Maintenance & Restoration

montereyfgrv · 12-17-2021, 10:31 PM

This axle saga won’t end for me. I finally got my new dexter axle on my new to me 17’ casita SD. Time to replace tires as well, as they were mismatched and worn from rubbing in the well. I went in to the tire shop….was waiting by the trailer for the guy to come out as I wanted to tell them to jack on frame, not on the axle. Reeeeally had to go the bathroom. Minutes went by and no one seemed like they’d come to the trailer for a bit. Ran in and came back out a couple minutes later…..sure enough the trailer is now jacked up on the axle, with 2 jacks near each end. Damnit!

I run up to the guy and say no no please jack on the frame…..he responds with “no it’s fine. I do this all the time, it’s only bad if you jack in the middle….the axle is fine if 2 jacks are near the ends”…..another guy was there backing him up. ..Damnit!

So anyway I figure it’s already jacked up….any damage would have already been done. And I felt a bit peer pressured. So they continue with the tire replacement. I can only take pictures to document their actions in case I need evidence.

Job gets done. Axle has no discernible bending or damage…but I still wanted to share this with y’all and ask….should I be concerned about the axle? Is there some gold standard for inspecting it?

Every post and comment I see says DO NOT JACK ON AXLE, so I’m obviously wigging out a bit.

floyd · 12-17-2021, 11:32 PM

If it is lifted on the axle where the frame is above the jacking point
(where the axle is attached to the frame) it is highly unlikely to cause any problem.
Still it is good practice to jack directly on the frame.

CharlesinGA · 12-17-2021, 11:37 PM

Torsion axle? Jacked at the far outboard end where the frame brackets attach and the arm is attached? No, Seriously doubt any damage was done.

I had an issue many years ago when a shop put my car on the lift (Tires I think but not sure, very rarely does anyone touch my cars for anything) and they had missed the frame with one of the lift pads. I pointed it out, the guy was "its OK" I'm like, no, its not. He wanted to argue, I finally told them to take it down, I was leaving. At that point he agreed to take it down and reposition the lift arm.

When I need tires, I usually pull them at home and throw them in the truck and off to the tire store.

Charles

Jon in AZ · 12-18-2021, 08:42 AM

Agree. As long as they jacked on the ends where it’s attached to the frame, damage is unlikely. But next time I guess you’ll have to take care of business before you check in…

Tire and lube techs tend to be young, inexperienced, and have a high turnover rate. Gotta keep an eye on ‘em! I’ve had stripped bolts (lugs, oil pan, and air cleaner housing), grease and oil messes left behind (engine bay, body panels, and cabin), and sent out once with no oil in my engine (caught in time, now I double check before driving off)… :eek

I have an older guy that does my major stuff, but he’s too busy to deal with oil changes and tires.

Iowa Dave · 12-18-2021, 10:09 AM

Like others posted, I take the tires and wheels off
Myself and haul them to the tire store for trailer tires. Vehicle tires, I retorque when I get home after any tire service.
Iowa Dave

montereyfgrv · 12-18-2021, 11:26 AM

Great. Thanks for some reassurance.

I will be doing it myself in the future for sure.

montereyfgrv · 12-18-2021, 12:28 PM

For reference, here’s what he did.

montereyfgrv · 12-19-2021, 11:41 AM

Update for any future readers….to better inspect for any damage I taped a string to span the underside of the axle. This gave me a good reference to eyeball for any bends or warps. But on top of that I also taped off a few marks on the bottom of the axle from each end (10” & 15” in from the mount) and measured from the ground up to see if clearance was equal/symmetrical, which it was. So I’m feeling pretty good now about knowing no damage was done.

There also did not appear to be any denting or pinching of the axle tube.

What I did discover was the high point of the camber was not dead center, but was about half an inch off center. This definitely could not have resulted from the jacking, but would have come off the factory line like that. Thought that was interesting. I’m not worried about it though.

Phil Murray · 12-24-2021, 01:56 PM

After a couple of years with our 5.0ta and many tire issues, I found an alignment shop and had them go over it. Major issues (corrected) and hopefully an end to tire woes.

Find a shop that works on semi trailers and you won't be sorry. I doubt any trailer comes off the line "perfect."

Phil

jgilliam1955 · 12-31-2021, 05:32 AM

I put on very bright stickers where to place the jack. I have now installed upgraded jacks which I have used to change a tire.

Glenn Baglo · 12-31-2021, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgilliam1955

I have now installed upgraded jacks which I have used to change a tire.

Do you mean stabilizers?

jgilliam1955 · 12-31-2021, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Do you mean stabilizers?

Nope upgraded the scissor jacks, through "Little Home on the road".

Scissor Jacks from BAL Add extra support to enhance leveling and stability for a rock-steady trailer. Bonus: they’re strong enough to lift the whole Casita off the ground so that a tire can be changed without use of additional jacks. Installed in sets of 2 or 4, to fit your needs.