Unloaded Trailer Violently Shaking Tow Vehicle
 

This is the first time I've experienced the below when towing my trailer empty. It does not exhibit the issue when loaded.

Aluminum Tri torsen axle trailer with the following info. on the ID tag "Quality Trailer Products PC133576 EE60950800XK", with 6 disc Kodiak's is sending longitudinal energy to and through the 2008 F350 4X4 (chassis hitch) that shakes it so violently from 20-40 mph the truck mimics axle hop similar to a loss of initial traction on sand.

So far all tires are inflated to spec., grease is topped off in bearings, 3 of the 6 hubs were checked for bearing failure and are good, checking the remainder hopefully today. The brakes are all releasing via the surge system (only) master cylinder. I did not see a visual deficiency at the axles when sitting unloaded and the trailer sits perfectly level whether loaded or not.

Is it possible there is an internal axle failure in the torsen system that I cannot see via a visual inspection, or is this more a symptom of a bad hub I haven't diagnosed yet?

Thanks for any help and/or experience you can lend!

Keith

Here is my guess: Sounds to me like you have a tire that is separating, it won't be long before it blows. Look at the tread, is it baloon-ing or cracking between the inside of the tread. I would bet, if you have someone follow you down the road, they will tell you one or more of the tires are bouncing going down the road.

Trailer tires will wear out from the inside, long before they do on the outside.

Thank you kindly and i hope it is that easy. I just ordered a replacement tire for one that I already planned on replacing prior to the issue in the OP. I'll inspect the remainder. Much appreciated!

How old are the tires, and how have they been stored? That plays a big part.

It’s typical for an empty trailer to bounce like crazy. The suspension is literally bouncing the trailer off the road. What kind of road were you on? Concrete with expansion joints perhaps?

If making a long trek with an empty trailer, you may consider lowering tire pressure to absorb some bounce, or perhaps removing a set of wheels/tires to add load to the axles in contact with the ground. I did the latter once for about 100 miles when having my Myco’s welds touched up and it towed great.

I've towed it empty before without an issue on the same road. It's stored on a grass lot. Thanks for the other info. All wheel bearings are tight, hoping the tire I planned on replacing is the culprit. I'll report back my findings.

Keith

I had one do that, had a bulge in the tire. I could watch it shake in the mirror.

Tire(s) are wasted. Storing on grass is THE worst.

Concrete
Pavement
Wood with shingles on top
Wood with teflon (cutting board sheets) on top
Gravel
Hard dirt

---in that order are the best tire placement surfaces for storage. You HAVE to get them away from the moisture in the ground, as they allow the water to wick into one part of the tire, and that throws off the composition of the rubber, and can lead to degraded belts as well.

Also, purchase some "Amfor" tire covers from Amazon. You need to cover the tires from UV rays as well, mondo important.

Empty trailers, especially longer aluminum trailers, do bounce like crazy in general. Even my 12" C-channel Myco bounces when empty due to so much flex in the long aluminum beams.

I have had the same issue many times. Its always a 16" tire issue of some kind

My trailer bounces when empty and its got 17.5" commercial wheels with 18 ply tires.