Steer axle

[Tcarpenter]

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.

[dhirocz]

Do you have an adjustable FW? Also, does it do this with certain tanks or all of them?

I noticed my yard sometimes has different tanks with the plate located in slightly different positions.

Have you checked your ride height recently?

What brand of tire do you run and have you checked the alignment recently? Are they wearing down or cupping or...?

Some tires you'd be lucky to get 200k out of. A different set might get you close to 500k. I put on Michelin steers with centramatics and have had no complaints for either wear or ride quality. Additional weight might be a factor, but so is alignment, tire quality, balance, tire pressure, etc...

[kryten]

(07-12-2017 )Tcarpenter Wrote:  I believe my low mileage and excess tire wear is from the steer axle in general being overloaded.

For years, on 3 different trucks with set back axles I had my fifth wheel set so I would usually be about 5650 kg on the steer axle. On 3 different trucks I was getting anywhere from 160000 to 200000 km before ONE edge of the tires forced removal in order to save them for summer drive use. A couple of years ago I moved my fifth wheel so I had the legal 5500 kg on the front end and after about 100000 km my tires still look almost new. I run no less than 110 psi, usually closer to 120 due to the hotter weather raising the pressure, and I have centramatics.

[Brock]

I have 14 steer axles and a normal ride height, 2 leafs with no arch.

   

My prostar is the same, had to slam the 5th wheel all the way back.

[Nilao]

I'm sure the lonestar, like the prostar, is influenced by the fuel tank position. If I adjust my trailer tandem I don't get much weight off the steers but I see about 500lbs come off the steer axle as I get closer to a quarter tank. It would be nice if the tank could be moved towards the drives. Other than that I think you could get a 14k Hendrickson axle from a lonestar on heavytruckparts.net on the interweb.

[hhow55]

(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.

I know a guy, who had very same problem you describe, and yes we pulled tanker's also. Turned out his steer axle was bent. Had it straightened, and corrected the problem.

[Waterloo]

I bought this truck to pull propane bottles. Bottles that were all over the map in regards to pin placement, which it sounds like you may be experiencing. The reason I sought out a tractor with a steerable lift axle. It is rated at 8,000 lbs and works to relieve the weight off the front end. And yes, I have the same front axle that you have. This truck is always steer heavy, even when empty.



If you are looking for a beefier front axle, I would skip that and have one of these steerable lift/drop units installed IF you have the room. They are not to bad price wise, I want to say around ten grand installed. If you don't have the cash, I believe it is something that could easily be financed if need be. If I were pulling bottles, I would have one of these on my truck and the reason it stays on my truck, I still use it quite a bit with my dry van. Here is a link to the lift in the photo. It has been virtually trouble free, knock on wood. http://www.watsonsuspensions.com/Truck/S.../SL8K-0893

I pull a dry van now, and when I get those loads over 30,000 lbs, I drop that axle. It really smooths out the ride and I believe it has prevented further damage to my truck. Added benefit, my 16 ply Michelin steers still look like new after 200,000+ miles.

It is also a conversation starter...

What are those tiny wheels for driver?

Training wheels, I just got my license!

Also, I have one of these on my dash, a Right Weigh scale, it is attached to my drives and is a real life saver, especially when using the lift axle. Here is the link. http://rwls.com/shop/index.php/mechanica...scale.html I had no room in my dash to install it, so I mounted it in an Auto Meter mounting cup, or pod... Find that here, https://amzn.to/2PJyTJ7 This pod, or cup, easily accommodates the Right Weigh scale air fittings, unlike some other pod/cup brands that I tried. I also have a VDO Pyrometer mounted in one of these cups right next to the scale gauge. Looks pretty cool.

Hope this helps, or at least gives you some ideas.

[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.

[Tcarpenter]

Thanks for the inputs. I believe it may just end up being the nature of the beast by what everyone is saying. I don't have room to run a lift axle so that one is out. I run 120 psi in my steers and I do have alignments done quite often. I also pull the same tanker 95% of the time. Here are pictures how my tires wear, both sides wear the same.