Hi, I am new to this site! We bought a 79' Triple E/Surfside about a month ago and wi

[surfside up]

One of the issues I have noticed upon purchasing it and driving on the Island Hwy, that there is some vibration at around 100 km/hr. Is this common? Should I be driving slower than that? We were told the wheel bearings were recently redone. We checked the tire pressure and topped up the air to correct pressure, but still no improvement.
Any comments/tips are appreciated.
Harvey


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by surfside up

One of the issues I have noticed upon purchasing it and driving on the Island Hwy, that there is some vibration at around 100 km/hr. Is this common? Should I be driving slower than that? We were told the wheel bearings were recently redone. We checked the tire pressure and topped up the air to correct pressure, but still no improvement.
Any comments/tips are appreciated.
Harvey


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

Welcome to the group Harvey, you'll get a number of answers for this. My first thought would be your tires are not balanced and or the tires are getting up in age and may be starting to seperate. You only mention one road, was that the only time that happened and what is your tow rig? Some roads or sections do cause a "bucking" if you're at the right speed and wheel base. Don't think bearings would cause a vibration but could be wrong. I would advise you to check the bearings and seals yourself just to be sure they are good to go. That's kind of a yearly PM item anyway. Also check the brakes for good working condition, if you have them, and the date codes of the tires as the trailer is new to you. You may want to replace the tires if they are 3 or 4 years old. If for no other reason than you will have a start date for service life. Think everybody here would agree that tires, bearings, lights and brakes are the first things to do to a new to them trailer. Sorry, I got off topic a bit from your original question.

[MC1]

Good day Harvey. Can you post a picture of your rig. A side view would be ideal. A picture is worth a 1,000 words and a good place start re evaluating your issues. Thnxs

[padlin00]

Welcome Harvey
I agree with Dave, have the tires balanced. Many tire shops do NOT balance trailer tires unless told to do so. after that I'd have the axle checked, trailers tend to get driven over curbs too often.

[Bob Miller]

First "We were told that...." doesn't count unless some sort of documentation is provided. While not often the cause of the problem you are having, I'd still pull both wheels and inspect for clean grease and good bearings. It's cheap and easy to do and bearing failures can get very expensive and, like landing an airplane with the wheels up, it will ruin an otherwise perfect day.


Next I'd look at the dates on the tires, if they are over 6 years old it's time to replace anyway. Some types of tires still get flat spots and/or out of round if not used for a very long time.


Last, if the previous owner ever used any kind of emergency air can, it puts a form of latex in the tire to seal any leaks. Left to set, the goo can settle and harden into a lump, throwing a tire out of balance.


And last (again) Lift each tire about 1/2 inch (12mm for you, LOL) and spin them, if they are out of round you will get the problem you describe and it's time for new tires again.


But again, start with age dates and bearing service and let us know what you find.

[surfside up]

Thank you all for your responses. As I am a first time RV owner, there is much to learn, but I'm grateful to have found this site.
Bob, your comment about flat spots on tires that have sat for awhile is a valid point, and I will definitely have the bearings and balancing done if the tires are keepers, if not, new tires too!
Our surfside is 14' and towed with a 2010 GMC Sierra. The trailer appears in good condition, but needing some upgrades inside and out. I am a journeyman carpenter by trade and look forward to working on it. My first full time job was working for Edson Trailers in Neepawa Man back in 71/72, but they were wood frame and aluminum. I have no experience with fibreglass.
I believe Edson was bought by Triple E and moved from Neepawa to Morden/Winkler??? I'm sure someone here could shed some light on that!!
I will try and post some pics here soon.
Thanks again,


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Bob Miller]

And if they try to balance them and need a lot of weight, it coul d also be casued by the Fix-a-flat stuff I mentioned earlier.


If you would like, you can browse some of my recent projects here for ideas:
RV Toys Photos by advocateone | Photobucket

[EcoHeliGuy]

1) Check that the tires are trailer tires. "ST" should be in the dimension markings. The majority of ST tires are only speed rated up to 104km/h (higher is available)

2) Tires are fully inflated to the max pressure of the sidewalk rating when cold (trailer hasn't moved for hours)

3) look for bulging on tires (inner/outer sidewalls and tread)

4) Jack a wheel off the ground and physically jerk and pull the wheel as well as rock it to see if there is any play.

5) Insure your trailer was applying down pressure on the tow vehicle, if your trailer is too light on the hitch then the hitch floats and bounces

6) Insure the coupler is tight on the ball, remove hitch from TV and latch the coupler onto the ball. This should be slightly snug. If you can find slack the coupler needs tightening. You want it just tight enough that it has light resistance when moving the hitch by hand, but not enough to effect the latch operation.

After all these check take the wheels to be balanced.

