Inside Trailer Tire Wear On Camper With Torflex Axle

Question:

We have a 2015 Aliner Ranger-15 ft. It has 3500 # Dexter Torflex axles. Though I haven’t had it weighed, I’m pretty sure it is not overloaded. Yet in its travels I’ve seen the tires wear on the inside at twice the rate of the outside. I’ve experimented with tire pressure too. How can I check it for proper camber? Would an alignment shop also be able to recommend the optimal tire pressure?

asked by: LR F

Expert Reply:

It is a good idea to firstly make sure the trailer axle is not overloaded by weighing the trailer because uneven wear and inside wear is most likely caused by overloading the axle or misalignment.

Trailer axles are manufactured with a slight bow in them to allow them flex under a load. Overloading the axle causes the axle to arch towards the ground and cause inside wear to the tires. It is not a good idea to experiment with tire pressure on trailer tires unless the trailer tire manufacturer has tested them for lower PSI. Almost all of the o trailer tire manufacturers require the tire be run at maximum PSI at all times to prevent heat build up in the tire.

It is possible the trailer frame is misaligned and in that case you would want to take it to a shop for an alignment. You can check for misalignment by measuring from the center of the coupler back diagonally to the center of one of the wheels. Then take the same measurements to the other wheel center. They should be identical or within 1/8 of an inch.

expert reply by: Heather A