Trailer tires problem (Bend axle)?

[Boldasu]

I wonder if anyone know why on my trailer both tires worn so bad in the interior.A mechanic at the I90 marine in Issaquah told me is normal and i shouldn't be worried but i have to change them at every 4000 miles or so. And some other mechanic told me i should change the axle,he thinks is bend but didn't do any measurements though .It's a one axle ez loader for my 172 Ultima Smokercraft.Any advise?Did anyone encounter the same problem?

[Bodofish]

There is castor and camber built into the axels so generally what goes wrong is people don't spend the time to get the trailer towing level behind their rigs. As a general rule the frame should be set to level with the boat on it and loaded. The tongue should be lowered to 1' below level. That is where it should sit when it is hooked to the hitch. If the procedure is followed most people feel a great difference when towing, the boat and trailer will become very stable and track right behind you. So what happened to your tires? When the tongue is not in the right place it changes the caster and camber of the wheels, wearing the tread out faster on the inside or the outside.

[BentRod]

Although in general I agree with Bodo, you still could have an axel problem that is exacerbating the tire wear. If you are wondering, you can have a frame & alignment shop check it out. It's usually relatively cheap. I had a travel trailer with two axels fixed at American Frame and Alignment in Kent a few years ago for about $100 per axel. Might be worth a call.

[AJ's Dad]

A typical axle on any trailer will have a crown in the axle. In the correct position, the axle would look slightly bent with the high point being in the center. When the load is applied to the axle, in this case when the boat is loaded on the trailer, the weight of the load will push down on the axle and flatten the crown a little. When the right axle is used with the load being applied, the flex in the axle should make the tires sit flat to the road surface.
Has the axle on your boat ever been removed? If it has, it's possible that it was not reinstalled correctly. If the axle is rotated, it would cause the tires to sit wrong on the road surface and create the problem you are having. It sounds to me like the axle might be upside down. This could also be caused by putting a boat on the trailer that is too heavy. If the trailer did not come with this boat originally that may be the issue. For example, if the trailer was originally matched with an aluminum boat and a much heavier fiberglass boat was put on the trailer, the axle would sag and cause the problem.

Hope this helps

[FishingFool]

Maybe your boat is too heavy for your trailer.

[Boldasu]

I got the boat new in 2011 is a Smokercraft 172 ultima and came with the Ez loader trailer and the axle is EZ-Loader Drop Center 2" 2700 lb.The axle was never removed from my trailer and the trailer had only have my boat on it.The trailer had the
Fold-Away Tongue and had a little movement up in down at the Fold-away coupler hinge when i lift up the tongue,the bolts doesn't seem to be worn out but still have movement .Could that be the problem?is that normal ?Or should i change the fold a way coupler?Thanks

[Bodofish]

Naw I doubt there's any problem with the trailer. Boat trailers are notorious for tires going fast especially if they sit for log periods. As I said earlier, the first step is to check to see if the trailer is at the right angle. Are the tires radials or biased? if they're biased a few thousand is not unreasonable. There's a lot of forces on a smallish tire. When they sit the tires get flat spots and the cords get stretched, when you roll again they really work against each other. Take a look at the tires and the ratings and do the math, make sure they're in the mid to lower end of the weight range. Remember the rating is for the weight on a single tire, so half of your loaded weight. The other recommendation I'll give you is to replace both tires at the same time, if one went the other is not far behind. Tire manufactures used to make just crap tires for recreational user, they knew they were statistically only going to see a few hundred miles a year and coupled with the uv damage from the sun they were going to be replaced long before the tread ever wore so they just didn't care. Check the angle on the trailer, buy a new set of proper radials and watch the tread. If they start to wear funny take it to an axel shop and have them check it out. Good trailer tires are not cheap, the last ones I bought were a little better than a C note each. Don't use car tires, very bad idea. Get that trailer rolling and put the boat in the water! Have fun!

[MotoBoat]

Another possibility is boat trailers are engineered to have built in adjustable locations for axles, bunks, roller, and winch stand. So, one trailer could fit several, different hull and length boat designs.

With that said. The axle could be offset on the trailer frame rails. Which would cause tire scrub. That would wear a tire much quicker than it should. But, I would think one tire would wear on the inside, and the other would wear on the outside. Depending on which way the axle was uneven. Driver side forward, would scrub the outside of that tire, and inside of the passenger side trailer tire.

But you mentioned tire wear was on the inside of both tires. Which, would point to a axle that is overloaded, somehow twisting, or concave instead of crowned. Is this a torsion suspension trailer or leaf springs?

Another thought, has the trailer been jacked up to check the bearing slop adjustment? This would cause tire wear on the inside of both wheels. If both had wheel bearing slop.

[AJ's Dad]

You might just take a look at he crown of the axle. If it has one, as I said, the high point should be at the top in the center. I worked in the trailer manufacturing industry for over 30 years and I know how easy it is for a mistake to be made. It sounds like your trailer has had this issue since it was new. It's possible it was assembled incorrectly at the EZ Loader factory, which incidentally is less than a block from my current work place.

[MotoBoat]

You might just take a look at he crown of the axle. If it has one, as I said, the high point should be at the top in the center. I worked in the trailer manufacturing industry for over 30 years and I know how easy it is for a mistake to be made. It sounds like your trailer has had this issue since it was new. It's possible it was assembled incorrectly at the EZ Loader factory, which incidentally is less than a block from my current work place.

I bet you have some interesting stories to tell, from 30 years of trailer manufacturing history.

