I just got back from ~1,500 mile trip to SW Texas. Upon returning home, I noticed I had uneven tirewear on both sides (driver side wearing on inside, passenger side wearing on outside). I swapped the hub, brakes, and bearings/races before the trip and wheel play checked out. I also checked axle alignment and both sides measured within about a 1/16” of each other.
Any ideas what could be causing the wear? The trailer is a 2005 and appears to have the original axle. Could a worn axle suspension be causing the wear? Any way to check for that? What else should I check out?
-Chase
Etrailer: https://www.etrailer.com/question-208270.html
Check if drivers side is overloading which as it says above is a major cause of inside tire wear. My 13 always sat heavier on the DS, so I would fill the water tank on the PS to help balance.
I’d have the tires balanced, just to eliminate it.
I’m sure you check the tire pressure before towing and should be 50psi.
After checking all of the above and keeping a further eye I’d have a trailer shop evaluate if it’s bent or bands are worn.
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Greg:
Are you sure about the 50#? Our 13' '73 SCAMP had a factory decal over the wheel well that read 30# (as I remember).
I have experimented with various pressures: 50# will give the trailer a pretty hard ride; less pressure a softer ride.
I also think the pressure needed may depend on the weight (which can vary quite a bit, depending on how the trailer is equipped and how much load (e.g., water and propane) is carried.
Wayne
Hey Wayne,
I don't know what Scamp used for tires in 73, perhaps a passenger car tire. Our 13s always had ST tires C range with 50 psi recommended. I’ve heard Scamp has currently gone to D range which is 65 psi, not sure if D on the 13 or not which would seem kinda overkill. You can run the ST’s a bit less psi on the 13’s, to soften the ride, but I’d personally keep the C range no less than 45 psi, and the D around 60. There are loading tables that give various scenarios, but they are manufacturer and product specific, so not too much help since there are so many different tires in use.
Whatever tire they’re currently using the max psi recommendations should be stamped on the tire sidewall. Maybe some of the folks that are picking up 13s this month can chime in on what tire Scamp is putting on.
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Our '06 Scamp 16 (no bath or holding tanks) came with C range tires @ 50 lbs pressure. That's what I always replaced them with but was never happy with their failure rate. Hoping for better performance, I replaced them two years ago with D range, which called for 65 lbs. pressure, and balanced them as usual. During the first trip, drawers and cabinets opened and totes tipped over. I lowered the pressure to ~45/50 and the problem was solved. Not sure yet if D range at lower pressure will perform any better than C. I understand that excess flexing causes heat/failure but I figure since the trailer hasn't gained weight, the previous pressure combined with the extra stiffness of the sidewalls should be fine. I could probably even put more weight in the trailer if I needed to and up the pressure slightly. We'll see. The tires are still good.
Lynn
I do not have a good number to use but we used to actually run tire pressures based on actual scaled load. Sometimes with larger width tires we would run 20 psi below the rated pressure on the side wall. and we would run at max and even 10% above stated when running extremely heavy to control squishing and squirming which as you mentioned creates heat and failure. Somewhere I have seen load and pressure charts. Seems you are on to something with slightly lower pressure based on weight.
2019 Scamp 13 standard