We also installed the factory 3 1/2 inch lift kit from E-Trailer and unfortunately the axle had already started bend excessively on the slide out side before we bought the trailer used 4 years ago. Before the lift kit it was impossible to even get on a ferry here in BC without having the trailer hang up on the ramp! I had to carry a 6 inch drop hitch and change out from level just to park it up our drive way or get it on and off a ferry or into some camp sites it was that ridiculously low from the factory.
When we bought it we knew about the tear drop axle bend issues because we could have bought an RPod that need an axle change for far less money but side walls and windows were not in very good shape as the owners had not paid attention to the details and had given up trying to get the axle changed by Forest River Inc. When we bought our 1780 Winnie Drop we did get it fairly cheap and knowing about the lippert axle issues were prepared to replace the axle eventually. But the need to change came sooner than we had hoped. So last season there was nothing for it but to change the cross bar out to a more robust one in our situation. As you can see in the picture below the axle change became an absolutely necessary upgrade and it was rubbing on the slide out side even before the lift kit was applied. When we changed the axle out there was not even room to get a finger in between the side wall of the tire and the side wall of the trailer and it rubbed if twisted by torque on the side walls even with skinny 205 8 ply st tires of the same width as the cheap load range C trailer king branded ones from the factory.
Now we have the clearance to put on even wider profile tires than the stock 205s that came with the trailer. We did not put on 6 bolt 12 inch drums as some have done in the same situation however. But at least we now have the option to change to even higher 225 wide 8 ply st tires if we choose to do so. The trailer came with 205 14" load range c which as it turns out are not rated to take the full gross weight rating. So for safety reasons we put on 205 14" load range D tires which did not cause issues as they rubbed on the side walls going around corners until the axle bent slightly more a year and a half later.
Changing out the axle does not change the ratings on the trailer because that rating is based upon the hitch rating and the certification so changing to a heavier cross bar does not increase the way we load the trailer or expect to drive it down the road.
If we had left the load range C stock tires on or changed to new ones the lower side wall rating might very well have caused the tires to fail going down the road. Putting the lift on helped for a while but only one and a half seasons until the axle bend became too serious and caused the tire on the slide out side to rub going around corners or especially over driver side slanted spots on roads to camp sites.
If you start to have less than a full one inch clearance between the side wall of the tire and the fiberglass wall of the trailer I strongly suggest that you check the axle for bend and negative camber especially on the slide out side. If side wall rubbing happens at all then change the axle to achieve better clearance and load safety margins.
This problem is a serious oversight and needs to be inspected regularly as the axle ages even under normal usage. The lippert 3500lb diamond shaped torsion axle with over 11 inches of space from the axle connection to the center of the tire is not adequate for the application over time and will bend far too easily. However changing it out is well worth expense plus the change out is a correction of what can become a very serious safety issue with tear drop trailers that are gross rated at over the axle rating.
Forest River's Rpods of the same design and axle rating spec were just as bad and have caused exactly the same issues as did other brands of the same weight with only a 3500 lb single axle this issue is industry wide. It is not caused by people "overloading" their units it is caused by having an inadequate safety margin on a cross member load that overhangs the trailer frame connection. The 11 plus inch distance between the center of the tire and the frame connection overloads the cross bar beyond the rating and over time causes the cross bar to bend especially on the kitchen and appliance side which is over 200 lbs heavier than the passenger side of the trailer. It is a design fault that is easily corrected on these trailers. Some Rpod owners have had their axle replaced several times before they realized that it is necessary to use a higher rated cross bar with that much overhang past the trailer frame to the tire.
I am tempted to buy another 1780 or similar RPod, fix the axle problem and flip it for big bucks because that is what the dealerships do when someone asks them about why their axle bent and decides that the small amount that the dealer offers them on a trade in is a good deal! The difference is they just order up another cheap 3500 lb axle and put it on to hide the fault from the new owners if the old owner does not have kittens and put in a written complaint with transport Canada(here in Canada that is)
As it is we could easily sell ours right now for more than we have spent on the trailer and be selling a safer trailer than when it came off the dealer lot in Oregon in 2017!
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