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Old 05-19-2005, 03:23 AM   #1
Montana_1925
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M.O.C. #1925
tires wearing on the inside

I've been watching my tires lately and I find that the tread is wearing on the inside. We have a 2001 3280 Montana. I called a local RV dealer that I trust and they said it might be the axels. When I talked to Montana they said that we might have too heavy a load. Before I do anything, I just want to know if anyone else has had this problem and what to do about it. The rest of the tire is in good condition and this is happening on all four tires. Any ideas what to do ?
 
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Old 05-19-2005, 03:48 AM   #2
awaywego
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Red
You may want to have the alighnment checked on the axles.
I had to have mine alighned the first long haul we made.
I don't think the dealers check this before delivery to buyer.
Mine too is a 2001 3280RL.
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Old 05-19-2005, 01:07 PM   #3
jimc
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M.O.C. #380
There have been many posts on this problem, so just go for a search on tire wear, bent axles, or inside tire wear. I had this on the rear axle on my 2003 2955 with Al-Ko axles. Montana will always say it's possibly overloaded or you hit something. I contacted Al-Ko (Montana has the number) - mine were under the 3-year warranty, and they sent a new axle to anyplace I wanted the work done and authorized 3 hours to replace it. They said the axle "lost its camber." This is a very common problem (I also had it on a Fleetwood 5er). It may also be possible to realign the axle by bending it at an axle shop.

Good luck
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Old 05-19-2005, 02:15 PM   #4
richfaa
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Bent or out of alignment axels are a long time and common problem.Had that problem on our 1994 CoachmanTT.
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Old 05-19-2005, 02:20 PM   #5
sreigle
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We also had the tire wear problem and Alko replaced the axles. But they didn't check the alignment and they were not correctly aligned so we paid $150 to have them aligned. We've put about 3,000 miles on since then and the tires are wearing normally. I'd recommend having the alignment checked first. Maybe your RV dealer can recommend a reliable body shop or trailer repair facility to do a check for you.
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Old 06-10-2005, 05:30 AM   #6
Montana_247
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So far, knock on wood, I haven't seen this on my Montana but my first fiver was a Kit Sportsmaster and I had to replace a bent axle that caused the exact same problem. Good luck.
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Old 06-10-2005, 02:38 PM   #7
Montana_3931
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The axle problem with the Montana tire wear is caused because most Montana models are heavier, (GVWR) than the axle rating.
Example: Montana model 3295, GVRW 14300# only has 2 6000# axles. This means the capacity of the axles is deficient. Keystone, [Montana] denies the problem and will not up-grade axles.
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Old 06-10-2005, 03:18 PM   #8
patodonn
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We had the same problem...with Keystone assistance, we made an appointment last fall and had the axles "bent" at a shop in Elkhart. Only took about an hour, cost
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Old 06-10-2005, 03:47 PM   #9
sreigle
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Actually, the axles are sufficiently rated for the Montanas. Don't forget the GVWR (and the actual weight) includes pinweight that is not on the axles. Our Montana weighs (actual) 14,360 with 3300 of that on the pin. That leaves 11,060 on the axles. Our axles are rated at 6,000 each, 12,000 total. There is just one or two models with slightly higher GVWR but none more than 200 lbs more. GVWR on ours is 14,300.

Ours are the older AlKo axles. Does anyone know if the new Dexters are rated at 7,000 or are they also 6,000 lb?
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Old 06-11-2005, 05:25 AM   #10
drhowell
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My tires were wearing on the inside also and after replacing the worn out shackles and two new tires I had my axles aligned. The front axle was out of camber slightly on one end but the rear was out on both ends and actually had toe out that caused the tires to drag which caused the wear. Watched the service man check and adjust the axles by bending the axle tube at various points near each end to set toe in and camber. He also reset the distance between both ends of the axles which was off by 3/8" on one end.

My 2001 3280RL seems to handle much better and I am sure the fuel milage will improve by eliminating the drag on the rear axle.

Just make sure the shop that does the alignment knows how to setup trailer axles and has the equipment to do the job. I had checked with River City RV service department (Local Keystone dealer) on where to take the trailer for alignment and they suggested only one place locally that does trailers. When I called them they said they remove the axles from the trailer to align them and it would take two or three days. I took my trailer to a different place about 100 miles from home but they did it the right way "ON THE TRAILER" and it took about 2 hours.
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Old 06-11-2005, 07:53 AM   #11
sreigle
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This brings up a question. Our shackles were just replaced. That wouldn't change the alignment of the axles, would it, that we just paid to have aligned last October? Don's post doesn't say that but it mentioned changing shackles and also needing to get the axles aligned and that made me wonder about this.

Patodonn, did Keystone send you to Bud's Body Shop in Elkhart? They must have done something different to ours than yours since yours was cheaper than ours. They told me $75 for one axle, $250 for two. We needed both aligned, of course.

Thanks.
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Old 07-20-2005, 01:48 PM   #12
w4nfr
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Had my axles adjusted today at Yankee's BeeLine in Mt Carmel Tennessee. They did a great job and only took about an hour and half to adjust the axle and correct my negative camber on all four tires. Mt Carmel is near Kingsport Tenn. Yes all 4 tires had excessive wear on the inside edges of the tires and all ruined. I also had the breaks adjusted by them, since they had the wheels spinning! I suspect the axles were never right from the factory and it took me 10,000 miles of tire wear to figure it out. My second stop today was for a new set of Michelin's for the Big Sky to replace the worn and unsafe Tacoma tires that were OEM.
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Old 07-21-2005, 09:50 AM   #13
Montana_4209
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My 2004 montana 3295 is in the shop right now for replacement of both axles, springs and bolts. All 4 of my tires are wearing badly on the inside edge. They say the spindles are bent and the springs are flattening out. As an ex rv service manager, I am very aware of how to load a trailer. The first thing I did when I took delivery of the unit was to load it for travel and then took it and had it weighed. I was well within the limits, but the unit is heavier on the passenger side since that's were Montana put all the weight (tv, fridge, stove, water heater, pantry, etc). Anyway, I am glad I have insurance, since Keystone buried the head and said I overloaded it. Will follow with results when repaired. I now have to purchase 4 new tires because someone up in Indiana didn"t do their job. It would be nice if Keystone would at least sell me the tires at their cost...
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