# Trailer axle bent?



## bajuski (Apr 9, 2004)

Lake Erie is stirred and the perch fishing sucks anyways so today I figured I would dig into this uneven tire wear on my boat trailer. Both tires are wearing on the inside pretty bad and being 32 years old I don't know if it's worth putting any more money into it. The tops of the tires are cambered inwards pretty good so I figured that the spindles were bent and I would just rotate the axle to get the outside of the tires to make better contact with the ground.
It wasn't much of a job, just remove the 4 ubolts, but after getting it off, I found that the axle wasn't solid like I thought it would be, just hollow square tube. I didn't want to drill another center bolt hole on the opposite side to weaken it even more so I came up with this. Instead of putting the axle back on top of the spring like it was, I put it underneath and torqued the bolts to 60 foot pounds, it felt about right to me. Doing this did take away the inward tilt of the tires.
It is a heavy boat for it's size, a 17 ft 4winns glass boat with a 140 hp gm and an alpha one, my 2 1/2 ton floor jack struggles to just get one wheel off the ground. Now I'm thinking that this may be too much weight for the size trailer? This did raise the boat frame about 2 1/2 inches and my boat just clears the garage door opening. I realize I'll have to back the boat up a little more when I launch but does anyone foresee any other problems I may have? I know some trailers have the axle on top of the spring and some are under. I really don't want to do anything that is unsafe.


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## Eastside Al (Apr 25, 2010)

Im in same issue but only on one side
I think im going to turn the axle around as upsidedown from were its at now
Curious to why did putting the axle on bottom make a difference wont the axle eventually go back to the same angle?


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## bajuski (Apr 9, 2004)

Eastside Al said:


> Im in same issue but only on one side
> I think im going to turn the axle around as upsidedown from were its at now
> Curious to why did putting the axle on bottom make a difference wont the axle eventually go back to the same angle?


Eventually it may, but putting it on from the bottom turned the axle 180 degrees.


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## James30 (Apr 13, 2004)

Any chance the boat is not matched for the trailer weight ? If the boat is too heavy I could see the weight from the inside causing this type of wear.


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## bajuski (Apr 9, 2004)

James30 said:


> Any chance the boat is not matched for the trailer weight ? If the boat is too heavy I could see the weight from the inside causing this type of wear.


Even though this this boat and trailer were bought together new, I'm afraid you are probably right. Another OGF member has an identical boat, his is on a tandem wheel set up with brakes. I guess I'll run it this way for a little while and keep an eye on the tires.


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## backfar (Sep 24, 2014)

If you do a little searching on the internet you will find axles are fairly cheap...i had to replace and axle last year after a spindle broke...long story short for 106 dollars i got a new axle delivered to me door...cant remember the websits...but they have just about any axle you could ever dream of in 1" lengths...hope this helps...


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## backfar (Sep 24, 2014)

www.studybuiltonline.com.... found the place i got mine....good quality and fast shipping


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## Steel-Addicted (Apr 24, 2016)

Hmmm, must have been a popular boat. I have a 1983 17' Four Winns with a 90 Mariner on back. Same color as the op. It's got a single axle trailer.


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## Doboy (Oct 13, 2008)

backfar said:


> www.studybuiltonline.com.... found the place i got mine....good quality and fast shipping


I clicked the link,,,, it won't go.

bajuski,,,, I had the same problem, a while back, both tires. 
I took a heavy duty chain & stretched it out, tire to tier across the concrete floor,,,, wrapped both ends around the 2 leaf spring saddles, u-bolts & axle. Placed my 2 ton floor jack on top of the chain and slowly jacked the arch back into the axle.
I checked the camber & caster 3 or 4 times as I went. 
A 4' or 6' level placed across the tire/ rim works good,,,,, if the fender is off or out-of-the-way.
I had to go beyond plum to get the finished product right.

Another time, I had a friend let his WHOLE aluminum boat fill with water, & freeze. That huge weight bent the spindles on the axle. We had to take the axle off & take it to a semi/ truck repair weld shop,,, rt18, over by Lordstown.
I think that it cost him $60 to get the spindles re-aligned.

