# 2 Bent Axles It Is!!



## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

I love it (and I hate it) when we're right!!!

Took Puff in to have the axles checked by the Dealer (the Tire Guy had already said "it looked okay" to him....but canted tires just aren't right...even I know that!!). Got the verdict this morning. 2 bent axles. So now I guess we move to Phase 2. _Camper's Inn_ is gonna research the heavier axles to see if they're available with 5 pins....and we will put the EZ Flex on....but first we need to find out if Keystone will cover the axles under warrant. We have been on 2 extended trips (5k & 3k miles) with VERY rough roads so they may argue that WE bent the axles on a journey (maybe we did







) ... we'll see what Keystone says but we have confidence in our Dealer. *IF* they can get Keystone to cover it, they will do everything they can!!! Even the Tech who checked it out said a TT that size should have heavier axles!!!

So ... new paws last summer (replaced rotted bias-plys with radials) ... new nose last fall/winter ... new legs this year.







Hey, it's only money.....right? (So far, it's been KEYSTONE'S money...this one may be on US) ....think we can file a claim against the Ontario, Canada Road Service????

I'll keep ya' posted


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

Sorry to hear about your plight. But this is better than finding out the "hard way" if a tire should wear prematurely and decide to blow out while in transit. A friend of mine had a blowout when returning from a camping trip just 50 miles away. He didn't know it until he got home and all that flying rubber caused about $1500 worth of damage inside and outside his trailer. (It moved the dinette off it's foundation when the plastic wheel well disintegrated. He found bits of the tire all over, INSIDE his trailer, not to mention all the damage done to trim pieces and other stuff.)

It just proves that a thorough inspection of your trailer, from top to bottom, should be done regularly. And kudos to you for keeping a close eye on the "paws." Keeping good tires under your trailer is an important safety aspect, as well as helping to avoid other costly repairs that are the fallout from bad tires. In this case, the tires pointed to a larger problem - and you didn't take someone's word for it that everything "looked OK." You knew better and sought more opinions. It will save you money and trouble, in the long run.

Cheers,

Mike


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## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

wolfwood said:


> but first we need to find out if Keystone will cover the axles under warrant. We have been on 2 extended trips (5k & 3k miles) with VERY rough roads so they may argue that WE bent the axles on a journey (maybe we did
> 
> 
> 
> ...


A great (ex)lawyer







once said "They don't know what you don't tell them", and "Youre under no legal obligation to tell them anything"...

SO - i would probably NOT mention anything about the rough roads, etc etc ... but even if you do -- the axles does NOT have a disclaimer on them and SHOULD have held up under even the most adverse road conditions.

The less YOU say, the less THEY can say!!!!


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Sorry to hear about that Wofie. Look on the bright side though, the two of you are running out of things to break!


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Good luck with the repair! new stuff is nice.....even if it is an axle upgrade! 
The good thing is, you wont be needing to upgrade the whole trailer for a while, piece by piece it gets upgraded.

hats off to you for noticing something was not right.


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

Sorry to hear about your problem(s), especially about the axles.

BUT, don't get all bent out of shape about it. Things will straighten out for you.







(Sorry, just couldn't resist)

Good luck in getting it fixed up just right for y'all.

Mark


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

I also want to 2nd Ghosty's comments on the use of the trailer. You've hauled a ways, but I expect any trailer to hold up for extended vacations every year for 10 years (Not that I'd ever own one that long...







).

They are called Travel Trailers and are meant to travel! Ok, good luck with the repair.


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

They should hold to doing the speed limit on paved roads. period. Unless you went off road and were abusive, no excuse.....,...BTW, Edit out of post abusive roads


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

I was going to add that..........that Tundra pulls to good and they end up going to fast .............

Seriously i hope it all works out well......the equaflex is a future mod for me


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Thanks for the moral support, all. We agree - it's a TT and should hold up to real travelling as long as we don't off-road with it...which we certainly haven't done.

We'll see where this adventure takes us...and, Ghosty....I'm familiar with that advice...and put it to really good use for 10yrs as a Contract Negotiator....not ALL of my braincells are dead


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## BlueWedge (Sep 11, 2005)

Really sorry to hear you are having this problem. Which way were the axles bent ? Front to back ? Bent in relation to the frame ? I assume this wasn't the normal camber built into the axles. I hope everything works out with keystone.

I think you will like the ex-flex setup. It see they are on a sale right now.


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## nynethead (Sep 23, 2005)

If they do not cover it it might be time for a trade. The hershey show is in 2 weeks, but you could get a deal...


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

You don't need bent axles to trade.


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## ORvagabond (Apr 17, 2009)

I wrote a letter of dissatisfaction to Keystone over having what I felt was inadequate tires for the weight of the trailer as I also have a 28KRS. Their response on 8/17/2009 was "we were within specs as long as the unit was not overloadedd....GVWR is 7655 minus the hitch 655 equals 7000 lbs and the [C rated] maximum tire load is 7040". This translates in my thinking to a margin of safety of only 40 lbs. I have been reluctant to look at the axles but plan to after this weekend as I believe they only have the 3500 lb axles on them.

Sorry to hear of your experience as that also means we will be there at some point.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

AKvagabond...ours are 3500 lb ALCO axles which, like the tires, seems to leave only a very small margin (we've been told - here - that there's a built-in 50lb margin for 'bounce"). We did upgrade the tires to Radials and, now, it seems we will do likewise with the axles. I would caution you, tho', that just because this has happened with Puff, it is not a foregone conclusion that you will have the same experience. Keep an eye out [but don't let the idea take over].

--------------------------------

As for trading ... we're not interested in a different or new TT. Just one (a 28krs - - - THIS 28krs) with all the right parts in the right places doin' what they're 'sposed ta do. This TT is perfect for us...um...that's why we bought it in the first place







And, IF we were to ever even look...we would be looking to buy from *our* Dealer who has been and continues to be OUTSTANDING!! No chance that we'd even consider rewarding their past (and current) loyalty and commitment to us by going elsewhere. Every time we've had any kind of issue, or even just a question - small or big - we've left the lot saying "Yet another reason to buy locally." We are Camper's Inn devotees.

Nah. _IF_ Keystone won't cover it (which remains to be known), then it'll be time to talk to our insurance co.


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## Northern Wind (Nov 21, 2006)

That sucks girls! If you need any input, I would not have considered you rig overloaded! Now ours was pushing it for sure! The axles do look undersized to me but I'm not an expert by any means.
Good luck with Keystone, who knows maybe they will step up to the plate, and if not I'm sure we could find some people to start e-mailing them!
That's maybe one thing that this site could do is raise a little hell with the manufacturers when needed, as they always say the squeaky wheel gets the grease!
(No pun intended)


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

For those who may be interested, this matter has gotten a bit complicated so I have opened a BLOG ENTRY to keep you all updated. I will keep the Blog updated as we go!!!


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## cookie9933 (Feb 26, 2005)

AKvagabond said:


> I wrote a letter of dissatisfaction to Keystone over having what I felt was inadequate tires for the weight of the trailer as I also have a 28KRS. Their response on 8/17/2009 was "we were within specs as long as the unit was not overloadedd....GVWR is 7655 minus the hitch 655 equals 7000 lbs and the [C rated] maximum tire load is 7040". This translates in my thinking to a margin of safety of only 40 lbs.


I have been saying this for years on this forum, that the running gear (tires especially) are not adequate for the heavier Outbacks. That explains the not uncommon failures on the 27 and 28 foot models.

Having a slim margin doesn't consider that it's practically impossible to get the trailer's weight carried equally by the four wheels. What if the right side is carrying 200-300 pounds more than the left side? Or if the back axle has 400 more pounds than the front? The trailer isn't overweight, but one or more wheels/tires may be overloaded. A possible result? A blowout, or broken spring, etc. That's why we put 15" tires/wheels on our 27RSDS soon after we bought it.

Bill


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## Just Add Dirt (May 5, 2009)

All this is very interesting to me as I have a 28KRS as well, I have had to upgrade inferior tires as well, AKvagabond, and had to do the Axle flip too. Now I am concerned about the ability of these axles to handle the capacity of my TT as well. The Tech @ Charlies RV in Randlestown MD, whom did my axle flip, Told me there was about 500lbs of extra capacity to the Alco 3500lb axles...I wonder how accurate that is. I don't overload my 28krs but I do run it at capacity. Then there is the discussion of dynamic load...yeah 7600lbs sitting in your driveway; but what's the actual load when you hit a major Pothole on the Interstate doing 74MPH? there's a few of them on our ancient infrastructure.

