Axle camber seems excessive

swiftwave

My 2020 TAB 400 Boondock Lite is currently in the dealer's service yard, awaiting a warranty replacement axle from Dexter.

Symptoms were essentially the same as described above; when the fresh water tank was full and the suspension was articulated over moderate bumps or dips, the inside top of the right tire would barely brush the inner wheel-well of the trailer.  Left side axle components were also bent (or twisted) out of shape, yet not as much.

My warranty claim was confirmed received by Dexter on August 24, 2020.  I’m typing this on September 6, 2020 after a number of attempts to receive a replacement axle status update from Dexter.  I hope to hear soon if a replacement axle has been manufactured and shipped, or at least an estimate for when shipment will occur.
 I intend to post updates here as this situation is resolved...

JabGopher

This issue doesn't seem surprising to arise for the Nucamp's as well. Before we decided on the Tab 320, we were considering one of the Intech Sol models and there were lots of observed Dexter axle failures (bent) being shared on the various FB groups with some going through several. 

swiftwave

Update to my above post:
Dexter has indicated that a warranty replacement axle is expected to ship on September 14, 2020.
I hope to post a final resolution in a few weeks...

Update, September 28, 2020:
Today I heard that the replacement axle has been delayed at the Canadian border.  (I live in British Columbia.)  Additional paperwork has recently been submitted to the border authorities.  Hopefully the axle will soon be released for its final shipping destination...

Update, September 30, 2020
I have received notification that the axle has been installed and my trailer is ready to go!
I'll pick it up in a few days.  If there are no further updates to this post, it means that I'm satisfied with the results.

rh5555

Trailer is back from the dealer with new axle, new brakes, new hubs and new tires!  Cost to me: $0.  A pity it took so long, but I cannot really complain since the trailer was technically out of warranty.  NuCamp supplying replacement tires (as the twisted axle had caused very uneven tire wear) was an unexpected bonus.  Gotta love these guys!

Denny16

Our TaB400 had the standard 3500 lbs axle, and we wanted the higher ground clearance of the Boondock, and nüCamp sold us a Boondock pitch 3900 lbs axle, complete with wheels, brakes and new tires, for less than $2K installed.  They shipped the axle and wheels to our dealer with their standard trailer shipment, so we didn’t have to pay shipping costs.  Just got the trailer back last month, and we are on our first trip with the TaB400 as a Boondock.  Thanks nüCamp and Vogel RV!

Cheers

atlasb

Denny 16,  If you get a chance sometime,  Drop the back portion of the black plastic under panel and look at the axle near the center from behind.  Check what axle weight capacity is stamped in the tube.  Kinda hard to find but it is there as well as a stamped serial number.  Nu Camp uses a 3900# and a 4000# unit both are classified as a 4000# unit by Dexter.  Don't  know how that works but that is what they say.  They are 10 F models.  one is the lesser pitch and the other is for the boondock.  I used the 3900# when I changed ours for added capacity in our 2018. 'also see if they left the shipping tag on the axle or look for the model #  Looking at the last 2 digits for an 82 or 85.

Denny16

No shipping tag, axle was shipped direct to our dealer, who did the install.
Cheers

Arizonayeti

I'll bump this thread.  This is the tire wear on my 2019 400BD with roughly 5k miles on it. It's apparent that there is excessive wear inside each tire. Seems like if the Dexter is cambered properly, I shouldn't see wear like this?  Thoughts?

Montanatabadventures

Arizonayeti, the wear you are seeing on the inside of your tires is exactly the same wear I experienced on my 2020 320S Boondock Edge at roughly 4,000 miles. I have been working with NuCamp and Dexter for a couple of months on a replacement axle and it is due to arrive at a trailer repair facility this week. When I noticed this wear I contacted NuCamp and they had me work directly with Dexter. I filled out the online warranty claim form, included pictures and they approved a replacement right away. It’s taken a while to get it built and shipped as Dexter is very busy. I also received new tires directly from NuCamps warranty dept. From my internet searching and in speaking with several repair facilities it appears this is a common defect with Dexter axles. I can only hope my replacement axle is better than the original as dealing with this is a major inconvenience.

