spartan trailer help

[Guest]

I am trying to fix up my mother-in-Law's boat. she has a Spartan roller trailer about 1990 vintage. The trailer is eating tires up way too fast. QUESTION: it appears that the axle may be bent. It has a bend in what appears to be the center of the axle that looks like it is causing the tires to ride on the outside edge ever so slightly. Do spartan tailers have a bend in the axle or is it time to get a new axle? Do I need to get one from a spartan dealer? or I can use other brands?
TIA,
Tom

[ricbak]

Tom I just purchased a new (2000) sparton trailer this spring to replace my older one and after looking i see the axil bend is down, my trailer is of the 1600lb class and the axil is also mounted on top of the springs which make for a close fender to the tires, it would be best to contact sparton or a dealer and go from there, i have had freinds get there boat trailers aligned at a frontend alignment shop before, just my .02 worth. ricbak

[This message has been edited by ricbak (edited 07-09-2002).]

[Guest]

I am trying to fix up my mother-in-Law's boat. she has a Spartan roller trailer about 1990 vintage. The trailer is eating tires up way too fast. QUESTION: it appears that the axle may be bent. It has a bend in what appears to be the center of the axle that looks like it is causing the tires to ride on the outside edge ever so slightly. Do spartan tailers have a bend in the axle or is it time to get a new axle? Do I need to get one from a spartan dealer? or I can use other brands?
TIA,
Tom

[Dave]

I don't know specifically about Spartan boat trailers. My observation/experience on trailer axle bend in general is this. The axle "bend" should point towards the top off the trailer. When weight is placed on the trailer, the axle bend will come out; thus letting the tires straighten out. Maybe your trailer capacity is too heavy for the load you're carrying? Not enough weight to straighten the axle and tire's.

[musky hunter]

Examine the tires. If you're tires are wearing unevenly, that will shorten their life. You should also check for proper alignment. A good tire shop should be able to advise you. Tires on that trailer should go many thousands of miles before needing replacement. If indeed a bent axel is the problem, a machine shop with a good hydraulic press may be able to straighten it economically. Shafts of all kinds are routinely straighted in machine shop operations.

[Guest]

The Boat on the trailer is a 1979 Lund pike 16 ft.with a 40 HP Yamaha (not too heavy,I guess). The trailer has springs that the axle is bolted to(the top of the springs). The trailer was bought new to replace a bunk style trailer. So it is possible that she bought a trailer for a much heavier boat. The tire shop was the place that showed me the bend, they were not sure if it should be there. They also suggested that I consider mounting the axle on the underside of the springs to increase the clearance on the fenders. What do you think?
Tom