RansomEli Posted Wednesday at 02:01 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 02:01 PM I have a small, 14-foot camping trailer. While towing the vehicle, the wheel broke off the hub. Questions: Is this a common occurrence, or a rare event? Any suggestions on what caused the wheel to break? Metal fatigue? Chinesium wheels? This has never happened to me before. The wheel was definitely NOT overloaded. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted Wednesday at 04:02 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 04:02 PM From the looks of it I'm guessing metal fatigue. That it failed in a symmetric manner surrounding the bolt holes seems to suggest that the wheel had some significant camber (or possibly excessive toe-out). The first thought would be loose lug nuts, however, the holes look OK; not elongated as if they were repeatedly chewed by the studs. What is the condition of the wheel bearings? Could the axle be loose, mis-aligned or bent...? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted Wednesday at 08:43 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 08:43 PM I'm guessing this was not a sudden failure........meaning that wheel has been cracking for some time. If you have owned the trailer since new, I would think you would have noticed the cracks at the 5 of the 7 triangular cutouts. One possibility is the wheel/rim and hub are not compatible. If the hub did not support the rim past the wheel studs that would cause stress in the area of the lug nuts. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS25 Posted Wednesday at 09:16 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 09:16 PM I agree with the above 👆 trailer wheels, tires, axles and bearings take a beating when making slow turns and the tighter the turn the harder it is on the parts , especially on 2 axle trailers. Just wondering if your trailer has 2 axles? it definitely looks like it has been cracked for some time. I would like to see more pictures. Trailer,back of the wheel, hub and edges of the broken parts. I’m curious of how rusty the cracks are? John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted yesterday at 12:08 AM Share Posted yesterday at 12:08 AM 2 hours ago, JohnS25 said: I’m curious of how rusty the cracks are? You can see that there is a lot of rust in the cracks and at the 3 and 6 o clock positions. It's been cracked for a while. Something is not right. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RansomEli Posted 13 hours ago Author Share Posted 13 hours ago Thanks for the above responses. I should have inspected the wheels more carefully (it is a two-wheel trailer) and replaced the wheel. I'm taking a close look at the other wheel and the two spares. Your advice is appreciated. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted 13 hours ago Share Posted 13 hours ago Check the axle, mounting and bearings... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trulyvintage Posted 1 hour ago Share Posted 1 hour ago Single axle trailers need to have hangers - axles and associated springs and hardware inspected annually …. Just like the wheels and tires. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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