Outer Edge Tire Wear

[DrewSK]

1987 16ft Scamp, Al-ko axle stamped Type F2587 with a 2400lb capacity


Drove from MN to CO (and back again) - on the way there we noticed that our Scamp was wearing the outer edge of one of our tires was wearing down. I adjusted the tire pressure several times to see if it was a factor, with no results.

I suspect that there is some sort of perpendicular alignment issue with the wheel, but am going to be trying a few things.

First off, checked on the bearings (no excessive heat during travel that I caught). The bearings were stuffed with newish blue grease and there were no signs of water in the bearings. However, when I went to remove the hub I noticed it was just a bit loose- as in, the wheel hub nut could have concievably been tighter by 1 castle nut slot without overtightening the bearings. I'm not sure the miniscule amount of play could have caused the wear on such the outer edge of the wheel- but if anyone with more experience has thoughts on this, please let me know.

I was to check the spindle and see if it's been bent(?!), but 1) I can't come up with a good way to check this without disassembling the brakes 2) if it is bent, I'm fairly certain that dooms me to replacing the axle a few years before I wanted to. A 2400lb axle on a 16ft scamp seems a bit light to me, but we didn't have any gear in the scamp except a file box of food and a box of pans/dishes. All the ice chests, etc, were in the back of our TV. Should I try to get my trailer into a shop that can actually check the camber, even though- this isn't something that is adjustble on a torsion axle? Any other suggestions?

[Donna D.]

I replaced the axle on my 1988 Scamp for this VERY reason. Nothing wrong with the bearings, nothing wrong with balance of the tires, nothing wrong with tire pressure, etc. Between reading the forums here and assistance from a friend, we decided the axle was flat worn out. Replaced it... now I'm Golden. YMMV

[DrewSK]

Thank you Donna!


I Called scamp today and got a ballpark quote for replacing the axle, since they're only 3 hours from us.
$455 for the axle
About 2 hours of shop time at $70/hour

I saw on their online parts store that the newer 3500lb axles come with 5x4.5 hubs, so our wheels won't fit but one of the tires is obviously toast... So I'm not too torn up about needing new wheels and tires.

That said, if I can find a shop in the twin cities that would install a new axle, I could order a 25deg rubber torsion axle from alko... Has anyone else ordered direct, and what did it end up costing you in parts/freight/labor?

[Carol H]

Drew I think as Donna suggests you are indeed looking at a new axle - a bad axle can burn out tires fast - my neighbour managed to go through 3 sets of tires on his old trillium in a year and half (3 LONG trips) until he changed the axle. Not to mention the low axle rating on your original. I dont think you can go wrong with having Scamp change it out for you.

[David Tilston]

I took my trailer to Trillium / Outback in Calgary. It cost me $1000, and they didn't even kiss me.

[Donna D.]

I can't answer for you Drew, I can only answer for myself. The original Alko axle on my trailer was of marginal weight. I THINK it was only rated for 2200#. I went with a 3500# axle with a 45 degree down. In hindsite, I should have chosen a 3500# axle with a 22 down and a lift bolt on bracket. It would have accomplished the same thing (I wanted 15" tires). I'm certainly not unhappy with what I have. It tows really, really well.

I wish you luck!

[DrewSK]

(There's always the added bonus of getting to check out scamp's factory and models if we go up there)

Mostly just making sure that scamp wasn't employing pricing like a car dealership... cRaZy expensive. I'm generally a DIY kind of guy for cars, campers, and home improvement. It's a rare occurrence to let someone else do the work on one of my favorite things. I think $1000 is a great investment in our egg.

I'm certainly looking forward to the towing improvement... I could use some less jolting of the Ranger. If only you could have seen my O.o face when I read the 2400lb rating.

[Carol H]

Drew I think you will find the Scamps pricing is pretty reasonable (at least by Canadian standards) on all their products. I know if I could get there I would stock up on a lot of items. In the case of the axle you have the added bonus of getting people who have done one or two before on your trailer and will mostly likely get it right & do it fairly quickly.

[DrewSK]

I wanted to circle back on this thread- I took the advice of the wise folks here and went up to Scamp earlier in the year with my trailer for a replacement axle. (3500lbs, 22deg down, no lift brackets)

I'm extremely happy with the new axle and subsequent wheels. Between the next axle and new tires on my TV (Ford Ranger), it's like pulling a completely different trailer this year. I would be much more confident driving this TV+egg across the windy plains again.

Thank you all very much for the guidance!

[Timber Wolf]

Glad to hear things worked out. That was a no-brainer to let Scamp do it for that price and if you are close. I ordered the axle and did it myself and have more than that in it due to shipping cost of the heavy axle. The new (larger) brakes and new tires & rims are a plus too. I should be good for at least another 26 years (well, at least after I replace a few dozen rivets & caps).

[floyd]

Wear to the outside edge of a tire is not the result of normal axle wear.
Normal wear on the axle would result in inside wear on the tire since that axle normally wears toward negative camber and tow out.
A bent axle or damaged rubber caused by a glancing impact with a curb can cause this problem resulting in positive camber or tow in.
Being towed forward and or impacting the tire against the curb at the bottom is most likely and could cause that type of damage.
This would of course only affect the side which suffered the impact (usually, but not always, the curbside).

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by DrewSK

(There's always the added bonus of getting to check out scamp's factory and models if we go up there)

Mostly just making sure that scamp wasn't employing pricing like a car dealership... cRaZy expensive. I'm generally a DIY kind of guy for cars, campers, and home improvement. It's a rare occurrence to let someone else do the work on one of my favorite things. I think $1000 is a great investment in our egg.

I'm certainly looking forward to the towing improvement... I could use some less jolting of the Ranger. If only you could have seen my O.o face when I read the 2400lb rating.

Glad to hear it worked out for you Drew.

[MC1]

Hey there Drew.. I guess with new wheels, tires, and axles we are still not sure what the original fault was but glad the problem is resolved and the rig is towing fine.

I had some bad experiences with lousy alignments from the auto shops so decided to do my own checks. I made up a tool using a level and laser. It is not an exact science but quite accurate. It is also a great tool to center the vehicle's steering wheel (simple tie rod end adjustments).

Although I made it for my cars it could be used to check trailer wheel alignment to give one an idea whether it is out or in spec.

[Eric Johnson]

Hi MC1 Great tool! Is that a laser level with the ends cut and glued to level face? How does it work? Do you measure width of wheels then add twice width of level to check for toe in or out against a projector screen like a wall?
Hmmmm....please do tell!

[MC1]

Good day Eric. The small red assembly is the laser which was designed to be mounted on a common level. I simply glued extension pieces to it so it extends outside the body/tire area.

In my case for the test I parked the car in my driveway about 40' in front of my garage.

To check tow in/out I just placed a large piece of card board in front of the vehicle (right at the bumper) and mark with a pencil the laser spot. Take the laser level to the other side of the car and do the same.

Then open the garage door and place that cardboard against the back wall. In the darkness of the garage it is easier to see the laser dots. Then do the laser test again. If the car wheels are dead on straight the laser marks left and right will be in the same spots as they were when you did the test with the cardboard at the front bumper.

If the distance between the dots at the garage are wider then when measured at the front of the vehicle then you have a tow out condition.
If the distance is narrower then you would have a tow in condition. You need to look up you vehicles specs to review if you are in spec. Some vehicles specify some degree of tow in.

Hope this helps explain the basics Eric. Ask more questions if my post is not clear. Thnxs for your interest.

Wayne

[redbarron55]

Back (WAAAY back) when we were racing we used string for "cotton" lasers to measure the toe in and to line ip the front and rear wheels and axles of cars. The string is taped to the back of the tire and then brought to the front until it just touches the sidewall of the tire. This is a line parallet to the tire in whichever directio you want to run it.
This helps line up the axles on the trailer when you install a new one so that it is in line with the car, centered on the hitch etc.
Works good and is cheap.

[MC1]

JD.... another smart system that I'm sure works well. Once the string is pulled tight it would be as straight as any laser. Nice!

[cvanzan]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I can't answer for you Drew, I can only answer for myself. The original Alko axle on my trailer was of marginal weight. I THINK it was only rated for 2200#. I went with a 3500# axle with a 45 degree down. In hindsite, I should have chosen a 3500# axle with a 22 down and a lift bolt on bracket. It would have accomplished the same thing (I wanted 15" tires). I'm certainly not unhappy with what I have. It tows really, really well.

I wish you luck!

Donna,

I'm also interested in running larger tires on my '02 16' Scamp. Did you have the axle installed in Oregon? If so, who did it and did they supply all the parts? .....and did you have to do any cutting of the fiberglass, etc to get the 15" wheels to work?

By the way, my right side tire looked almost exactly like the one posted by DrewSK. I replaced both tires, but have no faith that it won't happen again. I suspect that the damage occurred very rapidly - maybe less than 200 miles, because I check the condition of the tires regularly. Scary to think what would have happened if the tire had failed at 60mph.

Thanks,
CVZ

[Ian G.]

Originally Posted by MC1

I made up a tool using a level and laser. It is not an exact science but quite accurate.

Good system Wayne, similar to standard alignment machines used in the 1970's and 80's. One recommendation is that you need to set a baseline for each wheel, if you just place the level on one spot on the rim and use that as a measure you have no idea if the rim is true or bent, a bent rim will definitely give you a false reading. Ideally you should set the laser (level) at a number of points around the rim and check where the light indicates on the target.

On the commercial machines the "alignment head" connects to the centre hub surface and then the wheel is lifted and the tire rotated, there are adjustment screws that allow the head to be precisely trued.

When using the string method you lift the wheel and scribe a line around the tire (using a scribe or sharpened chalk, etc). The measurement can then be taken from the scribed line which will be true in rotation no matter how bent the wheel may be.

[Dan Meyer]

Here's a guide to aligning your car at home, with very simple tools.

George's Do-It-Yourself Alignment Guide

-- Dan Meyer