Wheels "tilting" going up an incline into diesel station

[jcschultz01]

This is somewhat belated but during a recent trip from MN to Nova Scotia and back, on Sep 1, we were driving on the Ohio Turnpike and pulled into a station for diesel. The station entrance had what I though of as a small incline coming off the freeway and I did not think anything of it - just drove up though I was not square to the driveway. It was not so steep that either the 5th wheel (2018 Solitude 310GK) or the truck (2018 Ram 3500) scraped that I heard.

While I was filling up some lady came over and told me my back passenger side trailer tire had bent over coming up the incline. With her hands she indicated 20 degrees or more.

I was concerned and when we had filled up, I pulled the rig out of the way and jacked up the wheels on both sides. There was no play that I could detect and the brakes seemed to work OK. Al the lug nuts were in place and tight.

So my questions are:
a) Has something like this happened to anyone else, and
b) Did she actually see my wheel "tilted over" or was it an illusion from her perspective (car behind me as I pulled in), or
c) Was she just being obnoxious and lying about it to ??? (delay, make me call service,...)

Puzzled.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Ah, time for the rather trite: They all do that. Yes the wheels will tilt when doing what you did, or even when you make a fairly sharp turn on level ground. It's the nature of the beast. It is one of the reasons you should always try to straighten out your trailer after making a sharp-ish turn: to let those wheels straighten back up.

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Yup...what Howard said

 

[jcschultz01]

Thanks - didn't know that.

 

[Rabbit]

Thanks - didn't know that.

Trailer tires will flex a great deal on turns giving the illusion the whole wheel has tilted. It’s because the tread can’t track squarely beneath the wheel. It’s the geometry of dual axles since the center of rotation for the trailer is between the axles, not directly under any of the tires. This is why tight turns put a lot of sideways pressure on spring mounts, often causing them to break loose.

 

[ajg617]

Interesting video which shows what happens in a tighter turn.

 

[18CrewDually]

Typical of a hard turn. This is close to what she had probably seen. If you're still concerned just watch for uneven tire wear (which you should always do anyways). Pulling ahead straight, the tandems will normally realign and square up. There's alot of torsional load on turns.

Photo courtesy of a Google search found on reddit.

 

[Grandesigner]

I try not to make sharp turns on pavement for this reason. The less stress the better...

 

[Wichita Dave]

Many people install Moryde XFactor cross bracing to help alleviate the stress on the suspension hangers and frame.

X-Factor Crossmember

Add lateral support to the suspension on your 5th wheel or travel trailer with this high-performance crossmember. It reduces stress on your frame from travel over rough roads, tight cornering or extreme side forces. FEATURES: Stress reduction up to 94% at each location High-strength, low alloy...

shopmorryde.com

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Many people install Moryde XFactor cross bracing to help alleviate the stress on the suspension hangers and frame.

X-Factor Crossmember

Add lateral support to the suspension on your 5th wheel or travel trailer with this high-performance crossmember. It reduces stress on your frame from travel over rough roads, tight cornering or extreme side forces. FEATURES: Stress reduction up to 94% at each location High-strength, low alloy...

shopmorryde.com

Well, perhaps it will lessen the stress on the hanger, but not so sure about the frame. If the hanger doesn't flex, something else will.

 

[lorend]

The first time you make a ninety degree turn with a three axle trailer it will scare the heck out of you if you watch the tires. It looks like the tire will come off the rim. Ninety degree turns are hard on the tread also.

 

[SGT ROC]

Spread axles are even worse. We had a Keystone Bullet before our current rig. First time my wife saw it she thought that the trailer was broke.

 

[440scout]

Those X-factors take a lot of the stress away from the spring hangers. They actually transfer some of it to the opposite side hanger. The manufacturer claims they can relieve frame twist, too. When spring hangers bend or break off, most of the time it happens to the rear hangers.

 

[jjbbrewer]

If the hanger doesn't flex, something else will.

Yeah, like the cheapo leaf springs .. except they don't flex.

I really try not to make sharp turns on hard surfaces. Pea gravel or soft dirt is much better.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Yeah, like the cheapo leaf springs .. except they don't flex.
View attachment 494253
I really try not to make sharp turns on hard surfaces. Pea gravel or soft dirt is much better.

Man, I hate seeing those solid equalizers. Almost anything is better than those things. I find it hard to believe that any company even uses those anymore. IMO a cushioned equalizer is one of the best "bang-for-the-buck" additions you can make.

 

[jjbbrewer]

Man, I hate seeing those solid equalizers.

Yeah, well that photo was my 2006 KZ Sportsmen Sportster 33P. It was a perfect 2 person roadrace toy hauler, but I don't think there were very many suspension options then.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Yeah, well that photo was my 2006 KZ Sportsmen Sportster 33P. It was a perfect 2 person roadrace toy hauler, but I don't think there were very many suspension options then.

Gotcha, I was having a hard time believing those came on a 2021 349M.

 

[jjbbrewer]

Gotcha, I was having a hard time believing those came on a 2021 349M.

My 349M has the CRE3000 equalizers as OEM. I've already had to replace one as the weld cracked on the casing part. When I changed it out, I noticed that the rubber had been beat to sh1t. I'll see about changing that next time I'm home ..

Other than thicker shackles & allowing more rebound travel, I really don't know how much good they do.

This might get some people upset, but what I did with my KZ was have my friend drive it down the highway while I rode in the trailer. As I was in there, I could get a really good understanding how much or little tie down was needed for the bikes and how much shock was transmitted through the suspension to the interior components (furniture, cabinets, appliances, etc.) It was quite enlightening.

I rode in the trailer for a few hours - took a shower, made lunch (with generator/microwave), sacked out for a while. It was actually kind of relaxing.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

My 349M has the CRE3000 equalizers as OEM. I've already had to replace one as the weld cracked on the casing part. When I changed it out, I noticed that the rubber had been beat to sh1t. I'll see about changing that next time I'm home ..

Other than thicker shackles & allowing more rebound travel, I really don't know how much good they do.

This might get some people upset, but what I did with my KZ was have my friend drive it down the highway while I rode in the trailer. As I was in there, I could get a really good understanding how much or little tie down was needed for the bikes and how much shock was transmitted through the suspension to the interior components (furniture, cabinets, appliances, etc.) It was quite enlightening.

I rode in the trailer for a few hours - took a shower, made lunch (with generator/microwave), sacked out for a while. It was actually kind of relaxing.

Well, I can't say how well all the different brand of equalizers work, but I do know that the difference was night and day after I installed the Dexter EZ-Flex on our previous trailer to replace the solid equalizers. And I did install them on our present trailer to replace the EquaFlex equalizers which were failing. They make a huge difference when hitting bridge approaches, and frost heaves. Basically no feedback gets to the tow vehicle from the trailer.

I'm not sure why what you did would get people upset, Peggy rode in our previous trailer several times. Not something I'd want to do, but YMMV.