DanManz

I just wanted to report in on the experience we had with this same camber problem on our 2019 400 BDL.  After seeing this thread, I looked closely at my rear axle and found the tires were visibly leaning in at the top.  We too probably had 5000 or fewer miles on our T@b and the tires were visibly worn on the inside edge.  I contacted NuCamp warranty and was referred to Dexter Axle's warranty folks.  They could not have been more helpful.  I filled out a little on-line form and sent them photos from the rear showing the camber and tire wear.  Within hours, they got back to me saying the axle is warranted for 6 years and they would replace it.  They also agreed to cover 1.5 hrs of labor to swap it out.  I have a great trailer service shop (not a NuCamp dealer) nearby who said they could do the work and Dexter agreed to ship the axle to them.  A week later, the new axle showed up.  In one of my conversations with Dexter, I asked about any coverage for the tires.  No problem, they agreed to cover the cost of new tires.  I ordered new tires and waited for them to show up.  Once I had both the tires and the new axle was at the repair shop, it only took an overnight visit to get the whole repair done.  When I picked it up, the shop told me it took them 3 hrs for the job.  I paid for the whole thing and expected to get half the labor cost back from Dexter.  I sent in the invoice for the tires and a second for the axle swap.  I heard back from Dexter's warranty folks saying they would cover the entire cost even though it went over their 1.5 hr allocation.  In today's mail, the second of two checks from Dexter showed up.  Between the tires and the shop labor the cost of this little adventure was nearly $600 in addition to whatever the axle cost!  Needless to say, I am a happy camper.  Only making this story better, we managed to get one Fall camping trip in.  After about 500 miles I developed a noticeable brake pulsing.  I took it back to the shop that did the axle swap.  They brought it right in and adjusted the brakes which resolved the problem. No charge sir, glad to keep you rolling.  I cannot say enough good things about Dexter Axle and the folks at Performance Motorsports in Richmond, VT.  It seems as if so little works smoothly with customer service these days.  It was great to do business with two companies that have it down! 

patandjeff

Wow, thanks to all who have posted in this thread! We have the same issue, heavy inside tire wear, we see camber is way off>. Will update as things progress.

Slocum

I have a 2020 400 Boondock and just had to replace my tires after noticing the cambor issue and the inside of both tires were bald. Less than 8K on the trailer.  Has anyone had confirmation from Dexter that there was a bad batch of axles or any issues getting it repaired under warranty? I'm planning on getting my axle number from NuCamp based on my VIN as others have and sending in a claim to Dexter. Has Dexter admitted the defect on a batch of axles? There clearly is one. 

Sharon_is_SAM

@Slocum - see DanManz post above.

Sierra

Have noticed an issue on our 2019 400 Boondock. Can anyone tell me where I would find the date stamp on the axle? I assume you are not referring to the sticker with vin number . 

Sierra

Thanks everyone for comments about your axles. We had uneven tire wear also. (2019 400 Boondock) Sent in photos as you described of tires and from the back. Got the axle number from NuCamp using our VIN and in less than a day I had an axle replacement approved and where would I like it shipped

zperoom

My 2020 T@B 400 BD measured 2.5 degree camber both sides. Tires had horrid wear on the inside. The tread was worn flat on the inside.  Was built 08/2019. Dexter is replacing the axle under their 5 year warranty. Axle replacement is happening now. 

jcbil

I have this same exact issue on my 2020 400 BD and reached out to Nucamp. They told me to contact Dexter like others have posted. Unfortunately since I am not the original owner my claim was denied 😭. It will cost be nearly $2k to have it shipped and then do a DIY install. If this is a batch issue, I feel like it should be covered. Did anyone else get denied? 

