Axle Alignment?

[Smith1876]

Any one successfully have a Dexter Torsion Bar axel aligned? I’m hearing both, that they can be aligned, and that they can not.

[n2916s]

They can be aligned but it requires very specialized equipment. The axel tube is actually bent by hydraulics to achieve the proper specs. I would call Dexter and see if the have a dealer list.

[pmclemore]

I tried twice at Jackson Center but the process didn't work.

Pat

[Wayne&Sam]

Axle.

There, I aligned it for you.

[rwnash]

I am interested as to why you think that your axles need alignment. Assuming that they were correctly installed at the factory they should be OK - absent some damage. Several years ago I replaced both axles on my trailer. As I remember it, the bolts and mounting holes had very little allowance for adjustment. I did verify that the axle spacing was the same on both the left and right sides (within 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch).

Basically, the axle alignment is "baked in" by the axle manufacturer and how they are mounted to the trailer frame. Unless there is a manufacturing defect, damage or extreme wear the alignment should be good. My 30 year old axles did not show signs of misalignment (unusual tire wear), they just lost their "spring" due to old age.

Whit Nash

[cwf]

Use a long fluorescent light tube laid against center edge of tires. Is there a gap where it doesn’t touch the sidewalk?

[Smith1876]

Trailer is a 2017 Flying Cloud 28 Twin. Having excessive rear tire wear on the outside edges. On my third set of rear tires. I get about 3,500 per set. Have had them checked for alignment, twice in the last month. Both are out, rear is out the worst. Have had Dexter Reps tell me they can’t align these axels. Airstream says they do it often at JC. Just wondering if anyone has had them successfully aligned, and if so where.

[Shermy1987]

You could try a heavy duty truck alignment shop. The I beam on the steer axel of trucks is aligned the exact same way.

[rwnash]

Only 3500 miles! Either the axle was defective from the start or there was a significant road interaction. I doubt that a truck alignment shop can bend the axle into alignment. I believe they do that to adjust the camber of the axle. (Camber is the distance/angle that the top of tire is offset from the bottom; a perfectly straight, unbent axle has zero camber.) With the extremely excessive wear you are having, I suspect that your axle(s?) are bent into a toe in or toe out configuration. In effect your tires are not pointing straight ahead and are "scrubbing" themselves to death in short order.

(On a truck steer axle the toe is set by adjusting the steering linkage, typically the tie rod ends. I don't believe that a heavy truck alignment rack has the capability to bend an axle is the horizontal rather than the vertical, camber, plane.)

Giving the extreme wear, you might be able to use a long straightedge to detect what is going on. Hold it level with the ground about halfway up and against the edges of the tires. All four edges should be in line and parallel with the side of the trailer. (Make sure the tires are properly inflated.) Basically, you want all the tires rolling in the same direction - straight ahead.

I would discuss the situation with a truck alignment shop. They may have had relevant experience and may be able to install new axle(s). Two years ago my axles cost $1350 and it was not complicated job.

Kindly keep us posted on what you find. Also, there is a great deal of information here about axle replacement .

Good luck,

Whit Nash

[Jcosner]

Alignment is pretty common practice on trailers. It requires axle bent into alignment. The shop is located in Belle Fourche, South Dakota. I had similar issue one tire wore quickly and the shop was able to correct the problem. I can't tell you why they misaligned but tire wear is normal now after several years. We just completed a 2,000 mile trip and my right rear has a slight additional wear now.
John

[richard5933]

Have you checked to see if your axles are mounted square to the trailer and parallel to each other? You can check this with a plumb bob and a measuring tape. The adjustment for this is relatively simple, and if out can cause odd tire wear.

I measured mine from the front center of the coupler to the center of each hub, as well as from one hub to the next on each side.

[pcskier]

OP was asking four years ago :-)