I bought a used drift boat this spring and have put around 2k miles on the trailer and last week I noticed something odd. Both tires have a section of the tire on the inner half that is wearing different than the rest of the tire. Meaning its more bald
I took it to a shop and they said my axel was bent/twisted due to the boat riding too far back on the trailer causing not enough tongue weight. So when I was going over bumps and roads the bot wasn’t centered over the axel.
I had a buddy say that doesn’t sound right. Can anyone confirm if this is a likely cause. Thanks!
I don’t know about positioning of the boat on the trailer but it should be placed so that the tongue weight is within ratings. The weight on the tongue is what makes the trailer tow straight. To much or to little (little is worse) and the trailer will swing back and forth.
As far as the axle being bent, it happens, more than you think. Put a straight edge on it and see for yourself. The tire wear is indicative of a bent axle.
Use a piece of string for the straight edge. Have someone hold one end at one end of the axle and you hold the other. Work your way around the axle and at some point the string will be away from the bend and opposite that it will touch.
If you use a 1" block on the ends to hold the string 1" away from the axle, at one point it will be farther than 1" and one point be closer. Measuring the difference from the block thickness will tell you how bent it is.
Replacing an axle is not that hard and not as expensive as you may be thinking. State Trailer Supply or better yet, Henderson wheel and trailer supply.
My dad and I have straightened (aligned) them before. First you have to do as I said above and mark where the bend is and which way it’s bent. Then you have to have an anchor point or 2 to chain the axle into place on.
Then using a floor or bottle jack you jack the bent point until the axle is straight. DO NOT APPLY HEAT, as this will weaken the axle and it will bend again.
This is where shops have the advantage. They can put the trailer on a rack and chain it into place much easier than having no rack is. My dad had a big eye bolt cemented into the floor of the garage. I cannot tell you the number of times I wanted to cut that thing off after having tripped over it, but we promised ourselves we never would, as long as it held when we needed it. Made the garage like a giant press if you used it right.
It has been my experience that often they don’t balance trailer tires. I would think that is something that should be checked out if you have a tire/wheel that needs to be balanced.
Even with a new axle you may have alignment problems. I had a boat trailer wearing tires weird and someone recommended these folks to me. They align trailer tires from small utility all the way up to semis. They are fair priced and will explain the problems to you. I had a problem with a 3 place atv trailer. Took it to them they hooked it up yo their computer, bent the axle to the right shape. Put on new tires problem solved.
Alignment Specialists
2141 S 1260 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84119 · ~7 mi
