. Crawling under the Montana and visulizing the weight rating on both axles clearly tell me my 2008 3400 is rated at 7K lbs. per. Thanks Steve.