Trailer Axle???

[mick w2]

Hi All,



I was having a look at the hull on my 750 when I noticed the trailer axle...it`s bowed in the middle!!!!



Is this meant to be for tracker trailers? I have never heard of a trailer axle being anything but dead straight.



The tyres are also wearing uneven, the inside inch of both tyres is near bald.



Thanks in advance for replies. Cheers Mick

 

[Mike Clayton]

Mick,

Think it's normal as I have heard of others talking about it and I have a PT 185 with a trailstar trailer and it is bowed too....could be air pressure or balancing needed??



Hope you are able to fix

 

[JP Heintzman]

Mick,



had the same problem with my boat, tracker went cheap on the trailer. Also had the same tire wear issues and really went through the tires. It's only a 1500lb capacity axle, I replaced it with a 3,000 lb capacity axle and never had another issues with abnormal tire wear and it handled much better on the roads as I replaced the springs at the same time. Good luck.



Jim

 

[Bob Whritenour]

Had opposite problem on my tracker trailer...outside edge wear. I'm the second owner - I don't think first guy paid much attention to the air pressure in the nylon tires....I bought radials (Maxis) about two months ago and religiously check the pressure before I go out every time....so far so good. I went through all the "bent axle" stuff already...it's supposed to be that way.

 

[TritonGlenn]

"Bent axles" are NOT supposed to be that way. Any dealer or trailer repair shop who tells you that - don't let them touch your trailer. If your boat is sitting on your trailer and your axle is bent, then it's time for a new axle. If not, you're going to be replacing tires shortly. I monitor my tire wear, and if I see the insides (or outsides) wearing when the rest of the tire it not, it's into a trailer repair shop for a new axle.



Do NOT let them "rebend" your axle. I've seen people do that to save a few bucks. You're going to be be back again, and when you do, add the two trip costs together - you could have just bought a new axle to begin with.



I don't remember the to-the-penny costs because it's been a few years, but I had to replace a 3500lb axle on my last rigs trailer. I bought a new galvanized axle with the brake flanges already mounted for about $150. I took it home, jacked up both sides of my trailer and put them on jack stands, ripped apart the whole assembly and put the new one in. It was actually very easy, and I decided to repack my bearings and replace my brake pads at the same time. I looked online, and you can buy a custom made 3500lb axle for about $200 from several places like this:




http://www.trailerpartsdepot.com/it...alvanized+Axles+3500#+2x2&iTpStatus=0&Tp=&Bc=

 

[mick w2]

Thanks heaps guys,



It`s a new axle for me for sure.



Cheers Mick

 

[Jim B]

What you have is a "cambered" axle on your trailer. The bow is designed in and it should straighten out some when the trailer is loaded.

 

[TritonGlenn]

Jim B,



He said he was looking at the hull of his 750 when he noticed it - which means the boat was already loaded on the trailer when he noticed it was bowed. He also said his tires were completely bald on the inside edge.



So what he has is not a "cambered" axle - it's a bent axle.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Bob Whritenour]

Don't want to get into this argument, but I did a heck of a lot of research on this when I thought my axle was bent. The consensus was that the axle came bowed up from the factory......after I replaced my nylon tires that previous owner did not keep pressurized, I am not experiencing uneven wear.....quite the opposite. Wear is very even. I guess only time will tell.

 

[Dan J.]

Trailstar axles on the smaller series (singles) are load displacement (cambered) axles. Been there, done that, 100 times over.

 

[TritonGlenn]

Rommel,

Not trying to argue with anyone either. It's your trailer - So you should be the one making the decision. I'm just voicing my opinion and going from experience. Great thing about advice - you can pick and choose whose advice you wish to follow... or just ignore all the advice and do what you want to do.



I think about it this way (as it was explained to me by the trailer manufacturing company that built my replacement axle): If you put the right axle on the trailer to begin with, you don't have to "preload" it to adjust for future loads. Plus... how can you be sure that axle will unbend later with the fluctuation of weight?



Take for example, an unloaded boat vs. a fully loaded boat that has a 30 gallon built in gas tank (Like the 750 in this example). With gas weighing approximately 5.8 to 6.5 lbs per gallon according to the US Dept of Energy... how much extra weight is that? Lets use the lower weight to be conservative. Multiplying 5.8 lbs x 30 gallons = 174 lbs. Now are you using a 12, 24, or 36 volt trolling motor setup? I use Trojan SCS200's, so I'm familiar with the weight - 60 lbs each. So you could have 60, 120, or 180 extra lbs, depending on battery setup for your trolling motor. Then factor in the few hundred pounds of equipment that most of us carry - rods, reels, tackle, tool box, anchor, etc....



How do you adjust a "preload" without knowing what the loaded boat will weight? What if the owner is conservative in their loading and doesn't like to put more than half a tank in it because it is faster that way? Then the boat is too light on the trailer and the "preload" causes uneven tire wear on the outside of the tires. Or what if you are like I used to be and want to ensure you have enough gas to go anywhere you want, and you load the boats storage compartments with almost every possible tackle combination? Then you weight much more than the "preload" and you wear out the inside of your tires.



Wouldn't it be better just to get a straight axle that can carry the weight, no matter how you load it?



All the best,

Glenn

 

[TritonGlenn]

Trailstar axles on the smaller series (singles) are load displacement (cambered) axles. Been there, done that, 100 times over.

Dan J,

Not saying you aren't right in this situation - that's probably the answer that Nitro / Tracker was given by Trailstar, and it's the answer they give to their customers. Not trying to argue with that.



But please look at the original poster's issue - I believe his axle is bent DOWN (please correct me if I'm wrong on that Mickus) with his boat on the trailer and his tires are wearing on the inside edge.



If the trailer axle was "designed" to do that... I'd say that's a pretty piss-poor design, wouldn't you?



What would you rather do - take the manufacturers word for it and continue to replace tires every year or so because they are wearing out on the inside or outside edges... or replace your axle once with something much more heavy duty and make your tires last for years?



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Dan J.]

If it's bowed up towards hull (slightly arched) it's like a thousand or more I've seen just like it, and not exclusive to Tracker. Installed correctly on the frame with full inflation should produce even tire wear at average prescribed load. (Balancing tires will help as well and ease wear on hubs/bearings.) If not, something's a miss. (Tow/alignment, inflation, spindle(s) bent, etc..) Just speaking from my experience.

 

[byron cooley]

Bowed up axle is normal on most small single axle trailers for the last 8-10 years. The key to even tire wear on these is to tow with the trailer level and the tires at max air.

 

[mick w2]

Hi All,



I`ve been away chasing big Barramundi and just got back to check out the replies to this one.



I do believe that the axle is supposed to be bowed up in the middle....I removed it from the trailer and noted a small rectangular imprint on the axle ( I assume from a press) having said that I`m with TritonGlenn, not a great design IMO.



I think I will proceed with a new axle (3000lb capacity) and I`ll never have to give it another thought.



PS; I was wondering if the axles are designed to "Level Out" with load, wouldn`t that cause the spring assemble to move??? and the springs are fixed solid????



Cheers Mick