? about boat trailer

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30.06
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? about boat trailer

Post by 30.06 » Sat Apr 04, 2015 5:32 pm

Hey guys, i inherited my grampas little boat when he passed away. i had to save and purchase a motor, good to go. the trailer is homemade, and i am going through tires at a ridiculous pace. i have had the boat for about a year, and put new tires on when i got it. maybe got 150 miles out of them. they were small 8" tires. so when they went bald, i bought tires on new rims at wally world. i went up to the 12" tires. i have gone maybe another 150 miles and they are bald already in the middle, and if i take it back out they will be threadbare in the middle again. it is a solid trailer built out of steel. and it has some weight to it with the boat on it. the boat is a 13 ft fiberglass v hull john boat. the trailer has one of those small 1" square axles that has a decent amount of rust on it, and leaf springs. i am wondering if the axle needs replaced, or if i need a new trailer. i tried to stop at a local boat dealer today to ask some questions, but they were closed. i go to TA Mahoneys usually for advice, but wanted some opinions from ya'll too. could a bum axle, or bad leaf spring be causing the tires to wear improperly, or do i need to step up to a 13" tire that has more meat to the tire?
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Cr0ck1
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Re: ? about boat trailer

Post by Cr0ck1 » Sat Apr 04, 2015 7:29 pm

Wear in the middle that fast usually means its not tracking well behind you. Swaying side to side.

If they were bald on only the inner or outer id say axle, bearings.

30.06
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Re: ? about boat trailer

Post by 30.06 » Sun Apr 05, 2015 6:40 am

well the trailer appears to track very straight behind me. i have been towing trailers for 22 years, the axle bearings were put on new before i put it on the road. maybe i will have somebody follow me a short distance and see if they notice something i cant. thanks Crock1
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Iluv2hunt
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Re: ? about boat trailer

Post by Iluv2hunt » Sun Apr 05, 2015 7:10 am

Your trailer is not tracking true. The tires are "sliding" instead of rolling straight. It could be one of many things. Axle bent, axle not straight, trailer bent, suspension out of kilter
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30.06
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Re: ? about boat trailer

Post by 30.06 » Sun Apr 05, 2015 10:25 am

well that sounds like 2 votes for the same type of problem. i think the axle is bent, i dont really have the knowledge to know if the other things are having a problem. would i be best off to buy a new trailer and sell this one, i dont have the best budget for these things, and i know an axle is cheaper than a trailer. thanks gents.
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Bossman
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Re: ? about boat trailer

Post by Bossman » Sun Apr 05, 2015 11:16 am

Before you go out and buy another axle, there is a simple check that could be the real problem. The axle might have slipped and causing it not to track correct or maybe built wrong from the get go. First take the boat off the trailer, turn the trailer upside down and take the tires off. Take a tape and measure from the tip of the hitch to the front of each hub. It should be the same, just make sure that you measure the same way on both sides. It could be as simple as adjusting the springs a 1/4" be sure to check this before you go spend money because if the axle isn't bent buying and putting another on won't fix anything. Start with the basics first. To check if the trailer is bent you can level and measure to the floor at each corner. I don't think that it would be that because to would probally be noticable if the trailer was bent. Good luck.

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Re: ? about boat trailer

Post by 30.06 » Thu Apr 16, 2015 4:13 pm

started taking the trailer apart today got it jacked up and on stands and blocks, tires off. the right leaf spring has a broken leaf, and i had my dad follow me to see how it was tracking. he said it tracked fine, but that the tires are toed in. he said the driver side is worse. i also notice it looks like they are not square front to back. i am going to buy new leaf springs, hardware, axle, and tires, and put it together this weekend. should i beef up the springs and axle, or is that unnecessary? instead of that small axle i was maybe gonna go with a 2" and springs that hold another 250#s each.
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Re: ? about boat trailer

Post by Cr0ck1 » Thu Apr 16, 2015 7:02 pm

Bigger and stronger cant hurt!

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Re: ? about boat trailer

Post by 30.06 » Sat Apr 18, 2015 6:39 pm

alrighty, new axle and springs installed, new tires. went to a 2000# axle, and springs that are 935# springs. the guys at ta mahoneys set me right up. took me a little while by myself but i got it done and went for a test tow with dad following again. he said that the tires looked true and straight. gonna take it around the corner to lake thonotasassa tomorrow for a little test and check the tires after i get home from a little boating. hopefully i will be able to run down to cockroach bay, simmons park, and gandy, without having to get another set of tires lol.
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Iluv2hunt
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Re: ? about boat trailer

Post by Iluv2hunt » Tue Apr 21, 2015 12:05 pm

Glad you got it fixed up. I just dropped mine off at a guys house to get the tongue rewelded
I don't hunt turkeys because I want to, I hunt them because I have to. ~Colonel Tom Kelly

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Re: ? about boat trailer

Post by Triple Creek Reaper » Tue Apr 21, 2015 1:19 pm

I had a leaf spring busted on mine and did the same exact thing to the tires. Trailer was tracking behind the truck but tires were rolling/dragging angled. Ripped em up quick. Glad yours is ok, fishing time is here.
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30.06
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Re: ? about boat trailer

Post by 30.06 » Tue Apr 21, 2015 7:02 pm

thanks guys, yes fishing time is here, i will have to see how it does on these tires, but i am sure it will do the trick. now where to put in sat mornin?
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