Axel research

[R A Mar]

Hi all, I'm looking to replace the axel on my '72 Boler and was about to go with the Dexter#9 as recommended by many here and on the Boler.ca site, the parts guy I was talking to said the Dexter guy he talked to warned me about uneven tire wear with the Dexter axel.
Does anyone have any experience with this uneven wear?
I was told the Posiflex 6" or Flexride 4" axels might be better.

Thoughts/advice appreciated

Rick

[Glenn Baglo]

Axle.

[Menno]

I replaced my axle in late 2017 with a Dexter. I too go through excessive tire wear on the inside. I took it too a trailer alignment shop (fleet brake) and the told me that the camber is way off and the wheels tow inward and there is nothing they could do about it as the axle is welded to the frame and the axle is against a crossmember, They recommend replacing the axle, I called dexter and they told me in a round about way Sorry, to bad you are SOL So need less to say not to impressed with Dexter.

[Jon in AZ]

My 2008 Scamp has a Dexter axle and no issues, but I do know Scamp dropped Dexter in favor of Lippert as their supplier a number of years back. I’ve not heard why from an authoritative source, and I’m not sure if they are still using Lippert.

I’ve read several recent positive reports about the quality of the FlexiRide axle. It allows you to change the ride height depending on where you’re going: lower for highway and higher for off-road. I assume PosiFlex is a non-adjustable torsion axle from the same manufacturer. I’d be inclined to go with your installer’s recommendation. Adjustable or fixed angle is a personal call based on how you use your trailer.

I guess the take-away from Menno’s unfortunate experience is to have the alignment of a newly-installed axle checked right away and take it back if it’s out of spec. Note to self...

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Menno

I replaced my axle in late 2017 with a Dexter. I too go through excessive tire wear on the inside. I took it too a trailer alignment shop (fleet brake) and the told me that the camber is way off and the wheels tow inward and there is nothing they could do about it as the axle is welded to the frame and the axle is against a crossmember, They recommend replacing the axle, I called dexter and they told me in a round about way Sorry, to bad you are SOL So need less to say not to impressed with Dexter.

Sounds suspiciously like a bad installation in 2017... and if that is the case and the axle was fine before it was installed, then Dexter is not to blame.

[mary and bob]

We met a lady in a campground in Florida and she had a Casita 17 that was a year or less old. She had just come back from a trailer shop after having the third axle installed in her trailer since new. Constant tire wear problems and Casita was paying for every replacement. Note: it was the third axle counting the one installed at the factory. I think Casita is using Dexter axles. There may have been a bad production run at that time, some flaws don't get caught immediately as every part may not get inspected during manufacturing.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

...Casita was paying for every replacement. Note: it was the third axle counting the one installed at the factory...

Again... Sounds suspiciously like a bad installation. Why would one company pay twice for two defective parts from a different company? The axle is warranted by Dexter to be free from manufacturing defects but not from installation errors.

[mary and bob]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Again... Sounds suspiciously like a bad installation. Why would one company pay twice for two defective parts from a different company? The axle is warranted by Dexter to be free from manufacturing defects but not from installation errors.

I may be wrong about who was paying for two axle replacements. It was a few years ago so I may have forgotten just who was paying, but I know it wasn't the trailer owner. I only got involved to help locate a noise that she noticed after the second axle was installed, which turned out to have nothing to do with the axle job. I don't recall the details of who or how it was determined that the axle had to be replaced.

[Brooks Wade]

The story of my first axle repair may serve as a cautionary tale. I took our 13’ Scamp to to a place named TrailerCraft to have the axle replaced with one that would also jack the trailer up 3”. Six weeks later (we live in Alaska) they got an axle rated for 3,500 lbs. and convinced me that this was much better than the 2,000 lb. axle they had ordered. The alternative was to wait another 6 weeks for the correct axle to arrive.

So, we hit the highway with the “much better axle” on the trailer. The tread was gone on the outside edges before we made it through Canada. So we hade the tires remounted so that the good tread was on the outside.

Long story short, axles have a camber matched to the weight of the trailer and we were never going to get enough weight in the Scamp to overcome the camber on a 3,500 lb. axle.

After several sets of tires, we now have a third axle rated for 2,000 lbs. and the tires are wearing evenly. I do not know the brand.

My point? Getting the correct weight rating is more important than the brand.

[Jim Pissot]

We had a new axle (with brakes) built by STANDENS in Calgary. Likely they provided axles for the Boler manufacturing plant when it was in Calgary. Did a fine job and (if I recall correctly) less than Cdn$600.