Weird tire wear really WEIRD

[starsea]

Took my tires off of my Parkliner to replace them. When the air was let out this is what they looked like. Anybody have aa clue as to what is going on?

[mary and bob]

axle alignment problem or toe in / toe out problem. I hear Parkliner welded in the axles so not much you can do to correct it. Just an opinion, you'll have to take some measurements to know

[starsea]

Next month I might take it to an allingment shop and see what is up. The guy changing the tires, who has been racing and building cars all his life said that he had never seen a tire do this.

[Bob Miller]

Hmmmm... the wear pattern on the tire in the top pic is what I got on both the front of my Sonoma and on the front of a Volvo I used to own until the alignment was corrected. Unfortunately there is no adjustment easily available on your trailer. You will need to take the old tires to the alignment shop as well, hope you didn't toss them/.


Because of how trailer axles are built, my first guess, and it's only a guess, is that your axle isn't perpendicular to the frame. I think the technical term is "Cattywampus" LOL

[Dennis mn]

Try to find an alignment shop that specializes in four wheel drive off road vehicles, especially Jeeps, and older units with solid axles. These machines are aligned by bending axles, and I might guess that is what your trailer will need.

[Sid]

Star, I just went out and looked at mine, after about 18k miles they still look new. The only difference I can see is yours is a bias ply and mine is a radial. Are these original? When I was considering the upgraded rims on mine in 2014 I don't recall that style being an option.
Also the axel on the 2014 model is bolted on.
Sid

[starsea]

I bought it used, don't remember if they are the original ones. Mine looked worn but fine until the air was.let out of them. That was when the went wolposided. They were bias. I put radials on them.

[David B.]

That is an alignment problem. I just brought mine down to a trailer specialist shop that does trailer axle alignment.m Will see how the tires wear now. Best of luck. Dave and Paula

[honda03842]

I have a Scamp friend who contacted me with similar pictures, inside tire wear. I suggested he jack up his Scamp and check for an insufficiently tightened bearing lock nut, easy to feel with the wheel off the ground.

If this nut has not been tightened enough to eliminate play, the tire can ride on an edge that leads to this kind of wear.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by starsea

... Mine looked worn but fine until the air was.let out of them. That was when the went wolposided. ...

This is why I think it might not be an alignment problem, but instead a defective tire. I think it is a reasonable plan to run the new tires while keeping a very close eye on them for unusual wear.

Of course I am not a tire mechanic, engineer or anything more than a tire consumer. So take my comment for what it's worth. And Its hard to see the wear pattern in the photos.. the last photo looks like there might be excessive wear on one side but I can't be sure.

[rdickens]

All,

Norm is always teaching me new stuff! 😉

One more possible option to consider ....
Besides a loose bearing lock nut and/or a broken/slipped belt in a tire, Scamp told me that I
might need to consider the weight distribution in my trailer.

The outer edge of my right (curb side) tire was recently worn down while the inside edge still
had some tread left. (Both tires had sufficient miles on them that it was reasonable to start
considering replacing them anyway.)

I was told that it was most probably a tire issue, but it could be that my lightweight Scamp13
(with the 54" bed) did not have enough weight on the right side to insure that the torsion axle
would press the tire tread down completely flat on the pavement. (The left side of my trailer
has the refrigerator/stove/sink cabinet as well as the power converter; the right side only has
that 12" pantry cabinet. They suggested loading more gear on the right side or carrying at
least a partial tank of fresh water in that right-side tank.

Without looking at my trailer, one Truck Trailer Hitch shop told me that they thought it was
unlikely that my torsion axle would have alignment adjustments. Still TBD.

I'm not sure how your Parkliner load is distributed or what your axle is like. That is just what
Scamp told me and I offer it only as "food for thought". As always, YMMV. 😉

Good luck! 😀

Ray






Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

[Jim Bennett]

My bet too is on an alignment problem. I have had that on my construction trailers before, likely from overloading combined with uneven terrain. I took them in to a speciality trailer shop, where they tweaked the axles (minor bending), and as a result got rid of the bad tire wear.

IMT Standen's Limited Partnership

[Johnny M]

I agree with Norm & Gordon, defective tire is possible as well as the bearing, those are both much easier fixes than messing with the axle, which may not be your problem and if messed with may prematurely wear new tires and may be more difficult to reverse. Also movement of the axle can affect tires on the opposite side of the trailer. If the tires on the other side of the trailer are wearing evenly then I would suspect the tire not the axle.

In your photos the belt looks to have separated from the sidewall (quite common but yours looks extreme and to have completely separated) causing the "ballooning" which would not properly support that side of the tire allowing it to "roll" in or out from the rim leading to the excessive tread wearing on one side or the other. This can be caused by a defective tire and also by a tire overheating (bad bearings, under inflating, over inflating, etc., etc. ). I am surprised though that it lasted this long, usually they will blow out before they get this bad.

Here is a picture of a another tire doing the same thing...

[Bob Miller]

Another thought.... What was the rating for the tires you were using (ST?), what was the max PSI listed on the side wall, and what PSI did you have them set at. Some of these can lead to overheating and some of the issues you encountered.


BTW: IF your bearings are loose, and have been that way since new, it's time to replace them, not just adjust them. The races may be worn unevenly and the bearings may not seat correctly. Evan a few .001" of uneven wear will mess them up and new bearings are fairly inexpensive.

[honda03842]

I suggested the bearings because I had it happen and so did another member of the site. Of course most of the suggestions are something to consider. The bearing issue is easy to test in your driveway and relatively easy to fix.

In my case I did not replace the bearings with no ill after effects. I do carry a backup set of bearings with me when I travel.

[rdickens]

This was my tire.

Ray

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[starsea]

Thanks everybody. A lot of information there. I did check one side for loose berrings but already had the other side mounted. I discovered that I had two fresh water tanks on my last trip. When I left South Carolina go to West Virginia I only has water in one tank. Maybe that caused the lopsidedness. Coming back the fresh water black tanks were full. Next trip I'm going to run with empty tanks. Parkliner don't have great tanks correct?

[Johnny M]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

Another thought.... What was the rating for the tires you were using (ST?), what was the max PSI listed on the side wall, and what PSI did you have them set at. Some of these can lead to overheating and some of the issues you encountered.


BTW: IF your bearings are loose, and have been that way since new, it's time to replace them, not just adjust them. The races may be worn unevenly and the bearings may not seat correctly. Evan a few .001" of uneven wear will mess them up and new bearings are fairly inexpensive.

Good info from Bob as well, I would add that if there is bearing damage or deformation make sure you check that the spindle is not damaged as well. I remember my Dad showing me a damaged spindle from worn bearings when he had is auto repair shop. It had dug out a deep groove on the spindle weakening it significantly to the point it had to be replaced.

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by starsea

Thanks everybody. A lot of information there. I did check one side for loose berrings but already had the other side mounted. I discovered that I had two fresh water tanks on my last trip. When I left South Carolina go to West Virginia I only has water in one tank. Maybe that caused the lopsidedness. Coming back the fresh water black tanks were full. Next trip I'm going to run with empty tanks. Parkliner don't have great tanks correct?

It's easier to check bearings with the wheel mounted. Just jack the wheel off the ground and see if the is any play by grabbing the front and back or top and bottom edges of the tire and pull in and out, if it moves, it's loose. If it is loose I'd have the hub pulled and the bearings inspected for damage.

[cmartin748]

Looks over loaded