Check Alignment on New Axles!

[Jim Foster]

First the bad news.

After about 3,500 miles on the new axles I installed on our '83 Excella, one of the nearly new tires was worn down to the wear bars, and another about half gone.
I took the trailer to Hewitt Alinement in Stockton, Ca, where the alinement was done on our '65 Caravel some years ago, to get it checked out. Hewitt has been there for many years, has "Pit" style alignment equipment and does multi-axle trailers as well as autos, big trucks, motorhomes, busses and most of the Street Rods in the Central Valley. Sure enough, both tow in and camber out of spec on both axles, all four wheels. One wheel, the one with the badly worn tire, was way out.

Now for the good news.

Since I was told when I purchased the axles that they were supposed to be already in alinement, I called Andy at Inland RV where I had purchased them. He talked with the owner at Hewitt, they both talked with the axle manufacturer. I just got my money back for the alinement from Andy, who was re-imbursed by the manufacturer.

Thank you to Hewitt Alinement for really knowing your stuff.

And a special thank you to Andy at Inland RV for following through and making things right.

Moral to the story....... Get your axles from someone who will stand behind them, and when you install new axles, no mater where they come from, you might want to have the alinement checked.

Our score now: Three new axles on two Airstreams, all three out of alinement. (The axle on the Caravel was from Hayes Axle in Ontario, CA, not Inland RV.)