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Is there any place in Louisville/Southern Indiana to take a trailer to check its alignment? Mine is eating tires and I haven't been able to narrow it down. I have checked for axle straightness, squareness, etc. Bearings and hubs appear ok. Wheels are balanced. Trailer rides smooth and stays right behind truck. Thanks.
Joe
Joe,
I'm having the EXACT same problem, my trailer ate a brand new set of wheels up in one trip to Hardy Lake last Nov. My problem is the axle, it's bent just enough to barely be noticable. It actually spits out the lug nuts as I'm running down the road...going to Tractor Supply tomorrow or Wed. to buy new axle and accesories.
I would guess your axle is probably bent just enough to burn the tires up in short order. I don't know who to recommend though, I'm doing my own.
[QUOTE=Fisherjoe;443542]Is there any place in Louisville/Southern Indiana to take a trailer to check its alignment? Mine is eating tires and I haven't been able to narrow it down. I have checked for axle straightness, squareness, etc. Bearings and hubs appear ok. Wheels are balanced. Trailer rides smooth and stays right behind truck. Thanks.
Joe[/QUOTE]
I know that American Boat in Jeffersonville sends them off to someone local. You might call them and ask who?
221 Wall Street
Jeffersonville, IN 47130-3315
(812) 283-5962
Thanks guys.
Measure from the tip of the hitch to each side of the center of the axle. They should be the same.
Jim
Contact an Auto body shop with a frame machine, several years ago I had the same problem, contacted local body shop and the old man that worked there stated that he could fix the bent axle and did.
[QUOTE=wamp;443989]Contact an Auto body shop with a frame machine, several years ago I had the same problem, contacted local body shop and the old man that worked there stated that he could fix the bent axle and did.[/QUOTE]
I took the trailer to Tony's on Poplar Level Rd (Louisville, KY). They come highly recommended by several people I trust.
Everything checked out OK with the trailer. Axle was square and in alignment. Wheels were square and true. Bearings were good. Trailer tracks 3/4" to the left, but they said that is not a problem. They suggested, and I have suspected, that there may be an issue with the rims, such as being out of round. I have noticed in the past that some tires have required several ounces of lead(6 or 7) when balanced. I have had several different brands and types (radial and bias) of tires. All have been trailer tires, not cheapos, and rated for correct weight or higher. I'm going to swap out rims to see if it helps. Any other ideas?
By the way, the service guy, Ron, spent about 90 minutes working on the trailer and picking my brain (that part didn't take long) and they did not charge me a dime. I expected to at least pay a minimum service charge (and would have done so gladly) so I was very surprised and happy. I'll definitely go back if I have any more issues.
Joe
This is what can happen to your trailer tire if the Wheel fails. Here the metal on the inside of the wheel came off the wheel and the tire fell off the trailer while I was going down the road at 40 mph. So I ended up getting three new wheels and tires for the boat trailer last fall.
[IMG]http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j404/moveon100/Wheel-off-Trailer.jpg[/IMG]