Also the Island highway has a few areas that are ripply


Sent remotely

[RogerDat]

My first thought was wheel balance, that often only shows up a certain speed(s) Most of the time a flat spot from sitting will work itself out as the tire gets warm from running down the road, at least that has been my experience.

I think it is worth the time to jack the tire up and see how it spins and if it has play. My own experience is bearings that are loose/worn are more pronounced at low speed. Like a little read wagon (or shopping cart) with a wobbly wheel, the wobble sort of smooths out above a certain speed.

I'm in the 6-7 year life span for trailer tires unless there is visible signs of unusual wear or damage.

[surfside up]

Originally Posted by EcoHeliGuy

1) Check that the tires are trailer tires. "ST" should be in the dimension markings. The majority of ST tires are only speed rated up to 104km/h (higher is available)

2) Tires are fully inflated to the max pressure of the sidewalk rating when cold (trailer hasn't moved for hours)

3) look for bulging on tires (inner/outer sidewalls and tread)

4) Jack a wheel off the ground and physically jerk and pull the wheel as well as rock it to see if there is any play.

5) Insure your trailer was applying down pressure on the tow vehicle, if your trailer is too light on the hitch then the hitch floats and bounces

6) Insure the coupler is tight on the ball, remove hitch from TV and latch the coupler onto the ball. This should be slightly snug. If you can find slack the coupler needs tightening. You want it just tight enough that it has light resistance when moving the hitch by hand, but not enough to effect the latch operation.

After all these check take the wheels to be balanced.

Also the Island highway has a few areas that are ripply


Sent remotely

Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

[surfside up]

Thanks for this. Items 5/6 particularly. I bought a 2" drop for the hitch that should possibly have been 4", to bring the trailer closer to level. So the front is a little high, but I was hoping that the weight of items in the back of the truck would bring the hitch down closer to level during travel.
Cheers



Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

[surfside up]

Originally Posted by RogerDat

My first thought was wheel balance, that often only shows up a certain speed(s) Most of the time a flat spot from sitting will work itself out as the tire gets warm from running down the road, at least that has been my experience.

I think it is worth the time to jack the tire up and see how it spins and if it has play. My own experience is bearings that are loose/worn are more pronounced at low speed. Like a little read wagon (or shopping cart) with a wobbly wheel, the wobble sort of smooths out above a certain speed.

I'm in the 6-7 year life span for trailer tires unless there is visible signs of unusual wear or damage.

Thanks Roger, the tires look to be OK, without bulges or too much wear. There seems to be pretty good tread left. Maybe a little dry looking. Whatever that means! I'm hoping it's only balancing.
Cheers


Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

[Pam Garlow]

Welcome to the group! Sounds like you are getting all the help and advise you need to solve your problem.

And now to the important question,,,, have you got any photos you can share with us? We love to see photos!

[surfside up]

I wasn't able to get over to the Surfside today to poke around.
I was thinking of taking it to Kal Tire for a thorough check of the axle, bearings etc. Would this be a smart decision or would an RV service centre be a better idea? Cheaper?
I could see that Kal might want to sell me some tires!!



Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

[Bob Miller]

Take it to a tire shop but, before they do anything, have them check the dates on the tires. You mentioned that the looked a little dry, you don't want to put good money into, or drive on, old tires. Getting a 2" drop on the hitch is a lot, get the right hitch drawbar. Check your tongue weight with a bathroom scale, it needs to be close to 10% of the total weight, less and you will have sway.

[surfside up]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

Take it to a tire shop but, before they do anything, have them check the dates on the tires. You mentioned that the looked a little dry, you don't want to put good money into, or drive on, old tires. Getting a 2" drop on the hitch is a lot, get the right hitch drawbar. Check your tongue weight with a bathroom scale, it needs to be close to 10% of the total weight, less and you will have sway.

Bob, there is quite a difference in height from a GMC truck to a Surfside. I think these trailers were designed to be pulled with cars, weren't they? 2" drop in addition to the 2" drop I already have would be 4".


Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

[Bob Miller]

I have to use a 4" drop on my Sonoma and Blazer for my Hunter, I suspect you have to do the same, especially if you have a full size GMC

[EcoHeliGuy]

Level the trailer, measure from the ground to the bottom of the coupler.

With an empty tow vehicle sitting level, measure from the ground to the top of the hitch opening.

The difference is the drop or rise of the drawbar. You'll notice the drawbars have different drops and rises based on ordination. If you can't find exactly the right drawbar, you want the tow vehicle to be slightly lower then the trailer. Should be able to get within an inch.

Best selection around seams to be Canadian tire.


Sent remotely

[Borrego Dave]

Just FYI, E trailer and others sell tow balls that have an extra inch in height over the standard neck length. Nice if you need to go up a bit and are in between the standard drop/rise sizes available.

[surfside up]

Here are some pics of our Surfside.



Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV