What Causes Irregular Inside Tire Wear

Question:

I bought a trailer that the brakes are grabbing on the drivers side. The tires are wearing out spotty on the inside of the tire also. Can the grabby brakes cause the tires to wear this way or do I have a separate issue with the axles. I have checked the alignment with straight edges and a protractor level and it seams to be straight. I have a 1999 25foot Aerolite with torsion axles aprx. 3200lbs empty. Im checking the brakes now.

asked by: Don

Expert Reply:

If the brakes are dragging on one side of the trailer then that could cause the tire to wear in certain spots. However, if the wear is only on the inside then that points to either the trailer being overloaded or the spindle is bent. I recommend checking the axle capacity and verifying that the weight of the trailer and cargo do not exceed this.

If you do tend to find yourself overloading the axles then it may be time for an upgrade. For this, I recommend taking a look at the Timbren Axle-Less Suspension part # ASR5200S01 which has a 5,200 lb capacity or part # TASR7KS01 which has a 7,000 lb capacity. This system will actually replace the leaf springs on your trailer with a set of aeon springs that will work to absorb road shock and support the trailer's load better than the traditional leaf springs would.

In regards to the brakes dragging, this could be either a broken spring, faulty adjuster screw, or possibly a pinched wire on that side but you would hear the magnets buzzing if this was the case. I would first pull off the drum and inspect the springs. If all looks well then you will want to take a look at the adjuster screw and make sure it is in working order and installed correctly. You can use the side that is working as a reference.

expert reply by: Conner L