Trailer/boat capacity from factory

[wired1236]

I am having tread wear issues with my trialer tires (single axle). The trailer is what came with the boat from the dealer and I bought them used 2yrs ago. I believe the tires to be stock as the local dealer sales the same boat/trialer/tire combo as mine still today. Anyway, I have excess wear and feathering on the outside one one of the sides of the trialer. It's been doing this since I got it but it's to the point that I will have to replace the tire so I am getting the trialer checked for alignment at a local trailer manufacture/service center. I made my own measurements and I think it's about 1/2" off on the one side but it's hard for me to be very accurate. There's no noticable bounce or crab walking when towing.

I starting thinking too about loads. I keep the tires at max 50lbs. I also weighed the weight on the axle when connected to the truck and it came up 3350lbs and tounge weight of 400lbs. The GVWR of the trailer is 2999lbs. The GAWR is 3730lbs. The tires limit is 1760ea so with all of this, the trailer is very near it's limits with 3/4 tank of gas and nothing else in the boat as is. I know putting much else in the boat puts me just over the limit but I don't think this is the main or only reason for my abnormal wear. I see lots of the same boat/trialer combo around that I have and find it hard to believe we all have the same problem.

Thoughts? I'm thinking bent axle or spindle? Or maybe even misaligned springs from the factory since there isn't any "adjustment" on these trailers.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Trailer/boat capacity from factory

I am having tread wear issues with my trialer tires (single axle). The trailer is what came with the boat from the dealer and I bought them used 2yrs ago. I believe the tires to be stock as the local dealer sales the same boat/trialer/tire combo as mine still today. Anyway, I have excess wear and feathering on the outside one one of the sides of the trialer. It's been doing this since I got it but it's to the point that I will have to replace the tire so I am getting the trialer checked for alignment at a local trailer manufacture/service center. I made my own measurements and I think it's about 1/2" off on the one side but it's hard for me to be very accurate. There's no noticable bounce or crab walking when towing.

I starting thinking too about loads. I keep the tires at max 50lbs.

What is the recommended tire pressure on the sidewall?



I also weighed the weight on the axle when connected to the truck and it came up 3350lbs and tounge weight of 400lbs. The GVWR of the trailer is 2999lbs. The GAWR is 3730lbs.

Looks like 3350 plus 400= 3750, so are you not over the GAWR already?

The tires limit is 1760ea so with all of this, the trailer is very near it's limits with 3/4 tank of gas and nothing else in the boat as is. I know putting much else in the boat puts me just over the limit but I don't think this is the main or only reason for my abnormal wear. I see lots of the same boat/trialer combo around that I have and find it hard to believe we all have the same problem.

Thoughts? I'm thinking bent axle or spindle? Or maybe even misaligned springs from the factory since there isn't any "adjustment" on these trailers.

Are your tires radials or bias ply?

Looks like you need a bigger trailer with higher load rated tires.

 

[wired1236]

Re: Trailer/boat capacity from factory

I have radial on it now. I got a bias tire as a spare and tried it for a few hundred miles and it showed the same symtoms. Both tires rated for 1760lbs. After I get the trailer measured by the manufacture, I am definatley looking into what it will take to get a higher rated tire. I can get a 1870lb rated tire in a 14" but that only gives me a couple of hundred more pounds. I would have to go to a 15" tire to get a a significant increase in load cap which means new rims too.

50lbs is max on all tire I have.

I thought that too, that I am over the GVWR but it's odd that they posted the GAWR higher??? Do you really think they would sell mass boats with these trailers knowing that they are over the GVWR or is the GVWR really telling you the max load that trailer can handle which is just the weight of the load, not including the trailer weight?

Since the tires are showing wear on the OUTside and they are feathering, not the inside, my gut is still telling me it's an alighnment issue and not a weight issue. I agree that the weight isn't helping matters any but I would expect that if it was just a weight issue that the tires would show significant wear on the inside of the tires due to the axle bowing.

 

[glrichards]

Re: Trailer/boat capacity from factory

Alignment or bent axel .

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Trailer/boat capacity from factory

Axle weight rating is the capacity of the AXLE. It is only one value that determines how much weight the trailer can safely haul. 3730# is what the axle can handle. However, an axle also requires springs and tires for the trailer to be actually used. If the tire sidewall says the tire can support 1760# then the maximum load including the trailer is 3520# not 3730#. The next number is 2990# which you say is specified as the GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating). Note that this is one pound less than 3000 which just happens to be the weight at which many states require brakes and I'll venture a guess that yours does not have them. So the manufacturer is telling you the all up weight of this rig is really 2999# regardless of tire size and axle rating. You have no idea what the spring capacity is so those are the fourth number to consider. The long and short of this is that 2999 is very likely specified because of the brake issue and nothing else. As it sits you have an all up wieght of 3750# on a trailer that has a 2999# GVWR so you are about 750# over weight. Generally, boat manufacturers don't make their trailers -- dealers package the boat and trailer. Obviously they want the cheapest trailer to get the price point. As a result, that means they must choose a trailer that is very close to the maximum load capacity with the boat installed. This almost always is not in your favor.

 

[fat fanny]

Re: Trailer/boat capacity from factory

You know Silvertip all that info brings up a very good point to those about to purchase a new rig from a dealer. When a consumer is considering a new rig these calculations need to be on thier mind and used as a chip to deal when talking about the final purchase prise of a trailer boat combo. Now knowing and keeping that in mind I would most definatly use this info in my favor especially when it comes to safety on the roadway. Just how many fellow boaters consider this info when purchasing new? I know I will whenever that time comes.

 

[wired1236]

Re: Trailer/boat capacity from factory

Silvertip - Fist off, thanks for the post and I agree 100% with what you said. It's BS that the dealer does this but it is what it is. Nothing I could have done and it?s something we all should watch when buying a boat. If you look at my boat specs from the dealer site, it lists the boat at 2100lbs (dry). So that means that my trailer weight is somewhere around 1000lbs if I take off a few hundred for the gas and other things I have added like the tower and extra options. So the fact that they gave me a trailer that is rated for 2999lbs, it?s was ~100lbs already overloaded right off the lot. I would also agree that the 2999 is also a reflection of the fact they don?t HAVE to put breaks on the trailer with that load rating. There are none on it, (and since I tow it with a ? ton vehicle, it stops just fine). With all that said, I?m more concerned about the tire weight rating than I am the trailer. The trailer shows no sign of overloading. The springs are very stiff even with all the weight. They barley seem to flex at all when you load the boat on it and going down the road, they look to handle the load quite well. The tires are a different story though. There is obviously a significant amount of weight on each tire. They are at their max.

With all that said, the plan still is to get the axle and alignment checked out and go from there. If I'm still burning through tires then it's on to putting on 15 wheels and tires to get a little more out of them. I?m going to look at it like just another upgrade for my boat much like everything else I have done to it. (Unless someone out there has a better idea, hence the reason for my post.) So again, thanks for helping me talk myself through this. It's like cheap therapy!