Trailer Spindle

[dk6164]

One of my tires was wearing on the inner rib only so I pulled the wheel and hub to see what was going on. The shoulder on the spindle is worn on the bottom the- part where the seal and inner bearing rides. I think that would cause the problem but what the heck caused it to wear like that?

I see that you can get replacement spindles from Champion trailer but I gotta wonder how much it would cost to have a welding shop cut off the old one and put it on?
yacht- Club like an Eagle

Any ideas on what happened??
Thanks

 

[hh0205]

Re: Trailer Spindle

One of two things come to mind.

1) You could have overloaded your trailer.

2) You could have been carrying a max load or close to max load and hit a pot hole on that one side and caused the spindle to bend slightly.

It will be cheaper to replace the beam (Axle Tube, Spring Pads, Flanges and Spindles).

EDIT: Contact information removed. Please read the posting guidelines.

The labor to replace and re-weld the new spindle will cost 10 times more than the axle beam from a manufacturer that will come with 2 new spindles, new beam, new flanges, and new spring seats.

 

[4JawChuck]

Re: Trailer Spindle

1 1/8" bearing on a 1 1/16" spindle, I have seen this so many times I think people don't bother to check the bearing seat diameter before they buy the bearings. Me trailer had the exact same problem when I bought the boat.

You can use a Redi/Speedi Sleeve to repair the seal area, most machine shops can order or have them in stock.

Here is a how to if you want to do it yourself, its very simple.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/SpeediSleeve/index.html

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Trailer Spindle

That speedi-sleeve is very thin and very delicate. It is meant only to restore the surface where the seal rides.
By the OP description, it sounds like the inner race of the bearing was turning on the spindle.
Thus the wear on the bottom of the spindle.

Depending on the condition of the rest of the axle, it might indeed be more cost effective to replace the axle.

If that one bearing was spinning, maybe the other(s) are too or are about to.

Look at the axle tube for corrosion too, you don't want to invest in fixing that one spindle if the axle is rusting out from the inside.