boat trailer repair

[kevfish1]

My tires on my boat trailer have been wearing very poorly to the point I have had to put new ones on every year for the past 3 years. Where is a good place to have the trailer worked on to resolve this. I live in southwest mn but realize I may have ro drive a few hours to get fixed

[fishingstar]

is your boat to heavy for your trailer?

[kevfish1]

No, I went 12 years on the 1st set of tires with no issues.

[loadmaster]

Same problem. New boat and trailer tires lasted two seasons. Wear out on the edges. Dealer replaced tires the first time and checked with manufacturer and they recommended to take some measurements which were spot on Tried different brands and made tire pressure was correct before every outing still same problem. Another dealer, one that does carry my boat, thinks the boat is to heavy for the trailer after adding all the gear and a full tank of gas. My dealer says that's not right. So now I just buy the cheapest tire I can find

[delcecchi]

Same problem. New boat and trailer tires lasted two seasons. Wear out on the edges. Dealer replaced tires the first time and checked with manufacturer and they recommended to take some measurements which were spot on Tried different brands and made tire pressure was correct before every outing still same problem. Another dealer, one that does carry my boat, thinks the boat is to heavy for the trailer after adding all the gear and a full tank of gas. My dealer says that's not right. So now I just buy the cheapest tire I can find

Calculating the issue should be easy. What is the load capacity rating of the tire(s)? What does the complete rig weigh? Can you find a scale to weigh it? Or add up the components, boat, motor, trailer, gas, batteries, trolling motor etc. How does the total compare to the rating of the tires?

What is the trailer rated at?

Not rocket science. Just adding up some numbers. The capacity of the tires is on the side of the tire.

[yoppdk]

I've got the same issue. I'm pretty sure mine was caused by a bent trailer axle. It took a few years to figure it out, but I remember back over and hitting a chunk of a ramp slab that had been pushed up by winter ice. At the time I didn't worry about it, but the result was a slight tweak in the center of my trailer axle, which caused the tires to "toe-in". Next time you have your boat off the trailer, have a look at your axle and see if it has any bend to it. It doesn't take much of a bend to put the wheels out of line.

[kevfish1]

i know something is bent because there is no adjustment to these. The question is who can a guy bring it to to get it repaired>

[TrollnDrift]

Did anyone check the wheel bearings? they occasionally work loose and could cause this, I would think that a shop would check that first though.

[TrollnDrift]

Also there is an easy way to measure if your axle is bent. I do it at work a lot. You will need a set of jack stands, a jack, a scribe, and a tape measure. First jack up the axle and set it on the jack stands. Then I would check the bearings by trying to wiggle the tires/hub assembly. If tight then you will want to spin the tire and use the scribe to make a nice visible line in the tire on both the left and right side tires. t helps to have a rest for the scribe so it doesnt wander around that is very important for the line to be straight. The last step is to measure between the front and back of the tires to see if the measurements are the same. You would also want to measure between the top and bottom. All the measurements should be the same. On the trailers i work on we are happy within 1/8" but a small boat trailer may be more picky.

Hope that helps someone.

Erik

[Jeremy airjer W]

Also there is an easy way to measure if your axle is bent. I do it at work a lot. You will need a set of jack stands, a jack, a scribe, and a tape measure. First jack up the axle and set it on the jack stands. Then I would check the bearings by trying to wiggle the tires/hub assembly. If tight then you will want to spin the tire and use the scribe to make a nice visible line in the tire on both the left and right side tires. t helps to have a rest for the scribe so it doesnt wander around that is very important for the line to be straight. The last step is to measure between the front and back of the tires to see if the measurements are the same. You would also want to measure between the top and bottom. All the measurements should be the same. On the trailers i work on we are happy within 1/8" but a small boat trailer may be more picky.

Hope that helps someone.

Erik

Great tip! Thanks for sharing!

[Northlander]

Get a good set of radials. Made a world of difference for me. Ill never buy another carlisle tire again. 3 sets I had all were junk.

[lumpy]

I went to a shop that services big trailers and had my axle realigned then bought a new set of radials, all after the trailer tires were wearing on one side of the tire. This isn't something boat dealers do, you have to research for shops that do this. There are a few that do this, I remember one in Shakopee and another in Inver Grove Heights, I think it was Kremer if I remember right.

[Pat K]

I've had skid loader trailer axles straightened and trailer alignment done at Kraemer Spring in Inver Grove.

[bassfshin24]

I might have a bent axle as well. What does something like that cost to have it straightened?

[Pat K]

It's been a few years but I think an alignment ran between $100. and $150. depending on the GVW of the trailer. Having an axle staightened at the same time as an alignment was about $75. more.

[TrollnDrift]

I would think with some good judgement you could do it yourself. It proly wouldn't take much more than a porta power, a couple heavy beams, and patience. However straightening axles is the only thing we send out at my work. We work on semi trailers though.

[kevfish1]

I did some checking and found a new axel is 250. I am just going to buy a new axel

[Tom7227]

I did some checking and found a new axel is 250. I am just going to buy a new axel

But what if the problem isn't the axel? Could it be a bent shackle? A bent trailer frame? Although I don't quite understand the post about using a scribe to measure things it would seem prudent to do a bit more diagnosis before making decisions on what needs to be done. The scribe process seems pretty straightforward if you can figure out how to do it. I would like to get a better description of the scribing device.

[Macgyver55]

I would like to get a better description of the scribing device.

A tire scribe doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a stationary object with a point that you can lean against the tire and spin it to leave a mark around the circumference of the tire. After you have the mark on the tire you simply measure the distance in the front of the tire and again on the rear of the tire (from line to line) to see if the distance is the same. It's basically a "poor man's" way to check toe in.

[kevfish1]

So do you scribe a line on the inner sidewall of the tire? Or the tread

[delcecchi]

I envision a board, a c-clamp and a ball point pen to make the mark on the tread.

Then with a mark around each tire you measure top and bottom and front and back to tell if the wheels are parallel to each other.

You could probably do it by just making one mark and rotating the tires as you measure, although the circumference mark lets you measure with the wheels on the ground which is easier.

[Macgyver55]

Quote:

So do you scribe a line on the inner sidewall of the tire? Or the tread

On the tread, near the center of the tire. Jack up the wheel and spin it slowly while the scribe leaves a mark on the tread. Then use that mark as your measuring point, but first lower it back down so the weight is on the axle when you measure. Trying to mark the tire in some way while on the ground would not be as accurate.

[TrollnDrift]

On the tread, near the center of the tire. Jack up the wheel and spin it slowly while the scribe leaves a mark on the tread. Then use that mark as your measuring point, but first lower it back down so the weight is on the axle when you measure. Trying to mark the tire in some way while on the ground would not be as accurate.

Sounds like you've got it figured out!

[Tom7227]

But couldn't the problem still be something like a worn shackle or something else with the springs? If the damage was done by hooking a wheel at a launch it would seem to me that there is a likelihood of something like that. I don't know how an axle can get bent short of a dramatic overload or hitting a large rock or something.

[TrollnDrift]

If the shackles or springs were bad it would only cause the trailer to dog track. The axle itself holds the tires in alignment to each other and causes the wear. Unless of course the tire wear was from tires rubbing on a fender or frame component.

[kevfish1]

So I did this as you described. I did it 4 times just to make sure. Each time I found that the front of the tire distance was 1/4" further apart than the rear of the tire. Is 1/4 inch enough to cause this severe tire wear on the inner side? And if it is should I just get a new axel?