BUT, if your under-trailered,,,, I know a guy who has DOZENS of boat trailers sitting around. Some of those trailers have dual axles,,,,, up to 5400# ers. I could fix ya up with a complete axle, with matching tires (old) & rims for about $150. Whole trailer, + - $250 Everything is negotiable!

IF IT WAS ME,,, I'd put duals under that boat! (my fishing friend has a 20'er,,, That sucker is HEAVY!)


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## bajuski (Apr 9, 2004)

backfar said:


> www.studybuiltonline.com.... found the place i got mine....good quality and fast shipping


Thanks backfar, $100 is nothing compared to what we spend on our boats and I would replace it in a minute if I thought that it would fix it. It came with carlisle radial tires and they wore better but I had to constantly replace them every 2 or 3 years because they broke belts (developed bulges). I've been happier with the 6 ply bias tires, but they do wear unevenly for me!


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## bajuski (Apr 9, 2004)

Doboy said:


> I clicked the link,,,, it won't go.
> 
> bajuski,,,, I had the same problem, a while back, both tires.
> I took a heavy duty chain & stretched it out, tire to tier across the concrete floor,,,, wrapped both ends around the 2 leaf spring saddles, u-bolts & axle. Placed my 2 ton floor jack on top of the chain and slowly jacked the arch back into the axle.
> ...


That's a great idea Doboy, do you think a 2 1/2 ton floor jack would be enough? Like I said, even if I replaced the axle it would be just another straight axle with no arch and I would be right back where I started. I'm pushing 70 years of age and fishing lake Erie takes a toll on me so I'll probably be donating this thing next year.


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## bajuski (Apr 9, 2004)

Steel-Addicted said:


> Hmmm, must have been a popular boat. I have a 1983 17' Four Winns with a 90 Mariner on back. Same color as the op. It's got a single axle trailer.


Yeah, I love the boat, it's always been stored in the garage and there's not even one crack anywhere, even in the gel coat. I like the extra width of the hull but being an I/O I'm sure it is much heavier than yours.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Agree with a few others here. 
Being an IO, that boats kinda heavy for a single axle trailer. 
Seems your repairs should work okay as far as tire wear provided caster/camber is set right. But knowing the steel in the axle was bent originally when it was at its strongest and knowing when you bend steel it weakens, I'd say your repairs will last awhile but are temporary. May be a good idea to hook up with DoBoy on a heavier trailer.


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## backfar (Sep 24, 2014)

My tandem axle trailer i have now had Carlisle tires on it...my opinion is they are not good tires...my tires were bubbled and wearing odd...after alot of research on the web, others have problems with Carlisle tires also......i put maxxis tires on and all is good now...they have about 3600 miles on them and look like new


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## backfar (Sep 24, 2014)

http://www.sturdybuiltonline.com/ maybe this link will work??? If it doesn't i have no idea why...try copy link and paste directly into web browser???


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## Doboy (Oct 13, 2008)

bajuski said:


> That's a great idea Doboy, do you think a 2 1/2 ton floor jack would be enough? Like I said, *even if I replaced the axle it would be just another straight axle with no arch and I would be right back where I started.* I'm pushing 70 years of age and fishing lake Erie takes a toll on me so I'll probably be donating this thing next year.


2-1/2 ton? For sure. I've done the 'job' before with a bottle jack.
Why do you say that,,,, another "Straight Axle"?
Put what you want under it.
I have access to 6 or maybe even 8 house trailer/ travel trailer axles,,,,, they all have a preset arch,,, per-weight.
(seems like everybody I talk to on this website, lives 4 hrs away!)
Ya know,,,, IF you lived closer,,,, I'd try to fix ya up.

*lol,,,, DONATING? What motor is in it!? Maybe I should be your new best friend, & FIX IT FOR YOU? ;>)
Let me know,,,, I LOVE TO TRADE stuff,,,,*


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## bajuski (Apr 9, 2004)

Doboy said:


> 2-1/2 ton? For sure. I've done the 'job' before with a bottle jack.
> Why do you say that,,,, another "Straight Axle"?
> Put what you want under it.
> I have access to 6 or maybe even 8 house trailer/ travel trailer axles,,,,, they all have a preset arch,,, per-weight.
> ...