ChrisFix

I have a 2021 T@B 400 Boondock and discovered this week the same camber issue with my camper. Both tires severely worn on the inside tread...rest of tire looks great. I just emailed nuCamp service to see if they can provide the axle serial number and I'll submit a claim with Dexter. But I don't look forward to finding a competent shop to install it! Thankfully I'm the original owner so the claim should be straight forward from what I've read of other's experiences.

manyman297

Do we know if this was a bad batch issue? I have a 2021 400 (built in early 2021) and my camber seems fine with more than 8k miles. It seems like the issue is cropping up fairly early for owners?

rh5555

@ChrisFix - Glad to see you're getting your trailer fixed now.  You were the 3rd contributor to this thread back in 2020!

Travelin3D

My dealer noticed the tire wear when I had my bearings serviced in November. We then went on a 7K road trip which added to the wear. I came across this thread after we got back and went through the procedure with Dexter with no problem. Dexter is covering the axle, two tires and 1.5 hours of labor. They shipped the axle to my dealer and I just had it installed two weeks ago. The dealer didn’t have the Boondock tires in stock, so I will be making another trip out for that.

The install is pretty straightforward: 4 bolts hold the axle and the wiring for the brakes needs to be spliced in. Toughest part is holding the (heavy) axle in place to do the work - guess it will depend on your shop’s setup. 

Travelin3D

Forgot to add: don’t know if this is a batch problem, but my 2020 320BDL was built in Spring 2019.

ChrisFix

rh5555 said:

@ChrisFix - Glad to see you're getting your trailer fixed now.  You were the 3rd contributor to this thread back in 2020!

@rh5555
That's too funny...I didn't realize this morning that I had posted to this way back when!!
I guess my tires really were excessively cambered!

ChrisFix

Well, Dexter lives up to its reputation for OUTSTANDING customer service. I submitted an online claim this morning, simply providing a photo of each un-evenly worn tire, and at 4:30 the same day received an email saying they'll cover everything, just tell them where to send it...Wow.
Now in a perfect world, we wouldn't need to replace the axle, but since we do, it sure is nice to have a company really stand behind their product.

From Dexter:
After review of the information and pictures provided, Dexter authorizes to replace the axle, a total of 1.5hr labor and 2 tires.
  
Please reply to this email with the complete shipping address (name, address and phone number) for the replacement parts. Please note the receiving facility will need access to a forklift as well as someone available during normal business hours.

As Dexter does not ship tires please provide an invoice for the tires once the replacement is complete. Dexter will reimburse up to $500 per tire for the replacement cost. 

Sincerely,

Dexter Warranty Team

Binghi

I wonder what is going on with these axles - a lot of people seem to have this issue.

ChrisFix

Binghi said:

I wonder what is going on with these axles - a lot of people seem to have this issue.

I wonder as well. Will the new axle just do the same thing or was there something wrong that they have corrected in the manufacturing process? No one seems to have an answer for this, so only time will tell I guess.

manyman297

@ChrisFix Yeah, my concern is that the issue hasn't been addressed by them. The response is outstanding ($500 per tire!?) but I wish they'd come clean with what's really going on. Anecdotally it seems like this issue is mainly affecting axles installed in 2019 and mostly 400s. My 400 was built in early 2021 so I guess time will indeed tell. So far so good for me (knock on wood). 

xdr

Travelin3D said:

My dealer noticed the tire wear when I had my bearings serviced in November. We then went on a 7K road trip which added to the wear. I came across this thread after we got back and went through the procedure with Dexter with no problem. Dexter is covering the axle, two tires and 1.5 hours of labor. They shipped the axle to my dealer and I just had it installed two weeks ago. The dealer didn’t have the Boondock tires in stock, so I will be making another trip out for that.

The install is pretty straightforward: 4 bolts hold the axle and the wiring for the brakes needs to be spliced in. Toughest part is holding the (heavy) axle in place to do the work - guess it will depend on your shop’s setup. 

We are in the same situation. What documentation did you have to provide to Dexter? 

Xdr

Travelin3D

Go to the Dexter website and navigate to warranty/support. There’s an online form to fill out and attach pics of your tire wear. You need to provide your axle number - nuCamp can provide this if you give them your VIN - trailer mileage, etc. You should get a response within a few days. The rest is as I described it above. Good luck!

xdr

@Travelin3D Thank you so much for the info…much appreciated