The secret to saving RV tires & fuel — precision toe alignment

Trailer alignment has developed into a near art at Henderson’s. If you don’t do it right, things can go wrong and we want to help avoid those problems.

First, you need to know tape measures, hammers & measuring off the frame often result in less than the desired effect.

Second, you need three basics to make sure your Trailer aligns & tows correctly:

1. To get true, effective alignment for your trailer, you must align at the attachment point where the trailer hooks to the truck (which not everyone does). It’s called aligning off the kingpin.

Henderson’s has the right equip-
ment & expertise to do the job. We use sophisticated Hunter computerized equipment, which calculates alignment from the kingpin of your tow vehicle out to all the axles.

This marvel takes a reference point off the kingpin and calculates a triangle from the pin to each rear wheel. Once we obtain the reference from Hun-
ter, we align the forward axle to the back axle with precision. We align multiple axles as well.

2. For straight, no stress towing, your axles must be straight – no curvature. If they have been bent, your tires will toe in or out. And the worse they are toed, the more your tires wear. You actually “drag” your tires down the road.

It’s always a good idea to check if axles are true. You may not know when you have bent one in a pothole, curb or other obstacle.

Henderson’s is one of the rare facilities that maintain heavy hydraulic equipment to straighten bent axles. The shop that does this for you must be able to do it without breaking or denting axles since most are hollow. (Didn’t know axles are hollow?)

It’s one thing to straighten a solid piece of iron – quite another to straighten what is basically a hollow pipe.

The penalties for failing to align your trailer correctly?

A Common Story

One driver, towing a 26-foot trailer, noticed two of his four tires had worn substantially during a 5,000 mile trip. In fact, his formerly new tires had worn nearly smooth.

Being conscientious with all his equipment, he had packed bearings & made sure he torqued them correctly when he reinstalled the tires. He checked tire pressure and made sure he did not overload his trailer.

During his trip he knew of no time when he had hit any large potholes or other obstructions that might bend the axles.

Yet, he experienced substantial tire wear – and the loss of gas mileage. An axle was bent & he didn’t know it.

3. The man doing the job makes a big difference. Many new machines and their operators simply do a quick alignment that gets within range the factory allows.

Our technicians are trained to go for the preferred, optimum setting. They take extra time to align your Trailer or 5th Wheel correctly, then do repairs if necessary. You wind up with a vehicle that tracks as close as humanly possible.

3. Henderson’s is so sure of our service, we warrant your alignment:

• Trailer: 12 months

• Motorhome:15 months/15,000 miles

• Light Truck: 12 months/12,000 miles

• Passenger Car: 12 months/12,000 miles

Click here: 7 tips for proper 5th Wheel & Trailer Hitching

If you’re towing, call Henderson’s for an appointment to get your 5th wheel or trailer checked –

Henderson’s Line-Up
417 S.W. Henderson Lane
Grants Pass, OR 97527

• Phone us at: 541 479-2882
• “800″ Phone: 800-245-8309, Ext 1
• Fax us at: 541-955-6164
• Office Hours: (PST) 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mon-Fri; Closed Noon
  to 1 p.m. If you call after hours, we'll call you back.

• If you’re driving & unfamiliar with the area, see a map here

• E-mail us at:

Print|Email

Share this: