Uneven tire wear 2019 Micro Minnie 2108DS

[tinglett]

I thought I'd post this here as I suspect it's due to an issue with my dual torsion axles. I noticed some uneven tire wear on my rear curb side tire as can be seen in the first photo below. The other three photos are the other tires, the 2nd being the tire on the same side, and the 3rd and 4th being the other side. These tires are 4 years old and I do plan to replace next year, but I probably should figure out this issue first. They only have about 2800 miles on them.

I measured distances between the axles and the curb side does have the axles 1/4th inch closer together than the street side, 34 vs 34.25. I'll need to figure out how to adjust that, but am wondering if there may be other causes I should check. I always have a TPMS on the wheels and am not aware I've ever driven on them with overly low or high pressure.

I haven't attempted to measure the front axle to the tongue to see if it's square with the TT. That'll be a tricky measurement to make, but I'll attempt that. For the moment I'll assume that is correct and the rear axle might be slightly forward on the trouble curb side. Would this explain that wear?

[Bigbird65]

tinglett, it is very difficult for me to see the uneven wear in the photos. I realize that it would be lot of trouble but you might try rotating your tires every 1200 miles or so. RV tires usually need replacement due to years before wear. Good luck.

[Marine359]

Are you trying to illustrate wear on the outside shoulder of the tire? Wouldn’t that indicate either a camber problem or toe-in? Which are not easily adjusted as would be on a car. Can’t imagine that axle would be off measure. I wouldn’t trust myself to effect any change to the running gear, so I’d probably take this one to a professional shop. After they fix the problem, of course you could replace the worn tire with your spare until you shoe the horse.

[RocknRoll]

Did you mean 28,000 miles? Are they the stock China bombs? From what I can see, all of the tires seem to have abnormal wear and have hardened.
I did a quick AI on this and here was the response.

abnormal wear with a single tire on a tandem axle

It sounds like you are having some trouble with your trailer tires. I'm sorry to hear that. 😕

According to the web search results, abnormal wear with a single tire on a tandem axle could be caused by several factors, such as:

**Axle alignment**: If the axle is not aligned properly, it could cause uneven tire wear on one side or the other. You can check the axle alignment by measuring the distance between the center of each tire on both axles. They should be equal or within 1/8 inch of each other. If not, you may need to adjust the axle or take it to a professional².

**Suspension components**: If the suspension parts are damaged, worn, or loose, they could affect the tire performance and cause excessive wear. You should inspect the suspension on the affected side and look for any signs of damage, such as egg-shaped holes, bent or broken pieces, or cracks. You can compare the bad side with the good side to see if there are any differences¹².

**Wheel bearings**: If the wheel bearings are bad, damaged, or improperly installed, they could cause the hub to wobble or overheat, which could lead to tire wear. You can check the wheel bearings by removing the tire and wheel and seeing if there is any play in the hub. If you can move it more than a tiny fraction of an inch in any direction, that indicates a problem with the bearings or the spindle¹².

**Brake assembly**: If one brake assembly is locking up when stopping, it could cause the tire to drag and wear out faster. You can check the brake assembly by jacking up the trailer and spinning each wheel by hand. They should spin freely and stop smoothly when you apply the brakes. If one wheel is harder to spin or does not stop evenly, that indicates a problem with the brake assembly².

**Rim damage**: If the rim is damaged, warped, or cracked, it could cause a slow leak or uneven pressure on the tire, which could lead to wear. You can check the rim by looking for any visible damage or taking it to a tire shop for inspection².

**Overloading**: If you are exceeding the weight capacity of your trailer or your tires, you could cause them to wear out faster or fail prematurely. You should always follow the manufacturer's recommendations for loading and inflating your trailer and tires².

I hope this helps you identify and fix the problem with your trailer tire. Please let me know if you have any other questions or need more information. I'm always happy to help! 😊

Source: Conversation with Bing, 8/18/2023
(1) What Causes Abnormal Tire Wear on One Tire on a Tandem Axle Trailer .... https://www.etrailer.com/question-75480.html.
(2) Repeated Excessive Tire Wear and Failure On Just One Tire of Tandem .... https://www.etrailer.com/question-111669.html.
(3) Troubleshooting Uneven Tire Wear on Single Tire on Tandem Axle Pontoon .... https://www.etrailer.com/question-674900.html.

[tinglett]

Yeah, it's the outermost edge of the one tire that is worn way more than the rest of that same tire and all the other tires. I suspect it's the axle being 1/4" off on that side, though I was expecting a bigger offset.

And yeah, only 2.8k miles. We have been only doing short trips. Something odd is happening with that tire. I'll look to see if the axle can shift by 1/8-1/4" and put the spare on to see if it continues to wear down or not.

I'll certainly ask at the tire shop, but I know they'll be 200% focused on selling me the new tires. Which I'll buy, but I also don't want to trash them.

[Marine359]

One thing other than alignment you may want to check is condition of suspension on that side. Since its torsion bar, it may easy enough to measure deflection on one side versus the unaffected side to determine if it’s sagging on the worn side. Read in another forum, a TT owner solved by replacing suspension.

[DEWEY]

I'm also going to assume you meant 28,000 not 2800. Otherwise all your tires are showing questionable wear.

That said, other factors could be a bent spindle. 1/4" doesn't seem like much to me, but over 28k, could cause the wear you're seeing. We had a bent spindle and experienced the same wear pattern. Positive camber would result in outside wear, but almost all camber issues on TTs are negative and result in inside tread

Is your trailer level? Tandem torsion axles are sensitive to trailer attitude and having a tongue up attitude would result in more weight on the rear axle. Road crown would effect that RR tire more.