Sorry your having this trouble Wolfie, I am like you; I have gotten my OB just so and don't wanna trade her either. But if I do, based on Keystone's indifference to customer loyalty, I will probably look to other manufactures; I called them about my tires too AKvagabond, and got the "outta warranty, tire manufactures problem, first we've heard of this problem, can't help you mister cause our tires are just within rating" speech too.

KEYSTONE if you read these boards, you should be ashamed, you put peoples lives in jeapordy;

YOU NEED TO ISSUE A RECALL

Eric


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## NAturedog2 (Jan 29, 2007)

I had the same issue except mine was just out of manufacture warr. and only one was bent.. I had the local trailer shop order me a set of new axles with he five lugs but they had a bigger size tube. they said they don't stamp them as handling more weight but they are the same tubs as the 5000lb axles. just the spindles are the same as the 3500lb axles. I also put heavier springs as I was told that would help them from bending again. One of my springs was flat anyways.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Just for the record .... all new Outbacks are now manufactured with the heavier axles, bigger tires, and RADIAL tires. As for a "recall" of the older ones or Keystone having done anything less than "industry standard" or less than legit ... that's just not the case. The axles they put on were within the requirement. Kinda like "They were legal" .... it's not their responsibility to change the "law".

As for Keystone's (or any manufacturer's) response to "Out of Warranty": Manufacturers give warranties and ALL warranties on EVERYTHING have limits ... including _time_ limits. When you hit the time limit - the Warranty is done. It's really that simple. Most items will, eventually, have an issue that needs repair or replacement. If Keystone (or any other manufacturer of anything) were to fix everything, at their expense, after warranties have expired ... well ... then .... all those manufacturers would close their doors. Come on, people. Insurance is limited. Warranties are limited. We have a choice to upgrade anything we own .... or to keep it "as is"... anytime ... in or out of warranty. We also have a responsibility to educate ourselves about those things we own and know what warranties we have (or don't). We also have a responsibility to know how those things work, including their limitations ... or accept the consequences of relying on someone else for relevant information ... whether that's our cars, lawnmowers, house furnace, boats, computers, kids' toys, etc. Our campers are no different.









OK. Back to your regularly scheduled playtime!


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## NAturedog2 (Jan 29, 2007)

wolfwood said:


> Just for the record .... all new Outbacks are now manufactured with the heavier axles, bigger tires, and RADIAL tires. As for a "recall" of the older ones or Keystone having done anything less than "industry standard" or less than legit ... that's just not the case. The axles they put on were within the requirement. Kinda like "They were legal" .... it's not their responsibility to change the "law".
> 
> As for Keystone's (or any manufacturer's) response to "Out of Warranty": Manufacturers give warranties and ALL warranties on EVERYTHING have limits ... including _time_ limits. When you hit the time limit - the Warranty is done. It's really that simple. Most items will, eventually, have an issue that needs repair or replacement. If Keystone (or any other manufacturer of anything) were to fix everything, at their expense, after warranties have expired ... well ... then .... all those manufacturers would close their doors. Come on, people. Insurance is limited. Warranties are limited. We have a choice to upgrade anything we own .... or to keep it "as is"... anytime ... in or out of warranty. We also have a responsibility to educate ourselves about those things we own and know what warranties we have (or don't). We also have a responsibility to know how those things work, including their limitations ... or accept the consequences of relying on someone else for relevant information ... whether that's our cars, lawnmowers, house furnace, boats, computers, kids' toys, etc. Our campers are no different.
> 
> ...


I agree with what you said above... But my issue is that the axles were so close to the weight rating, you expect that under normal conditions all things will eventually fail but not during the first few years of normal use.

Glad they decided to upgrade on the newer units. I Didn't really even thing of checking on tires specs, and axles specs. on a new unit till I had so many issues, tires needing replaces during the first year and new axles.

Russ


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Yeah, I agree with you, Russ .... but reality stinks!


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