It all started with this link here last year: Axle question.... - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums (ford-trucks.com)

Finally, the place I purchased it brand new off the lot was able to take it in to see what was up.
I was having the roof and other maintenance attended to at this time as well.
It's this trailer here: 2019 Keystone Bullet 265RBIWE specs and literature guide (rvusa.com)

So I just heard back from them today they axles, springs, etc, are wasted, and some damage in the wheel well (?) not sure if I heard him right on that.
That it all needs to be replaced.
What might cause such a thing, anybody have a guess?
I am a granny pulling, slow and steady, highways, not boondocking or off road, etc.
Never hit a darn thing, and it's not even close to be overloaded.

Waiting next week to see what's covered, etc. under warranty.
My wife swears we purchased the extended coverage when we bought it, I am pretty certain we did as well, just need to find the paperwork
However, I am a little spooked at this point, even if its all put back together under warranty, as to why it failed, on easy towing of maybe 5K miles since new, prolly more like 3.5K.
I'd hate to do this all over again, arg.

This was the attached photo last year after I got to our camping spot after being flagged down by someone who was behind us and concerned with what my tires were doing on curves, etc...

 

Something doesn't add up.

Axles maybe. Could be bent or defective or something.

Springs? All bad? I don't believe this. Every other thing on the entire trailer would likely rot into oblivion before future archaeologists find the springs sitting there by themselves, arranged where they were a million years prior when there were axles and a trailer attached.

"etc." . . . ? I assume this includes tires and spring shackles and brakes. Maybe.

All of this together in such a short life with gentle treatment? NOTHING is salvageable? I have a hard time believing this.

Personally I'd love to see more detail on this diagnosis, as in: What is wrong with this shackle? What is wrong with that wheel? What is wrong with that spring? Etc.

 

Sadly, RV builders often put axels that meet the bare minimum. If you have them loaded close to their weights, they fail. I see it often on a RV Forum I frequent. Hopefully they throw new axles on it and fixes the problem. If you have the option, and you plan to keep this, ask if you can personally pay to upgrade the axles to the next higher load range, it will be money well spent. Good luck, hope everything is covered under warranty and you get it repaired promptly.

 

Yes, I just had a quick phone call thus far, nothing detailed.
There is more to the story, we called them the day of the above picture, got a very late service date because of the backlog caused by COVID, then that date was changed, etc...pushed back a few times, etc.
My wife posted something on the INTERNET somewhere about our problems.
Within minutes she received a response from someone who was associated with where we purchased the trailer, and gave her a "her" contact info and said she was going to see we got it fixed.
Once she got involved, we started to get some attention, like instant calls back, etc.
I feel right now I am being taken care of, the person now in charge seems to really be trying, sincere.
His response yesterday might have been just exaggeration's, trying to show like "Yeah, you are right, its messed up" because of how I kept telling them other folks unknown to me would take the time to get my attention while pulling it to say something is wrong with it...
I dunno, but I can see how that might be it?
Anyway, this guy is gone til late next week, I won't have more until after that.
I don't want to hang a guy on my testimony just yet.
I am just asking you folks who know to help educate me, this is my first trailer, and we do love it, the sides on either side really give us lots of room inside, so we want to keep this trailer, that we know for certain.
If it turns out as I said above, I will go look at it when he returns to get a exact report and see for myself.
One other note, since the rear tires had some wear, and I read lots of info on the stock tires, I bought all new tires that I upgraded, told the tire shop to check the bearings, etc, they said everything was fine. The only milage after that was home, about 5 miles, then back to the dealers, where again I was flagged down by a concerned motorist.

Thanks, I will keep you advised and updated.

If I can upgrade, for sure that is the way I'll go, thanks!

 

Yes, look at this number....spec. Dry Weight

5,803 lbs.

Payload Capacity

1,797 lbs.

GVWR

7,600 lbs.

Hitch Weight

600 lbs.

That is pretty darn close to 3500 pound axles.
The 7600 GVWR is over the axle ratings, but they minus the 600 pounds for the hitch, but if you are traveling a bumpy interstate, that hitch weight can change as you bump up and down, exerting more weight on the rear axle as the truck bumper bounces up????
A constant force on the rear axle? Something has to give, yes?

Here is my thinking, I am sure as light as we pack, that payload quickly adds up, and I have had to pull to a dump station with full tanks, that is a extra 630 pounds right there.

 

I'm not a fan of Lippert. My Dexter axles have been tortured on some very rough terrain and say, "Can I have some more?"

Both of those axles look suspect. They either look flat (rear one) or have a slight smile (front) and they should have a frown instead. Maybe they're under rated for the load?

