In a recent RV.net blog post (Okay, Tire Experts: What’s Wrong With Our Tire?) we discussed our mysterious tire wear. One of our tires has been rapidly wearing out on the inside, in a pattern suspiciously reminiscent of crop circles. What was causing this strange phenomenon?
A number of theories were offered, including bad tires, bent rims, warped axles, and space aliens. Well, we’ve hauled our RV across the desert to a group of trailer axle experts, and today we report on what we found.
Well, turns out it wasn’t space aliens. If you guessed that we had an AXLE problem — you get a gold star! The axle was indeed bent out of alignment. Apparently last year’s wheel-meet-curb Texas showdown did more than pop our steel-belted radial like a paper bag. It also put a severe dent in my bank account.
This leads to my expert tip of the day: Whenever possible, avoid steering your RV into curbs.
In today’s blog video (Axle Woes, for all of you rock-and-rollers) you’ll see the humiliating examination to which poor Liv, our travel trailer, was subjected. They backed her up onto a platform, broke out some measuring tape, poked and prodded, and finally rendered the sad diagnosis.
The repair job was somewhat labor intensive (CHA-CHING!) since the guys had to drop our fresh water tank to access the axle. While we had the wheels off the ground, we decided to go ahead and toss on some fresh rubber. So we pulled out of the repair shop with a straight axle, some shiny new shoes, and a significantly lighter wallet.
Lessons learned? Other than the obvious (please see above tip regarding curbs and RVs), this episode demonstrates the incredible depth of expertise and community on RV.net. Take it from me: if you ever have an RV problem, this website is the place to go. A big THANK YOU to everyone who posted comments. And on that note, if you haven’t yet subscribed to the RV.net blog, do so immediately! It only takes a minute, it’s free, and it’s the best way to make sure you see everything. We use the email subscription and love it.
And if you want to see more videos from our recent travels, check out TheLongLongHoneymoon.com. We’re back on the road!