Axle Alignment

Mark_Alan

Cadet
Joined
Aug 6, 2012
Messages
9
I have upgrades my single axle trailstar pontoon trailer to a tandem axle trailer. While trying to align axles, I discovered the tongue on this trailer is not perpendicular to the frame, it is about 3/4 of an inch to the right of the trailer center. I have attached a diagram of what I'm talking about. My question is, do I align the new axles with the trailer frame or to the hitch center? I know that either way I do it the trailer will travel at a slight angle. It assume that if the axles are aligned to the frame they will be traveling at a slight angle also which will cause excessive tire wear, and if I align them to the center of the hitch the tires will track straight but the rear tires will be about 1/5 inch to the right of the front tires. Any ideas or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. P.S. I am not comfortable cutting the tongue completely off to recenter it.
 

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Cat nip

Petty Officer 1st Class
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I would align it to the center of the hitch. It shouldn't track that far off centre and wont wear out the tires to fast.
 

Mark_Alan

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Aug 6, 2012
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It appears that it came that way from the factory. It is not bent, it is welded off center of the cross brace by 1/2 inch.
 

ronward

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Jun 24, 2013
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346
This "1/2 inch" must be an unspoken industry standard. I am rebuilding a 1992 pontoon and just realized the entire deck is 1/2" off center of the pontoons.
 

AdamIPS

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Feb 7, 2017
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I noticed a trailer I had was like this as well. The manufacturer told me it was so it would pull straight due to the crown built in to the roads. Seemed logical to me.
 

ahicks

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Sep 16, 2013
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3,957
I don't think you're going to wear tires just because the trailer is tracking 1/2" to one side or the other (due to tongue offset) - as long as your alignment allows those axles to travel in a straight direction. That would be my concern here.

If you measure back from the ball to marks made on the axle that take that tongue offset into account, you should be fine. Just lay it all out on the front axle, then match whatever you've done there to do the rear.
 

StarTed

Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Jul 14, 2015
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694
I've had to correct a trailer's tandem axles to correct for excessive tire wear. I found that the closer to exactly parallel the axles are the less the tires scuff. I'd say that it's more important for the axles to be parallel than to worry about being exactly behind the tow rig.

Hope you get a good trailer.
 

Mark_Alan

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Aug 6, 2012
Messages
9
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Here is an illustation of what I built for my trailer and a picture of it installed. It is clamped to the trailer frame after removing the old spring hangers. If I align them to the hitch, one side sits slightly behind the other by about 3/4 of an inch. I not too concerned about the trailer trailing to the side a little bit, I just want to make sure my tires are not chewed up and my fuel doesn't suffer because of it. Once aligned properly, pins will be installed through the frame.
 

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ahicks

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Sep 16, 2013
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Your new brackets do not take the trailer tongue offset into account. When you set the trailer frame on them, and measure back from the ball to locate each side, they'll be crooked when referencing the trailer frame. 3/4" sounds about right.

As we know the tongue is offset 1/2", you'll need to offset the point you're measuring from at the trailer ball in the same direction, by that same amount. That should leave you with a trailer that's going to track straight, even if it is off to one side.

You can confirm everything pretty easily using your rear view mirrors while pulling it down the road (without the boat).

EDIT: I have that backwards I think. The point up by the coupler to measure back from would be the point where the coupler SHOULD have been, if it had not been welded together with an offset. So that would make this point in the opposite direction from the offset. If the tongue is welded to the left, the point you want to use to measure for the axle alignment would be to the right of the coupler (not further left!).
 
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