boat trailer

[dbake]

I purchased a used boat with brand new tires, and after about 2000 miles , on one side the outside edge of the tire is completely worn off. The tire doesn't appear to lean out at the top but I think that it does turn into the trailer towards the front. The tire on the other side shows no signs of wear at all. I can't afford to buy a tire every every three or four fishing trips .Does anyone have any experience with this or know how to fix it? I would prefer not to have to buy an whole new axel. Thanks for the help.

[Phil T.]

Trailer axles are commonly mounted crokked. You can get a rough idea of the alignment by measuring from the hitch cup to each end of the axle. Also measure from the rear end of each frame member to its axle(don't rely only on this easier measurment, you have no gaurantee the frame sides were cut equally). A wheel alingment shop can measure this more accurately. A family I know who has an RV business commonly has to have trailers aligned. There is little quality control in the adult toy industries.
If the axle is bent, replacement axles are easy to buy. Northern Tool and Equipment even stocks them. If your boat is over 16' long, and the axle needs replacing, consider adding brakes to the trailer. You'll love them.

[chadk66]

You mentioned that just one tire was wearing uneven. If you had an axle that was out of alignment, it would seem to me that you would have to have both sides out of alignment therefore causing both tires to wear unevenly. I guess not totally impossible because nothing ever is but seams more like that you may have a bent axle or spindle, or more simply just a bad tire. Ditto on the above post in regards to measuring. This however won't necessarily tell you that your axle is out of align if you get different readings. Could be a bent spindle or axle causing the difference.

[Dodge1]

You need to get your trailer aligned.

The only problem you will find is locating a shop that aligns trailers. I ended up calling every boat dealer in town before I found a shop that does this kind of work. .

[Eye Dog]

Have the wheels aligned $30 to $50 if you can find a shop to do it.
Dog.

[RMB]

Most likely a slightly bent spindle. Unfortunately without replacing it the tire problem will not go away. This is actually a more common problem than most folks realize. It occurs from yanking a loaded trailer up over the end of a concrete ramp, just plain hitting a pothole, or overloading the axle.It is about a $120.00 - $150.00 fix. Where are you located? If your in the Minneapolis area call Crystal Welding in Dayton. These folks are honest, fair and do quality work. They have never let me down yet. Otherwise, find a local outfit near you that builds custom trailers or else find a shop that does frame work on autos. Good luck to ya and tight lines!

[TLY]

The responses thus far seem to be on track. I had a similar situation where spindle got bent in Canada by cutting a corner onto a firelane too close and wheel/spindle hit culvert. It broke several welds and re-aligned spindle/axle. Ubfortunately I didn't catch it til back to Kenora on a Sunday. There are not many places to replace tires or fix trialers on Sunday. End result sounds just like your problem tho. If frame is OK replace underpinnings altho maybe a new or carefully inspected trailer might be just as cheap.

TLY (TLY)

[Arrowhead]

I clipped a barrier post once and bent the axle on my trailer. The tire wore unbelievably fast. I chained the trailer to a hoist. Got a 4 ft piece of iron pipe to put over the spindle and bent it back. No problem since. I can see there could be problems if it is bent too bad and straightening severely weekens it. If the pipe damages the spindle that would be bad and if the material your trailer is made of is too tough for armstrong straitening. It worked for me 2 years ago and it is still working.