Bent rear axle?

Well today I drove over a little ditch that I didn't see while heading off road. I hit the ditch pretty hard going at about 20-25 mph and caught some air, it was really rough. The truck seemed to drive fine and I didn't see anything broken until I noticed the rear wheel on the passenger side to be slightly angled in. Is this a bent axle? How do I get if fixed and is it okay to drive? Any help is appreciated.

 

I would jack that side of the rear wheel and turn it by hand to see if it turns smooth and looks straight, it could have bent the rim or the axle, that's a place to start and have it checked out soon.

 

A couple photos from a distance would help too.

 

Lets see the alignment numbers.

 

Yeah I jump mine all the time and it is fine, sounds more like he plowed into a ditch to me, which I would think would have FUBAR'd the front end more than the rear though...

You said it drives fine though? Even at higher speeds? If you bent something enough to angle the tire I would think you would feel some extra vibes or something.

 

Well I didn't really jump it, I approached the ditch at an angle and pretty much slammed into it and caught some air. I'll get a picture of it tomorrow.

 

Check the centering pin on the rear leaf springs, check to see if the axle slid on the leafs.

 

If you notice the tire wearing more on that outside edge you probably bent it. It does kind of look bent from here but... hard to say. May want to get it checked out by a reliable shop who deals with this kind of stuff.

 

Do you think the axle shaft is bent? Or could it be an alignment problem? I really hope I didn't bend it, this is my dream truck and my dad would kill me.

 

everything is fixable.

 

At a price that I probably can't afford

 

Well chances are likely it's the axle tube if anything is bent, not the axle shaft itself...

Theres no wobble right?

 

Is that why my dad never bought me a truck? Lol

But really none of us will be able to tell from those pictures. Get it checked out by a shop as it could be potentially dangerous. Summer is approaching...perfect time to get a job and fix it!

 

Is it still safe to drive? I need to be able to drive it until I think of an excuse to tell my dad.

 

Safe yes. I think you'll be fine but if it is bent it's putting extra stress on the side gear as Jason full well knows and you can break the side gear. That's doubtful IMO because his was severely and obviously bent. Yours looks it but it's hard to tell. Our axle tubes are a little beefier as well.

At any rate, safe yes.

 

Thanks man. And if its not bent, what are any other possible reasons to cause the tire to be slanted in?

 

Pretty sure its not my driveway because the tire is like that everywhere I go. It's not low tire pressure either.