lower on one side?

[bradk]

This probably a loaded, yet simple question, but here goes.

I don't think it's me, but my 19' Bambi trailer appears to be lower on the non-door side (kitchen side). It's subtle but every time I look at it, it's sitting lower on that side. I see it on the hangar floor which is flat and level.

When I put my Equal-i-zer bars on, the non-door side requires more jack leg than the door side.

I've never bumped anything, never bounced the trailer off of anything, I noticed this after getting it home and putting it on a level floor. The tire pressures are equal, the lugs are tight as per torque specs.

My assumptions is:

1. The non-door side (curb side I think?), is heavier with the tanks, kitchen, bathroom, etc.

You can sort of see it in the attached photo. I'll take a better one this weekend if needed.

So, is this normal?

thanks,
brad.

***EDIT - after another couple of searches I've seen that this is relatively common. I would say my lean is about 1" or more.

[uwe]

I'd say as long as it does not ride strangely, it's ok. Looking at the floor plan, it does seem that the droopy side has more "stuff" than the high side.
Put more beer in the fridge......

[bradk]

Originally Posted by uwe

Put more beer in the fridge......

Lol...excellent low tech - high satisfaction fix. We'll try it this weekend.

b.

[Torii]

My 75 Tradewind sits low on one side. When towing I look in the rear view mirror and can see that one side is clearly a few inches lower than the other compared to the back of my truck. (can't remember which side is lower right now). It does not seem to effect the handling of the trailer which tows fine...

I am planning to replace my original axles very soon and am hoping that this will correct the problem. I've seen old spring suspensions develop similar problems and I suspect the rubber rods in my axles are probably just shot.

-T

[Zeppelinium]

your Bambi won't have the axle problem us vintage owners deal with. but if you want to know for sure if it's real or just some illusion, take a look at your torsion axle swing are positions. look across the belly from the opposite sides and estimate the angle of the arm. even if one is more compressed than the other, it's not necessarily a sign of a problem--you could be heavy on that side. On the other hand, it's not unheard of that the rubber rods in one side aren't identical to the other side, which means the spring rate is different and the deflection would be different for the same load.

If it concerns you and you have some friendly Highway Patrol officers nearby (or anyone with a single-wheel truck scale), you can check to see if the spring rates on both sides are the same. Put the scale under a tire and slowly lower the jack until you get some nominal deflection, say an 1-1/2", and see what the scale reads. Do the same on the other side and compare the force and deflection. You will be able to determine if the axle is built symmetrical.

[Action]

Being it is a 2006 unit and it's not loaded differently from side to side, wouldn't that be a warranty issue?

When you took delivery was it like that?

When it is unloaded with your personal stuff and has no water in it is it still unlevel?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Action

[uwe]

Originally Posted by Action

Being it is a 2006 unit and it's not loaded differently from side to side, wouldn't that be a warranty issue?

When you took delivery was it like that?

When it is unloaded with your personal stuff and has no water in it is it still unlevel?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Action

Looks to me it's got the galley, cabinetry and bath all on one side. The only thing heavy on the curb side is the fridge. That is unless they changed the floor plan on me..

[Action]

Originally Posted by uwe

The only thing heavy on the curb side is the fridge. That is unless they changed the floor plan on me..

More beer!

OR

If possible - Move batteries. Water/waste tanks.

Fill cabinets with helium.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Action

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by bradk

This probably a loaded, yet simple question, but here goes.

I don't think it's me, but my 19' Bambi trailer appears to be lower on the non-door side (kitchen side). It's subtle but every time I look at it, it's sitting lower on that side. I see it on the hangar floor which is flat and level.

When I put my Equal-i-zer bars on, the non-door side requires more jack leg than the door side.

I've never bumped anything, never bounced the trailer off of anything, I noticed this after getting it home and putting it on a level floor. The tire pressures are equal, the lugs are tight as per torque specs.

My assumptions is:

1. The non-door side (curb side I think?), is heavier with the tanks, kitchen, bathroom, etc.

You can sort of see it in the attached photo. I'll take a better one this weekend if needed.

So, is this normal?

thanks,
brad.

***EDIT - after another couple of searches I've seen that this is relatively common. I would say my lean is about 1" or more.

Brad.

Weigh each side of the trailer.

If the weights are reasonably close, then, and you don't want to hear this, but one side of the axle sytem has gone bad.

You can check the position of the torsion arms to see the difference from one side of the trailer to the other. There should be "zero" difference, "IF" the axle is OK.

Airstream "DOES NOT" design a floor plan that would cause the trailer to lean to one side.

While it should not happen, a rubber rod in the axle tube, can go bad, which will cause your exact problem.

A defective new rubber rod seldom happens, but it does happen.

Since your trailer is in warranty, you owe it to yourself to check the running gear out now.

Andy