It's a 1985 gm 140 motor with alpha one gen 1 outdrive. I hope to keep it for another year at the most, that's why I don't want to go too far with this thing. Maybe I'm expecting too much, it took 5 years for the tires to get to this point, but still it ain't right. By rotating the axle I have opposite camber than what I had, now tires are further apart on top, until I put weight on wheels. It then goes negative by about a half a bubble. That's probably close enough for me, it is much better than it was. The easiest way I think would be to do as you mentioned before, put an arch in the axle. I've worked on junk all my life so I get what you're saying. I may even throw the tires in my truck and have a tire shop invert them to finish them off.


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## bajuski (Apr 9, 2004)

backfar said:


> My tandem axle trailer i have now had Carlisle tires on it...my opinion is they are not good tires...my tires were bubbled and wearing odd...after alot of research on the web, others have problems with Carlisle tires also......i put maxxis tires on and all is good now...they have about 3600 miles on them and look like new


Yeah backfar, I agree with you Carlisle's are not very good, that's why I went to bias tires. These have been on for 5 years and I know it's recommended that you replace tires every 4 years but I think that's silly. The boat is always garage kept out of the sun and there's no weathering to the tires at all. If it wasn't for uneven wear I could probably get a few more years out of them!


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

Carlisles were junk on mine too. Went with Goodyear Marathons after. You can go up a load range. Say from "D" to "E".


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## little d (Dec 10, 2008)

tomb said:


> Carlisles were junk on mine too. Went with Goodyear Marathons after. You can go up a load range. Say from "D" to "E".


hey guys not saying the axle is not bad but do remember all axles have a bow in them! you cant turn them upside down. them biggest single axle in 5 lug is 3500 lb cap. take the weight of the trailer off and thats and your load cap.


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## bajuski (Apr 9, 2004)

I agree with most of what you're saying except that axles can't be turned. I've done it and I can tell you that it helped in my case. You don't think that that over 32 years springs can weaken, axles lose their arch and spindles get bent? Is replacing with a new one always the answer?
I can tell you that I towed it to Edgewater and back home today, about 50 miles and the tires are now almost straight up and down and it tows much better without sway! And the best part is, I caught some real nice yellow perch.


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## bajuski (Apr 9, 2004)

Thanks for your opinions guys and I'm totally satisfied with it now. I keep stuff for a long time and try to take care of it, my wife for 46 years and I team up cleaning my catch. Here's a pic of one of the fish I caught yesterday, I cut out the fillet and she cuts out the rib cage. This one fish alone will make two nice sandwiches, lol.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

bajuski said:


> Lake Erie is stirred and the perch fishing sucks anyways so today I figured I would dig into this uneven tire wear on my boat trailer. Both tires are wearing on the inside pretty bad and being 32 years old I don't know if it's worth putting any more money into it. The tops of the tires are cambered inwards pretty good so I figured that the spindles were bent and I would just rotate the axle to get the outside of the tires to make better contact with the ground.
> It wasn't much of a job, just remove the 4 ubolts, but after getting it off, I found that the axle wasn't solid like I thought it would be, just hollow square tube. I didn't want to drill another center bolt hole on the opposite side to weaken it even more so I came up with this. Instead of putting the axle back on top of the spring like it was, I put it underneath and torqued the bolts to 60 foot pounds, it felt about right to me. Doing this did take away the inward tilt of the tires.
> It is a heavy boat for it's size, a 17 ft 4winns glass boat with a 140 hp gm and an alpha one, my 2 1/2 ton floor jack struggles to just get one wheel off the ground. Now I'm thinking that this may be too much weight for the size trailer? This did raise the boat frame about 2 1/2 inches and my boat just clears the garage door opening. I realize I'll have to back the boat up a little more when I launch but does anyone foresee any other problems I may have? I know some trailers have the axle on top of the spring and some are under. I really don't want to do anything that is unsafe.


Whenever I hear old fiberglass boat, I hear "waterlogged". Any sort of water intrusion could leave that sucker a lot heavier than you realize. Other than that, I got nothin. 

Also, I probably should have read the whole thread before I replied. Thems some tasty lookin filets!


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