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bent axel on a 2015 196 |
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CAPTKIDD 
Newbie 
Joined: 19 Feb 2022 Location: CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 25 |
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 Topic: bent axel on a 2015 196Posted: 20 Sep 2023 at 12:00pm |
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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?
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CAPTKIDD
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp 
Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6483 |
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Posted: 20 Sep 2023 at 9:41pm |
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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.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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CAPTKIDD
Newbie
Joined: 19 Feb 2022 Location: CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 25 |
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Posted: 21 Sep 2023 at 9:40am |
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can you e-mail me what you did? was it lippert or a dexter axel?
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CAPTKIDD
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6483 |
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Posted: 21 Sep 2023 at 10:08pm |
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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.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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GlueGuy
Senior Member
Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2775 |
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Posted: 22 Sep 2023 at 11:35am |
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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.
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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
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ppine
Groupie 
Joined: 15 Nov 2025 Location: nevada Online Status: Offline Posts: 50 |
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Posted: 25 Nov 2025 at 9:28am |
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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.
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Forester
2022 Ram diesel 2019 Nash 26N 2015 rpod 177 |
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JR
Senior Member
Joined: 31 Aug 2018 Location: Manistee, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 406 |
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Posted: 25 Nov 2025 at 10:04am |
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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.
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Jay
179/2019 |
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gpokluda
Senior Member
Joined: 11 Nov 2018 Location: East Idaho Online Status: Offline Posts: 486 |
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Posted: 26 Nov 2025 at 7:38am |
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. |
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Gpokluda
2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023) 2022 Escape 5.0TA 2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB Honda SCL500 |
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