Trailer axle

[vinnie187]

Guys ,

I have an old spartan sport trailer that was part of a boat package I just bought , i have since stripped it appear to repaint it . I pulled the axle off because it had a bend in it that made the wheels appear to be "toed" in , I thought it was a bend that was due to someone driving the trailer off the concrete launch ,but the more i look at it the more I think that it is supposed to be bent . I measured where it is slightly bent and it just happens to be smack dab in the muddle of the axle ........ so before I go ahead and put it in the press and straighten it out , let me know what you guys think.

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Vinnie

 

[tuneball]

Re: Trailer axle

Did you check the air pressure in the tires?

 

[vinnie187]

Re: Trailer axle

What does that have to do with the axle being bent ? The trailer is emty and the most I haul with it is a 14' boat , but for the record the air press. is good

 

[109jb]

Re: Trailer axle

Sounds like the axle could have been mounted wrong. Some axles are "bent" to provide camber (wheels farther apart at top than at the bottom) so that when the trailer is loaded the camber is close to zero (wheels straight up). Read the paragraph here.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Trailer axle

Somewhere along the line someone has jacked up the trailer in the middle of the axle (loaded). Seen in countless times.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Trailer axle

If the axle is bent upward, it is a cambered axle and it's supposed to be that way. If it's bent downward, it is indeed bent and not supposed to be that way. If you held a string taught on the bottom of the axle, from one side to the other and then measured from the string to the bend and that dimension was about 3/4 inch or so, you have a cambered axle. If the dimension is significantly more than that, it may have been jacked up in the middle.

 

[109jb]

Re: Trailer axle

Guys, He said it was "toed in". That isn't up or down. If the axle was ever replaced and the person doing it didn't realize the axle was cambered, they could have just installed it wrong. Many trailer axles don't have anything to insure that they are properly indexed. They rely on the installer knowing what they are doing.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Trailer axle

I would say it's either a case of it either being a cambered axle mounted wrong, or someone caught something right in the middle bending the axle. Can the axle be mounted with the bend pointing up? Square, round, hollow or solid axle?
Got any pics? I have a few Load Right trailers here that have very noticeable camber bends in them. On those that were built with straight axles, I've added a few degrees of camber to improve tire wear when I rebuilt those trailers. Most of the solid axle trailers I've seen have had straight axles with the only camber being a few degrees if any at the spindle. Solid axles are pretty easy to straighten if they get bent. Tubular axles tend to kink or bend 'wrong' when trying to press out a bend.

 

[vinnie187]

Re: Trailer axle

Thanks Guys , for all the input , i will measure the distance today and see if it more than 3/4 " , if its not I am just going to paint it and re-install it . It is a solid axle thought and it does only go on one way , there are tits on the top of it that mate with the springs to assure its installed correctly , but just to clarify I may have used the incorrect terminology "toed in" if I am looking at the trailer from the hitch the axle is peaked towards the top like an upside down V. I will measure and let you know

Best regards,
Vin

 

[Flying Brian]

Re: Trailer axle

Hi i worked for metal craft trailers in Utah and i made there axles and repair them for 7 years and i know that each MF has their own way to put camber in and tow sud be strate. on single axle -2 degree double axle -3 triple axle -4. remove the tiers and maser from the hub top sud be wider on top by 1/8" to 3/16". at the max. I hope this helps. Brian