All 4 tires rubbing under trailer

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Albertafam

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Apr 14, 2016
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Hi all! It sounds like a not uneard-of problem, so I thought I would ask for your thoughts.

Brought a used 2007 Keystone Springdale 267 bhs home a couple days ago. I went through it with a fine-toothed comb (as much as i can, being completely new to this). It doesn't seems like it has ever been used much. At all. But the front drivers side tire has rubbed the canvas, ripped through to the wood. The rear tire is rubbing too, not through the canvas yet.

And on the passenger side the top of the tires has rubbed the metal. The rear pass tire has the least clearance of all 4 tires - I would guess it's an inch, maybe 2 at most? Surely that's inadequate for a 6 or 7 thousand lb trailer? I guess the rubbing tells me it is.

There's also a bit of scraping on the sidewall of the drivers side tires from the fender. Or possibly the metal siding it's attached to - the distance there is surprisingly small too. I'll take a photo that shows what I mean. I'm assuming that'll be fixed when the vertical clearance is raised anyway, but this isn't an issue on the other side of the trailer where the fender seems to be placed differently. So I'm just wondering if that's normal?

Regarding the overall vertical clearance, it sounds like potential solutions are to get the axles flipped or get higher weight-rated springs. 

One post I saw where the owner went to the dealer while under warranty, and there was communication between Keystone or the dealer and the chassis company, or something - manufacturers of different components, anyway. So I wonder is it prudent to go to a Keystone dealer in particular?  Or should I just price out the cheapest place to flip the axles?

Please let me know if I've not explained clearly. I don't know much about this stuff, just what I've learned recently from incessant research & forum reading. :)

I asked knowledgeable trailering friends, but these forums sometimes have an extraordinary breadth of experience and depth of knowledge so any help from you folks would be much appreciated!
 

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Also, I don't believe this is an issue of loading, at least not current loading, as there is nothing in the trailer that didn't come from factory. Unless it's been extensively modified (and it looks identical to stock photos and other photos I've seen so I don't believe it has), it should be right around its shipping weight, which is about 6000 lbs.  The GVWR is 7600ish, but I won't even think about putting anything in it until I can be confident that we're not going to have a blowout. That would be a really cruddy way to start our Travel Trailer Adventures...
 
If the tires are rubbing now and it's not loaded, Imagine what will happen when you load it down... OUCH!!!

Two possible issues.

1: Someone put the wrong wheels on the trialer, IE: 16" when the specs call for 14"

2: Springs are broken or shot or somehting is wrong with the way they were mounted.

In some cases you can "Flip" the shackels or "Flip" the axle to the underside of the springs (if the springs run under the axle) and gain some clearance and trailer hitch height ... Other cases you can not..

Alas, YOu need to get that fixed BEFORE you start loading her up.. It is a SERIOUS problem.

In fact, depending on the laws in the state you purchased in, The dealer may have an obligation to fix it (Vehicles sold must be road-worthy, this one is not).
 
A few basic things first.
Is the tire size the same as what is on the sticker?
Are the wheels correct, as in zero offset trailer wheels?
Are the springs flat, having lost their arc?
Is the trailer level when being towed?
 
Sounds like you're in the same boat that I am.  The springs on my toy hauler have lost some of their arc over the years.  I plan on putting in new springs before any major travels.  A good spring and suspension or trailer shop should have you a set of springs in no time.  Installation isn't difficult either unless everything has rusted together.
 
Thanks for the reply! 
I think I was writing about the loading at the same time as you were writing. No, I definitely won't put a thing in it till this is handled.

It was a private sale and it was 'as is'; so we expected some potentially expensive work. It won't be going on any camping trips til we know it's fixed, but I'll check my local laws to make sure I'm road worthy enough even to get it to wherever it's going to be fixed. :)

 
John From Detroit said:
If the tires are rubbing now and it's not loaded, Imagine what will happen when you load it down... OUCH!!!

Two possible issues.

1: Someone put the wrong wheels on the trialer, IE: 16" when the specs call for 14"

2: Springs are broken or shot or somehting is wrong with the way they were mounted.

In some cases you can "Flip" the shackels or "Flip" the axle to the underside of the springs (if the springs run under the axle) and gain some clearance and trailer hitch height ... Other cases you can not..

Alas, YOu need to get that fixed BEFORE you start loading her up.. It is a SERIOUS problem.

In fact, depending on the laws in the state you purchased in, The dealer may have an obligation to fix it (Vehicles sold must be road-worthy, this one is not).
 
