Steer axle

[Rawze]

(07-12-2017 )Tcarpenter Wrote:  Excuse my ignorance on this matter of suspensions. I have a 15 Lonestar with a lovely 12.3 steer axle. My issue is I pull smooth bore tanks. 95% of the time I'm loaded to 79800 to just shy of 81000. No matter what I've done I'm always over on my steers. Like this evening I weighed 78340 and my steers was 13800 ( weighed on Indiana dot scale after hours). Running 14ply tired I'm lucky to get a 100k miles out of them. The 16ply I'm running now I may get 125k. I believe my low mileage and excess tire wear is from the steer axle in general being overloaded. My question is can you just add springs to up the weight that the steer axle can handle?

If not any body have a Lonestar or I believe a prostar is the same minus hood vin # that has a 14k steer axle?

If I'm thinking about this to hard, someone please enlighten me. I feel I should get more than a 100k out of steers, but if that's not the case than so be.

The front of my prostar weighs 12,300 bobtail when tanks are full. I have the hendrickson Airtech air suspension front end and that is what puts it so heavy at the steers when fully fueled. I have adjusted my fifth wheel so that no matter my trailer weight, it does not add to or take away from my steers.

My steer tires usually last 130 - 180k depending on how well they were mounted to the rims. This is less than some trucks but considering the weight on them, i think it is ok. I keep tire pressure at 120 PSI cold. I do all my own alignments and keep after it like a hawk. I also regularly re-torque all wheel bearings too, and that helps the edge wear stay away from them.

Just some input for comparison.