Laser Alignment Check (Tire wear)

[OregonNT]

I own a 2011 Bighorn 3610re love the trailer and have had very few issues....recently found some tire wear on the inside of the drivers side front tire so I decided to have it checked by Camping world. They came back with these numbers : from King pin to left tire 228 1/4 inches, right tire 228 3/8 inches...space between axles was 30 5/8 on left and 30 on right? I have the Ez-flex from Dexter so after talking with Heartland service they suggested I talk with Dexter, after that call I'm still confused they would like to see the axles even to prevent wear. I'm out of warranty and Camping World wants me to spend around $1,800 bucks on new Equa-flex suspension plus correct track and never fail bushings? Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with this and if so are these numbers on the laser that bad or should I just keep rotating the tires until they go bad?

Take care,

JJ

 

[GOTTOYS]

$1800.00 is a crazy amount to spend for a wheel alignment. Bring it to a heavy duty truck and trailer alignment shop. They can check it and align it for about $150.00 or less. CW has the latest in gadgets for alignment. It probably works if they are doing it correctly..Can't see any reason why your Equa-flex Equalizers would cause a misalignment unless they are worn out. The total for the parts they want to hang on it is around $600.00 the rest is labor..pretty high if you ask me. In comparison for around $2500.00 you could get a complete new Mor-Ryde independent suspension installed including an alignment and have a far superior system with a five year warranty...The space between your axles can vary as the axles move. 1/8 of an inch off from the kingpin is a small amount but it can cause wear. Just bring it in and have it aligned somewhere other than an RV dealer and live happily ever after...Don

 

[TravelTiger]

Yes, seems awfully high to me, too.

This is my editorial here, but hasn't Lippert has had a recent history (3-4 years) of alignment issue claims, allegedly caused by poor steel, poor outsourcing, or poor QC... most of which have been discovered by the trailer owner, AFTER the one year warranty is up, in the form of irregularly worn tires, or worse?

Now Lippert has developed (in this case bought someone else's technology) a system to measure the alignment (offering this really cheap to lure you in), and then, lo-and-behold, to fix it, they want to charge you LOTS of money!!

Am I crazy???

Erika

 

[westxsrt10]

The measurements from the king pin appear perfict!, don't let CW take your money. The center to center axle measurement can very a few inches under differiant conditions. It could be a bad tire, I'd rotate the tires and watch for tread wear.

 

[TravelTiger]

Here's a link and another link to Lippert's sight with spec sheets to measure for axle and frame issues.

 

[aatauses]

I agree that CW pricing is too high. Since you are in OR I would go to Hendersons Line Up in Grants Pass. I have been more that satisfied with their work and have had others say the same--they will treat you very well.
al

 

[ziggy]

I have to second the vote for Hendersons. They have treated us well and have been honest and fair in their pricing.

Kristy

 

[OregonNT]

Thanks for all your replies, talked with Hendersons today and setup an appointment for August I will let you know what they find.....thanks again for all your help and ideas!

JJ

 

[Pecosbill]

Had the same problem with my 2011 Bighorn 3055. Wear on the inside of rear driver side. I had it aligned at a truck alignment shop for around $400.
Since my tires were needing replacing I put in new Maxxis at the same time. Will let you know if that was the right thing to do after my 5,000 mile trip coming up this late summer and fall.

 

[wdk450]

JJ:
I don't know what part of Oregon you are in, but down in Grants Pass is an RV alignment shop that has a great reputation throughout the entire West Coast - Henderson's Line Up. I would look them up on the internet, and contact them, if this works for you.

 

[TravelTiger]

Had inner tire wear last year, decided to upgrade all running gear from 6k Lippert to 7k Dexter, and then Maxxis tires. So far we have been approx 11k miles, and the wear looks good!

 

[DW_Gray]

When it comes to trailer axles I always recommend you take your trailer to a trailer spring and axle expert most commonly used by commercial truckers. Look for "Trailers-Repair & Service" in the Yellow Pages.) They are the best choice because that's about all they do. I'll don't ever want to go to Camping World for repairs again.

 

[Westwind]

I agree! Used Camping World in Seffner to do Warranty Work on our Hot Water heater and it was a disaster, yes the heater was repaired but it took 7 hours for a 1 hour at most job to repair the electric thermostat. We also had to move the trailer 4 times and empty the compartment and then move the stuff 2 times. Thankfully I had everything in plastic boxes, it made carrying the stuff easier. So disorganized, if I hadn't been on top of them every minute who knows when they would have finished it. I was the one calling Heartland for authorization to handle what they said was an electrical problem that in the end wasn't the problem and didn't exist.
Personally I think your better off going to a campground and see if they know of a repair service. I should have used the one that was in the campground all the time in Sarasota.
Fortunately Lazy Days campground which was around the corner had an opening for us.

 

[Nabo]

I know I'm jumping into the conversation a little late but here goes. I'm a big advocate for the Correct Track 2. We have had it installed on 2 of our coachs and would do it again. The local RV dealership who we bought the coachs from installed them and rechecks the alignment (by laser) at no charge once a year for us. It has made a huge difference in pulling in that the coach tracks straight and the tires are not slightly off, doing excessive wear. I do know that CW is now selling the Correct Track 2 and I haven't compared the pricing as yet but i'm also not planning on selling/trading my coach anytime soon.