R-pod Owners Forum : bent axel on a 2015 196 https://www.rpod-owners.com/ This is an XML content feed of; R-pod Owners Forum : Reviews and General Information : bent axel on a 2015 196 Copyright (c) 2006-2009 Web Wiz Forums - All Rights Reserved. Thu, 28 May 2026 14:56:29 +0000 Wed, 26 Nov 2025 07:38:28 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 9.64 360 https://www.rpod-owners.com/RSS_post_feed.asp?TID=15854 R-pod Owners Forum https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_images/web_wiz_forums.png https://www.rpod-owners.com/ bent axel on a 2015 196 : Originally posted by ppineI... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=155112#155112 Author: gpokluda
Subject: 15854
Posted: 26 Nov 2025 at 7:38am

Originally posted by ppine

I suspect my axle on a 177 is slightly bent.  It pulls straight however, and the tire tread wear seems even.  I plan to just live with it. 

The Lippert torsion axles and the Dexter Torflex axles are both susceptible to bending in two places. One is in the axle tube and the other the wheel spindle, the latter being more of an issue on tandem axle trailers as I have discovered with my trailer and on the Escape forum. We ended up having both axles replaced on our Escape 5.0 but were covered by the Dexter 5 year warranty. Some folks who are full timers on the Escape forum have chosen to have their trailers retrofitted with straight/solid axles and leaf springs. I'm not sure if that is possible with the lightweight frame on the Rpod. By doing this, a bent straight/solid axle can be bent back into alignment.

Whatever you do, do not try to straighten the axle as it will weaken it. Once bent, a torsion type axle has to be replaced no matter what a frame and welding shop tells you. 

]]> Wed, 26 Nov 2025 07:38:28 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=155112#155112 bent axel on a 2015 196 : Looking at the axel from the underside... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=155110#155110 Author: JR
Subject: 15854
Posted: 25 Nov 2025 at 10:04am

Looking at the axel from the underside there should be a sight upward deflextion in the axel's cross member which is built in. The easiest way to determine if the axel has had a failure from its original design is to check and see if the tires are parallel to the body of the trailer with no side to side pressure on the tire (like going around a corner).  I found that viewing through your rearview mirrors you can easily determine this. If the camber is off on one or both of your tires then there is a problem with the axel. If there is no problem with your tire wear, then there is probley no problem with your axel. Hope this helps.]]> Tue, 25 Nov 2025 10:04:07 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=155110#155110 bent axel on a 2015 196 : I suspect my axle on a 177 is... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=155109#155109 Author: ppine
Subject: 15854
Posted: 25 Nov 2025 at 9:28am

I suspect my axle on a 177 is slightly bent.  It pulls straight however, and the tire tread wear seems even.  I plan to just live with it. ]]> Tue, 25 Nov 2025 09:28:49 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=155109#155109 bent axel on a 2015 196 : The main issue with the axle on... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=152821#152821 Author: GlueGuy
Subject: 15854
Posted: 22 Sep 2023 at 11:35am

The main issue with the axle on most, and especially older Rpods is the cantilever designj of the attachment to the frame. The problem is that the frame attachment is roughly a foot inboard of the wheels, and this puts an enormous strain on the axle.

There are a number of remedies; none of them perfect. One is, as StephenH mentions is adding an angle iron to the axle (pre-bent to match the arc in the original axle) and clamping it to the axle.

You can also "extend" the support outboard of the frame. You can add a frame extension, or do some kind of brace up to the bottom of the outer wall of the trailer.

The choice is yours. 
]]> Fri, 22 Sep 2023 11:35:08 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=152821#152821 bent axel on a 2015 196 : Lippert axle. I took a length... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=152820#152820 Author: StephenH
Subject: 15854
Posted: 21 Sep 2023 at 10:08pm

Lippert axle. I took a length of angle iron and using a hydraulic jack and chain, bent it to match the bend of the axle. I then attached it to the bottom of the axle with heavy-duty square U bolts. The pictures went AWOL in my write-up, but there should be other people's mods that you can find with a search. We are traveling, so I can't really do anything about the pictures until we get home.]]> Thu, 21 Sep 2023 22:08:28 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=152820#152820 bent axel on a 2015 196 : can you e-mail me what you did?... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=152819#152819 Author: CAPTKIDD
Subject: 15854
Posted: 21 Sep 2023 at 9:40am

can you e-mail me what you did?  was it  lippert or a dexter axel?]]> Thu, 21 Sep 2023 09:40:16 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=152819#152819 bent axel on a 2015 196 : You have a choice of Lippert or... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=152817#152817 Author: StephenH
Subject: 15854
Posted: 20 Sep 2023 at 9:41pm

You have a choice of Lippert or Dexter. Without reinforcing the axle, it is almost inevitable that an axle will bend. You can search for various methods people have used to add resistance to bending. Use the advanced search so you can search posts that are older than six months. I detailed in my mods how I did mine. There are other methods that may be better, but my method was simple.]]> Wed, 20 Sep 2023 21:41:09 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=152817#152817 bent axel on a 2015 196 : I had a bent axel on my 2019 Rpod... https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=152811#152811 Author: CAPTKIDD
Subject: 15854
Posted: 20 Sep 2023 at 12:00pm

I had a bent axel on my 2019 Rpod 196.  it was replaced at about 6000 miles and the replacement was a Lippert axel which got bent less than 600 miles later.  I also had a bent axel on my 179.  This seems to be a common problem on Rpods.  I don't want to go with another lippert axel.  Has anyone had better luck with some other brand?  ]]> Wed, 20 Sep 2023 12:00:22 +0000 https://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15854&PID=152811#152811