 

Yeah, I agree with you in my limited knowledge of these things.
I just don't feel comfortable in the specs listed for this trailer.
It has a ton of storage but if the payload is so close already, and you factor in terrain will always be more strain, not less, I am really feeling I don't want an exchange of like for like on what has already proven itself suspect.
That would do nothing but detract my enjoyment of trailering, not what I am after, seek in this adventure.
In reading and searching the INTERNET, I see I have lots of company, arg.
Live and learn.

I will see what they advise and offer, as remedy. If it's not satisfactory I will just go get my trailer and take it elsewhere and use the INTERNET to share my story and warning to others about this event.
Life is too short to allow the "bumps in the road" to detour your happiness through this journey of life

You guys are great, thank you for the support, it helps immensely

 

FWIW, it is common for the axles/springs to have a total rating under the GVWR of the trailer. The tongue is expected to carry some of the GVWR. I think that's a cop out on the part of the manufacturers, but almost all of them do it.

 

Yes, I agree, as I tried to explain if my hitch, which I bought, and they installed is correct, to their recommendations in level then when I hit a bump, my truck bed/hitch rises up, it forces the rear of the trailer down, that energy has to go somewhere, with the back axle being the great span from hitch ball to the most remote "support pillar" much like a bridge where the load is distributed equally, but the bounce up at the hitch lightens the hitch load from my axle on my truck, and shifts it to the rear axle on the trailer, as that real weight did not disappear into the air like tossing a ball up in your hand, temporarily, only to return back to your hand with a greater force now because of gravity. That would be a single pillar of support, not a bridge like my truck and trailer.

Does that make sense?

 

It's the weekend and I don't get paid to think so hard on the weekend.

Let's say you go over a speed bump and you're using a properly configured WDH. When the rear axle of the truck goes over the bump the weight on the rear axle of the truck should increase. because there is less downforce (on the front axle of the truck) created by the WDH. On the trailer, I'll agree that going over the same bump likely puts more weight on the trailer's rear axle, especially on a spread axle setup. That is mainly due to the higher angle of the trailer (tongue high). But because the tongue has gone up, the WDH is no longer shifting much weight to the trailer, so maybe it's a wash. But it depends on if the trailer was sitting nice and level to start with.

I don't have a spread axle trailer so I haven't been concerned with getting the trailer perfectly level. I tend to let the trailer be slightly nose down, but that doesn't work with your spread axle setup.

 

Yes, I am thinking the spread axle is part of the equation. I know for certain when going in turns, curves, is when I get the most attention paid back to me, and I know the design of the spread axle creates more sidewall or tire flex, it accentuates it. On the last episode where I was pulling it to the dealers, I pulled into a Home Dept, and I parked on a angle of about 20 degrees I am guessing from truck position to trailers, a inward bend on the drivers side. When we got out to look at the tires, the rear tire on the driver side was so toed out it looked spooky to us and we wondered if we should travel on. I touched the hub, no heat whatsoever, so I believed the bearings were good. We decided to forge ahead and once their parked in in straight alignment and saw to toe out at all, it looked good to my untrained eyes.
I think the trailer tracks perhaps better with spread axles, but not sure if it corners and turns better.

 

Even a non-spread axle trailer will do that. But I suspect that the effect is exacerbated on a spread axle trailer. I've tried to make it a practice to limit my turn angle on pavement to reduce the stress on the suspension and tires. At the storage lot, which is dirt, I don't have much choice and that's probably where my trailer gets the most stress on the suspension and tires.

 

Thanks, makes sense. The umbrella statements are concerning. I'm interested in the actual details when your guy gets back.

 

Are these numbers actual? Like you took it to a scale and weighed it? Manufacturer weights are often inaccurate, and "strangely" they are usually inaccurate in a way that works against the owners.

When you go over a bump, most of the vertical motion of the bump is absorbed by the suspension of the tow vehicle and the trailer. What's left adding and removing load from the hitch isn't much, maybe like 50 pounds if you're not crazy off-road driving it, and more if your suspension is firmer. As for weight transfer to the trailer axles due to the upward pitching of the trailer after the upward push of the ball, this is just a few pounds. Remember, the trailer is only pitching up for this like a degree or thereabouts and only for a fraction of a second before the trailer axles hit the same bump and counter-act that pitch event.

You're adding more weight to the trailer axles with air pushing the frontal area of the trailer while the tongue pulls from down low. This force will actually take a tiny bit of weight off of the ball.

 

Not sure if you're thinking of it this way or not: Remember all of the weight ratings more-or-less include the notion that the trailer and vehicle will go over reasonable bumps, lean in corners and crosswinds, and have weight added and removed while driving due to dynamic forces in general. If you are at exactly the GVWR and you go over a reasonable bump, you are not at GVWR+1 therefore overloaded for that fraction of a second. Well, technically you are, but that is already included in the engineering that generates the math that we all act on.