Any idea what is bending the axles?

I had my first experience with bending axles last fall.  But I hit something on the road that actually bent mine.  I took the trailer into a truck aliagnment center and they straightend my axles.  In talking with them they told me of some folks that are in a lot getting axles restraightened. Said they constantly bend their axles trying to back over curbs.  not suggesting you are hitting curbs. But you must be doing something that has caused two sets of axles to get bent. Maybe it's just how tight you have to jack knife the trailer to get into the spot you park it, or maybe the county you live in has some bad potholes on the road.

How much does the trailer weigh vs what the axles are rated for? If you are really close or are maxed out. Your choice will be getting a heavier duty axle. Dexter does make some 9000 and 9600 lbs axles but you would need to step up to 17.5" tires/rims

I'm still holding my breath to see how well my axle straighting works out. I just haven't loaded up and driven 5-6 hours since bending them back in aliagnment. So I'm really wondering how mine will hold up and whether I'll be spending money for new axles this summer. I was quoted $450 per axle. Add in new bearings and brakes I'd probably be $1200-$1300 in total parts.  So $1900 with labor, Probably is a reasonible price.

Could it be an axle attachement issue? You mentioned that the spindles bend-my experience with large farm equipment is that most spindles are so hard, they don't bend, they break.

What type of tire wear are you seeing? Inside, outside, cupped, all tires or just a certain one/side/location? With Torsion axles, IMO, alignment is never true as the axle flexs under load and tire wear depends a lot on the load.

I just turned our tires inside out at 20k miles and inflated them to 120 psi to hopefully get another 20k out of them on our 11k trailer. Get them balanced and rotated 2x a year has seemed to help.

On our next big trailer, I am going to try bar axles with air ride--like semi's-if I can find them. I am starting to believe the torsion axles can not hold up to heavy trailers.

Don't take this the wrong way, first spring type axle will not be any difference if you are bending the spindles, these axles will have the same spindles!  The main reason for spindles to bend it being HIT by someone or something, they just don't bend for no reason..   Check your turns and make sure you or whomever is driving is not hitting curbs and after re-reading your post it sounds like spped and rough roads could be the issue..  These are built for hwy use and ANY off road type conditions will hurt them with that type of weight.  2 fixes for this problem, first either find better roads to travel or second, leave early for you trip so you will not have to drive so fast you are damaging you equipment not to mention the horses you are hauling.

My Sundowner is a 2004 8010 Signature Series with 2 7-k axle with 14ply tires.  The tires are going on 2 years old and still look new.  We only use this trailer almost EVERY weekend too and some places with gravel rough roads (LBJ Grasslands)....

All trailer mfg assume a certain portion of the weight will be placed on the Gooseneck hitch and transfered to the truck bed.  Most GN will transfer 20-30% of the total trailer weight.  so if you have a trailer that weights 16,000lbs loaded. and 25% or 4000lbs is transfered to the truck the weight remaining on the trailer axles is only 12,000lbs and two 7200lb axles would give you 14,400 lbs of capacity, which is enough plus a cushion.

The main problem comes from the fact that the trailer mfg, really does not control how the trailer us loaded after it leaves their site.  After market LQ builders will deck the trailer out the way that the buyers order the trailer. And they don't always give carefull thought to the balance of the trailer.  I gurantee you that they don't go back and put new axles on after they build the LQ.

Once you the owner get the trailer, You may load up your 4 Paso Fino horses that weigh 800lb each or you load up your Dressage Warm Bloods at 1400 lbs each.  You add a Generator, fuel tank. A roof Pod and fill it with gear, water tanks. When it's all said and done, Who knows how much the trailer weighs and where the weight is centered.

A certain amount of responsibility needs to fall on the owners to make sure the trailer is built to fit their needs. But it's a hard decision to look at  new or used trailer that you want to use this weekend,  and tell the seller, I'll take it, but send it back to the factory and have them change out the 7000 lb axles for 8000lb and change from 16" tires to 17.5" tires. redesign the fenders to accept the larger tires etc. And to be perfectly honest, a lot of owners have no idea what load capacities they really should be buying.

" first spring type axle will not be any difference if you are bending the spindles, these axles will have the same spindles! "

The above statement is misleading and I feel incorrect, but please don't be offended.

With the torsion axles the spindle itself is not what is bending, it is the swing arm the spindle is mounted on. Most people are not aware that by design a torsion axle will not take the same overloading that a drop spindle axle mounted on springs will take. In simple terms this means that if you are turning and hit a bump or chuck hole in the road there is a substantial increase in the load on one axle and by design a torsion axle can not carry much more than a 20% overload condition. And torsion axles do not have a very wide range of movement so the bump or chuck hole in the road can easily place almost the entire load on that side of the trailer on one axle swing arm and spindle. This is the most common cause of the bent swing arm or sheared urethane spring pads in a torsion axle. I don't recommend going back to the dropped spindle axles mounted on springs, however by design they provide much greater travel which helps to even out the load on each axle in a bump or chuck hole encounter.

As others have recommended I think the best solution would be replacing the axles with a heavier torsion axle. And I agree you need to weigh your truck and trailer fully loaded to determine how much weight you are carrying and if the weight is evenly distributed on each trailer axle & evenly distributed on each side of the trailer.

Hope this helps, Paul

to change from 7200 which were always a problem, unbolt the 7200 and bolt in the 8000. end of change. On a Sundowner same fender and same everything else if you go to 17.5's. Sell the s 7200's to someone wanting to build a flatbed. Probable bring 5-600

Go back and RE-READ the all of the post, my post is only "missleading" if you do not rear the entire post!  He is having spindle problems not axle problems and both spring and torsion axles have the same type spindles, hubs, bearings and all!!!!!!  Contact Dexter axle and you can confirm this.

Swing arm is bending...not the spindle, simple misstatement of where the problem is. Wheel bearings and spindles are designed to carry the load in the center of the wheel, tire, hub, bearing and spindle assembly which means it is almost impossible to bend the spindle itself. And I have never seen just the spindle bend.

Paul