Axle or shock trouble

[WorkerB]

We have a 2001 2850RK. Took our first outing last weekend destined for Death Valley to see the wildflowers. 60 miles out we stopped in Reno, NV and I noticed the drivers side front tire was wearing and scalloped. I took it to Les Schwab Tire and the guy said it looked like a shock problem. Cancelled the trip to Death Valley and just hung out in Reno for three days. Back home now and research on this site looks like the axle has gone flat. I know an excellent alignment man and I am sure he can put the camber back in. The question is should I waste the money if the axle is considered junk anyway? The local RV store says the little shocks are a joke and are discontinued. I tried to remove one today and it looks like you have to take the U–bolts off the axle to liberate the shocks. By the way the axle tag shows 4400 pounds on both axles and the tag on the kitchen cabinet shows GVWR 11800 LBS minus UVW 8800 LBS. I don’t get the 11,800 LBS number if the axles are rated at 4400 LBS each. Can someone explain?
Now to the meat of the matter. I think I would like to find higher rated axles and use my existing backing plates, Brakes, Magnets, 12” 6 lug hubs. Where do I find the best deal? What is the brand that most folks like? Any advice on the shocks? Any advice on weight rating on the replacement axle such as 5200, 5500, 7200 LBS.
We plan to spend most of the summer on the road so I need to resolve these problems and take a few test trips to test everything before committing to the summer trip.
Any advice is most welcome.
John S.

[ole dude]

Part of your total trailer weight is resting on your tow vehicle, subtract your pin weight from your other weight and see if that doesnt work better for your axle capacity. Never had to change an axle on one of these. Dexter is a brand that is often mentioned. I guess another question might be, just how much does your trailer really weight, are you using all the rated capacity now. Should you elect to replace the under carrige, then you might want to look into a Mor-Ride system or some thing similar. Might be better than the shocks. Good Luck

[Emmel]

John, you might want to rethink removing the shocks. First of all, they are part of the Value package offered on the new Montanas, so I don't know where your local rv store gets his info at.
We have ordered both of our Montanas and ordered shocks on both. We will do the same on our next one too.
With tires wearing in 60 miles, I would look into the axles being bent or flat like you think.

[WorkerB]

Thanks for the info on the shocks. Let me say again though that this is a 2001 model. Also the local RV dealer (Not a Montana dealer) says these particular shocks are manufacturer discontinued.
Info on the shocks says: 19176 MAECO Made in USA H27600A 1H
I will call Travelers RV in Reno NV today to verify the info about the shocks being Mfr. discontinued.
Maybe there is a replacement shock available.
Thanks again,
John S.

[blarkman]

First, if the axle is bent it can be reset or rebent by a good alignment shop that does this type of work. I don't understand the "the junk part" on the axles if you have no other problems with the axles. I would certainly not mess with the shocks, you really need shocks. If your gvw is 11800 and your axles are 8800 then you should have a load capicity of 3000. you reaaly need to weigh the rig loaded to see if you are overweight. This would definately flatten the axle
bob

[bigmurf]

I am going to guess that you have Al-Ko axles (Al-Kober} since it is a 2001. Their web site is al-kousa.com. Phone is 574-294-6651. The axle warranty is Two years. Get your VIN number and give them a call as they may work with you if this was a group of bad axles, they worked with us after Keystone blew us off.

Per a suspension guru the shocks were at such an angle that they were almost useless. Monroe makes a replacement but it is overpriced.

[bsmeaton]

quote:Originally posted by Emmel

We have ordered both of our Montanas and ordered shocks on both. We will do the same on our next one too.

Emmel - Montanas have been shockless since the Mor-Ryde suspension was incorporated. This has also been a debate, as some folks have installed them aftermarket, but the factory units are no longer available with shocks (circa 2005).