Boat Trailer Help

[Lammboy]

Hi Everyone,

I have a problem with my boat trailer that I would like to get fixed before open water season starts. Here is the situation and hopefully you guys can point me in the right direction.

I have a 18.5ft Monark King and a Karavan bunk trailer. last year while backing up to park the boat I hit a post with the trailer. I hit it hard enough to break the plastic fender off of the trailer. I looked over it and besides the plastic fender everthing looked ok. Obviously it was not. Later in the year I noticed the tire on the side where I hit the post was wearing very heavy on the outside of the tire while the other side was wearing on the inside of the tire (although not nearly as much as the tire that got struck). I thought well maybe I just need new tires so I purchased new tires for both sides of the trailer and everything seemed ok.

I took a trip up north with the boat and on the way home one of my bearings went out. It happened on the side that got struck. We stopped and I was able to get parts and replace the bearing and race ok. When I did get home I noticed that the tire was again very bald on the outside of the tire.

So I did some research on here and the internet and most people seem to think I need an alignment on the trailer, A new axle, Or my u joints are uneven. I tried measuring my axle from the Ujoint to the back of the trailer and it does seem like one side is farther back then the other(less than a 1/4inch). I've looked online for some places that do boat trailer repair and all I ever come up with are Big Semi trailer repair places and CPIer.Z marine. Can anyone shoot me some advice or pm me a reputable trailer shop that could help me out with this? I am by no means a mechanic but i'm not all that non mechanical either. I do my own bearings on the trailer after using the guides on this site(which are great btw)...I just want to be sure this gets done right as I don't want to have to buy multiple tires this year.

Thanks.

[Surface Tension]

There are shops that will do trailer alignment.

Measuring the distance from tongue to each axle is one thing to check. If the spindle got bent on the axle that won't show up in the measurement. A 1/4" bend there would have a much more negative effect then then the other point of measure.

[Lammboy]

Do you know of any shops in the metro area? Should I just take it to a boat dealer who has service?

[Nutty Fisherman]

I would think any boat dealer that has a shop could fix it for you.

If you look at the frame of the trailer can you see where maybe the axle moved on the side you hit. If you can't see anything I would say axel is bent.

[Pat K]

I had a trailer re-aligned at Kremer Spring in Inver Grove a few years ago. I don't recall the cost but the tires wore evenly and it trailed better after the alignment.

[Hafnutz]

Crystal Welding over on the west side of town could fix ya up.

[Charley]

Handy hitch in Maplewood hwy. 61&36. They been around a long time

they can fix anything on a trailer usaully same day service first come first serv.

[Dozer]

Is it a tandem axle trailer? Sounds like a bent axle to me, the tires arnt pointed in the same direction any more and are fighting each other.

[Lammboy]

It is a single axle trailer.

I have made an appointment with Kremer Spring for next week. Thanks for all the help everyone and I will let you know what happens!