What's going on with 3500 lb axles?

I dislike 'rants', so I have waited a while to see if there are other responses to this topic.

first, I think the 172/172 is the ideal travel trailer for someone who wants a minimalist, go anywhere, 'home on wheels' complete with a/c and a minimal but adequate bathroom and really good tank capacity for its size. The components, a/c, refer, oven, etc are by manufacturers with good reputations and it's design is very sturdy, at least based on pics of one upside down after an accident and still intact. 

That said, I do have a constructive criticism. R-Pods generally appear to have axles that are too small for their weight - http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=5018&PN=1&title=179-axle-issues . Now, I checked, R-Pod competitors also use similar size axles, so this is not unique to FR, they'll have problems, too.

 After driving with our R-Pod a lot, including cross-country, but without unusual contact with bumps, curbs, etc, my axle is undeniably bent. I acknowledge that I may have hit something, altho I am not aware of it, however the basic question is - Is a 3000 pound capacity axle sufficient for an R-Pod 171?

 I did the math on my first post of this thread, the expected weight on the axle is right at the 3000# limit. If I were a bridge builder would I want my bridge to be right at the limit or would I want a little 'cushion'?

 Ok, maybe FR feels the cushion built into the Dexter or Lippert axle, generally acknowledged to be of good quality, is enuf. As seen above, past posts on this forum suggest otherwise. Again, why doesn't either FR or the axle manufacturer tell us exactly where to put a jack when changing a tire, to avoid damaging the axle? Changing a tire is not an unusual event, indeed it's to be expected, but the last time I checked, they were mum on this subject, I conclude because damage to the axle while changing a tire can be expected, sometimes, and they don't want to be blamed!

 Replacing my bent axle will cost somewhere around $600-$900, I'm just gonna replace the tires more frequently because over the life of the R-Pod it'll be cheaper to do that, but it is really unfortunate that the axle isn't a little heavier design to avoid the whole problem.

 I emphasize, I love our R-Pod.