[FishingFool]

I got the boat new in 2011 is a Smokercraft 172 ultima and came with the Ez loader trailer and the axle is EZ-Loader Drop Center 2" 2700 lb.The axle was never removed from my trailer and the trailer had only have my boat on it.The trailer had the
Fold-Away Tongue and had a little movement up in down at the Fold-away coupler hinge when i lift up the tongue,the bolts doesn't seem to be worn out but still have movement .Could that be the problem?is that normal ?Or should i change the fold a way coupler?Thanks

A little slop appears to be normal. I have some on my fold-away.

It seems the axle should be sufficient. According to specs, dry weight of your boat is 1350 lbs. Don't know what motor you have, but if you got the max HP, it's going to be about 450 lbs. Guessing 3 batteries, so that's ~150lbs. Full tank of gas (~20+) gallons is about ~150lbs. Tackle and odds and ends will probably only add up to another 100lbs or so. Well under the 2700 lb rating.

What kind of tires? Carlisle? 13" or 14" tires? Balanced? I had some odd tire wear patterns on my trailer when I bought it from the previous owner. I put on new Maxxis tires and balanced them. They look great still after ~2 years.

[Bodofish]

Trailer tires are never balanced.

[MotoBoat]

Trailer tires are never balanced.

That is an interesting point! Why not?

When riding in a vehicle, is tire balancing all about feature comfort?

Unbalanced tires causes excessive vibration? Uneven tire wear? annoying squeaks, and rattles?

Why are these not concerns of a boat trailer?

Is it common for all things towed, to have unbalanced tires?

[Boldasu]

Another possibility is boat trailers are engineered to have built in adjustable locations for axles, bunks, roller, and winch stand. So, one trailer could fit several, different hull and length boat designs.

With that said. The axle could be offset on the trailer frame rails. Which would cause tire scrub. That would wear a tire much quicker than it should. But, I would think one tire would wear on the inside, and the other would wear on the outside. Depending on which way the axle was uneven. Driver side forward, would scrub the outside of that tire, and inside of the passenger side trailer tire.

But you mentioned tire wear was on the inside of both tires. Which, would point to a axle that is overloaded, somehow twisting, or concave instead of crowned. Is this a torsion suspension trailer or leaf springs?

Another thought, has the trailer been jacked up to check the bearing slop adjustment? This would cause tire wear on the inside of both wheels. If both had wheel bearing slop.

Is a leaf springs trailer,no was never jacked up to check the bearing slop adjustment

[Boldasu]

I got the boat new in 2011 is a Smokercraft 172 ultima and came with the Ez loader trailer and the axle is EZ-Loader Drop Center 2" 2700 lb.The axle was never removed from my trailer and the trailer had only have my boat on it.The trailer had the
Fold-Away Tongue and had a little movement up in down at the Fold-away coupler hinge when i lift up the tongue,the bolts doesn't seem to be worn out but still have movement .Could that be the problem?is that normal ?Or should i change the fold a way coupler?Thanks

A little slop appears to be normal. I have some on my fold-away.

It seems the axle should be sufficient. According to specs, dry weight of your boat is 1350 lbs. Don't know what motor you have, but if you got the max HP, it's going to be about 450 lbs. Guessing 3 batteries, so that's ~150lbs. Full tank of gas (~20+) gallons is about ~150lbs. Tackle and odds and ends will probably only add up to another 100lbs or so. Well under the 2700 lb rating.

What kind of tires? Carlisle? 13" or 14" tires? Balanced? I had some odd tire wear patterns on my trailer when I bought it from the previous owner. I put on new Maxxis tires and balanced them. They look great still after ~2 years.

I have the 130 hp Envirude on the boat,the tires are ST185/80R13 i just put on new ones Good Year,and i had the Same Good Year before.The boat came new with Carlisle on it and now is a spare tire

[Boldasu]

I think the best thing to do is to go to a trailer shop and have them check the trailer and see what's need to be done in order to enjoy my time on the water
Thanks everyone for your help

[FishingFool]

Trailer tires are never balanced.

Why not? It's round. It's rotating. Why wouldn't you want it balanced?

[Bodofish]

Just don't, I've been asking the same question for over 30 years, starting as a yard and tire monkey for a large gravel and trucking company, Sumas Trucking. We never balanced the trailer tires there. I thought I'd push the question again when I replaced the tires on my boat trailer (My $) and I got the same answer from the boat dealer and two tire shops, it's not necessary with trailer tires, the most detailed answer I got was, they aren't steering or powering. So for the next few months I spent looking at every trailer tire running down the road, I couldn't see any flailing tires so...... All three of my sources I'd trust completely, I've been doing business with them for years. So if a tire store is wanting you to pay for balancing, I'd give them the wooly eye...... While walking out the door cause sure as rain, they're F...ing you somewhere.....

[MotoBoat]

Just don't, I've been asking the same question for over 30 years, starting as a yard and tire monkey for a large gravel and trucking company, Sumas Trucking. We never balanced the trailer tires there. I thought I'd push the question again when I replaced the tires on my boat trailer (My $) and I got the same answer from the boat dealer and two tire shops, it's not necessary with trailer tires, the most detailed answer I got was, they aren't steering or powering. So for the next few months I spent looking at every trailer tire running down the road, I couldn't see any flailing tires so...... All three of my sources I'd trust completely, I've been doing business with them for years. So if a tire store is wanting you to pay for balancing, I'd give them the wooly eye...... While walking out the door cause sure as rain, they're F...ing you somewhere.....

My tire balancing experience has been the same as bodo's. When it comes to purchasing trailer tires of any kind. I am told it is your choice but balancing is not recommended. Even so, my gut feeling tells me "why not, how could it hurt"? In fact, how could tire balancing do anything but benefit the tire, and whatever is on the receiving end of all that vibration?