This thread may get moved (o/O tire help!)

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by bigNATURE, Apr 8, 2014.

  1. bigNATURE

    bigNATURE Medium Load Member

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    I have real bad wear on my steer tire (driver side), it's starting on my passenger side too. I think I have worn out/bad springs to blame. But; I keep hearing about kingpin and bearings. What could I do to make sure these are good, or tightened(?) right when I purschase my next steer tires? And what else you recommend I keep in mind while swapping out the old for new to avoid unusual tread wear again?

    Thanks in advance.
     
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  3. popcorn169

    popcorn169 Road Train Member

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    Have you checked around for a good front end person to have the front end checked out? If not try to find a good front end garage/alignment shop and have them check it out thoroughly. It could be bearings or king pins. What year truck and how many miles?
     
    bullhaulerswife Thanks this.
  4. eeb

    eeb Heavy Load Member

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    Basically, get a helper, jack up one steer tire, and one of ya grab the top of the tire and push/pull it towards and away from the framerail stoutly while the other checks for movement where the spindle meets the axle and between the brakeshoes and drum. Also listen, loose bearings will often "clunk" a bit, while kingpins usually won't unless they're real bad. Most tire techs with any experience at all should be able to get that diagnosed, plus tire companies usually issue guidebooks to help pinpoint the source of wear (shocks, bearings, alignment, balance, etc.) based on wear patterns.
     
  5. lovesthedrive

    lovesthedrive R.I.P.

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    The king pins on a truck are non adjustable (compared to a Ford that can, Ford trucks have a castellated top bushing that is rotated to adjust the camber and caster). Pretty much all you will get for an alignment is the toe in. Camber and caster cant be reset, if you have had a wreck and the axle is bent, your better off getting a new axle. If the kingpin bushings go bad they can be replaced, as well as the kingpins them selves. Sometimes it is a lack of grease on the kingpin that wears out a tire.

    Camber and caster are when either or the inside tread or the outside tread only are worn off. If you have a bad alignment the steering will make it hard to steer. Going across a steel bridge that makes your tires sing and then returning to pavement, if the truck seems to want to go off in a new direction when you drive onto the pavement is a good sign your truck needs an alignment.
     
  6. stranger

    stranger Road Train Member

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    blanco Thanks this.
  7. lovesthedrive

    lovesthedrive R.I.P.

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    Yup, it is as I stated. The axle is bent. You cant correct it like a Ford. Bee Line clearly shows a machine must be used to change the shape of the axle to alter the camber and caster. Not something the average owner will do in his own garage. Easier to replace the axle than to buy the tool to do it yourself. Short of what ever cost Bee Line gets for their fatiguing of an axle.

    BTW? Cast iron reacts poorly to getting bent then rebent. The Bee Line system appears to be doing it cold, so there is no way to relax the cast iron molecules. Cast iron will fail on getting bent too many times.
     
  8. eeb

    eeb Heavy Load Member

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    Cast iron? Try forged and heat treated steel. Similar to the framerails, you can hydraulicly adjust the shape of the axle cold, if you heat it up to "relax the molecules" you will indeed fatigue the metal in short order. Bend your frame? For the love of God, don't heat it up and try to straighten it yourself, the framerails are heat treated. That's why most of them have the little warning stickers telling you not to weld on the frame. A properly equipped shop can appear to work miracles with the right technique.
    So yes, properly trained and equipped technicians can adjust your truck's caster and camber without damaging or fatiguing anything. The shop I used to work at charged $200 plus parts ( shims, wedges, etc. ) for a three axle alignment, last time I checked a couple years ago.
     
    lovesthedrive Thanks this.
  9. Bigray

    Bigray Road Train Member

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    Front tire wear is caused by several / all problems, bad Kingpins, bushings, front alignment, rear axle alignment and spring bushings to name most common indicators.
     
  10. lovesthedrive

    lovesthedrive R.I.P.

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    Thankyou for this info.
     
  11. bigNATURE

    bigNATURE Medium Load Member

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    Well, I have a 2009 peterbilt 387, right around 600,000mi on it. I got a three axle alignment done at peterbilt Houston about 4 months ago. My tread is wearing on the outer tread line and has actually got a small chunk missing (I just noticed, dam.) ;now the passanger side is starting to produce the same activity. I would just hate to replace my steer tires in vain and throw away $1200 some odd dollars for new ones without correcting the original issue... I think the springs would be a good start, how much for bushings, bearings, etc if needed??

    thanks in advance. (Will be calling around today)
     
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