I'm out here looking at it now. Sticker says 205/75D15C, tires say
ST205/75 R15
LOAD RANGE C
FOR TRAILER SERVICE ONLY

Now that I'm looking at this I wonder if they're too old too
lynnmor said:
A few basic things first.
Is the tire size the same as what is on the sticker?
Are the wheels correct, as in zero offset trailer wheels?
Are the springs flat, having lost their arc?
Is the trailer level when being towed?
 
You could do a "Spring over" (Spring on top of axle ) but be aware this will raise the center of gravity for the trailer and cause it to be more top heavy (IE potential for flipping in hard cornering/high winds) also it will raise the step up height to get in/out and require you to carry more blocks to put under your stab jacks. I personally think they look cool higher and work better to get into /out of non-paved locations. (good with bad).

Assuming nothing is in the way and the current ground clearance works for you, you could build custom fenders to give you the clearance.

By far the simplest solution is to go back to stock - but if that's 1000$ in tires/rims/ springs - a sawz-all is 100$ + Lumber/sheetmetal and some Rihno liner in a can.

In the library is an article on tire dating - mine were 13yo originals!
 
I don't know how to tell whether they're zero offset. Or if the springs have lost their arc. I will google and/or take pictures and i will be back. Thank you!

quote author=lynnmorlink=topic=93576.msg845211#msg845211 date=1461101136]
A few basic things first.
Is the tire size the same as what is on the sticker?
Are the wheels correct, as in zero offset trailer wheels?
Are the springs flat, having lost their arc?
Is the trailer level when being towed?
[/quote]
 
Back to stock,  does that mean something in my setup isn't how it came from the factory?

I kind of wonder if the fender distance could be fixed by just repositioning it back an inch on the drivers side. Doesn't look that close on the pass side, and you can see a difference in where it's placed on the siding. But that still doesn't help the risk of a blowout from the vertical clearance and rubbing...

Nomadb1 said:
You could do a "Spring over" (Spring on top of axle ) but be aware this will raise the center of gravity for the trailer and cause it to be more top heavy (IE potential for flipping in hard cornering/high winds) also it will raise the step up height to get in/out and require you to carry more blocks to put under your stab jacks. I personally think they look cool higher and work better to get into /out of non-paved locations. (good with bad).

Assuming nothing is in the way and the current ground clearance works for you, you could build custom fenders to give you the clearance.

By far the simplest solution is to go back to stock - but if that's 1000$ in tires/rims/ springs - a sawz-all is 100$ + Lumber/sheetmetal and some Rihno liner in a can.

In the library is an article on tire dating - mine were 13yo originals!
 
Ok, I don't know what's wrong with me - I went back out and I don't know what I thought I saw before but the sidewalls look fine :S There's a bit of marking but nothing significant.

Attached a pic of that situation. It's not just the fender that is close to the tire - it's the siding of the trailer that's about an inch away. In the pic you can see the edge of the fender above the edge of the siding. Both edges are close to the tire. It'll be improved by whatever we do to fix the clearance above the top of the tire, so it's not my major concern, but it looks wrong to me. :S
 

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your signature says Alberta Fam are you from alberta canada if so where? the reason i ask is if the springs have flattened Standens in Calgary is probably the best and cheapest place to go
 
Thanks, yes Alberta, but I'm in Edmonton. Any recommendations for where to go around here?

steveblonde said:
your signature says Alberta Fam are you from alberta canada if so where? the reason i ask is if the springs have flattened Standens in Calgary is probably the best and cheapest place to go
 
How much of an arc should there be?

lynnmor said:
A few basic things first.
Is the tire size the same as what is on the sticker?
Are the wheels correct, as in zero offset trailer wheels?
Are the springs flat, having lost their arc?
Is the trailer level when being towed?
 

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Albertafam said:
How much of an arc should there be?

Show the axle gut this picture and he should know what to do. They could probably fix your problem in a couple of hours. They have all the tools and the lifts. They may even put longer spring shackles on it.  Also ask them if they can do some kind of alignment check. 
Make sure you check the dates of the tires. If they are 7 more 8 years old, you should replace them even if they look brand new on the outside.
 
From pictures axle is already under the spring and the shackles are already positioned for max height.
Your spring guy should be able to let you know if rearcing will offer a good fix.
 
Go to etrailer.com and there you should be able to find your springs and the dimensions. Springs are rather cheap and you might want to replace them with a somewhat heavier rating. If you will be using the trailer for some time, consider upgrading to heavy shackles and wet bolts.
 

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