dual axle trailer wearing one tire excessively

[oldjeep]

2700lbs total? Seems like a tandem is way overkill

 

[tank1949]

Had similar problem on ATV trailer. Spindles were welded on incorrectly. One tire always wore excessively. get out measuring tape, if all else fails. .

 

[tank1949]

If your referring to the clamp on the spring package, all mine face to the rear of trailer. (i have a triple axle)
Your first picture is like mine. Maybe change the springs around in second picture to be the same as the first pic

The spring half lengths will be diff if there mounted opposite then the other side. here is a video that gives you an idea

https://youtu.be/uUepz7MDdqk

this will will tell you if the axle is parallel.

Could be worn leaf spring bushing too!!!

 

[bob johnson]

2700lbs total? Seems like a tandem is way overkill

my other rig is about the same.. and the tires were always looking low , but held 50 psi..... I bought some heavier side wall tires, but they are hard to find.. and I have a lot of C range tires... so I figured Id just set up a tandem and just use what I have as well as put less pressure on them...plus a lot of the ramps are in terrible condition where I launch... they have abrupt drop offs... if a single axle trailer rolls past the drop off, the trailer falls down to the frame... and you cant get back up with the boat on!!!!...another set of tires is a safety margin.....plus if I am thinking if I pop a tire on debris....it is not NEARLY a catastrophy as a single axle...

bob

 

[bob johnson]

ok I cant get this rig set up it seems... I got the hangers sub frame set equally redrilled holes in one axle to withine .020" and I mounted them.. the front axle is equal distance to the ball...but there is a /14" difference from axle to axle.... after taking many measurements... I have discovered that the axle bodies are equal distance approximately to each other...maybe .060" off.....but the spindles are off 1/4"... I am thinking that a spindle was welded on poorly.... so I took the axle off and drilled the clearance holes in the bottom to fit over the springs bolt larger so I could ADJUST them.....but even with a 3/4" hole in each side, I could get this axle withine 1/4" from side to side...so I pulled the axle and put a straight each on the hub face and I clamped a level to the axle body and I slid a square down the level until it touched the straight edge on the hub....WAY OUT OF SQUARE!!!!......its seems that the spindle weldments are bent about 5 degrees!!!!... I don't know if it happened on my two trips....or it is designed that way... I looked up TUIE DOW ENGINEERINGS website and they say nothing about camber in their STRAIGHT 2" square galvanized 3500 lb axles!..... neither does the place I bought the axles from...... tie down isn't answering their phones and neither does the place I bought the axles, so far today....... to ask if that is they way they are made ..or my are ruined, or defective.... the front axle is still on and I haven't checked it for a bent spindle....

 

[bruceb58]

Personally, I would never put a Tie Down product on a trailer ever again. Once the brakes fail on my pontoon trailer, the Tie Down stuff on it is going to be switched out.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Some spindles are welded at 5% or so instead of pre-cambering the axle.

 

[StarTed]

I think you have an axle problem or maybe more than one problem.

Here's what I'd do:

If you have access to a lathe. Remove an axle and remove the springs, wheels and hubs. Remove the lathe tailstock unless it's long enough to leave it on. Chuck up one spindle and rotate by hand and mark the near side with some chalk. Chuck up the other spindle and rotate by hand and mark the near side with some chalk. If they are on the same side of the axle that should be the down side for camber or maybe slightly forward for some toe-in.

If you don't have access to a lathe. Remove an axle and remove the springs and one wheel. Set the axle straight up on the wheel and rotate the axle and mark the near side. Make sure the wheel bearings aren't loose. Remove the wheel and reinstall it as close to 180 degrees as you can and repeat the process. The two marks should be on the same side if the wheel is true and the spindle is straight. Repeat the process for the other side wheel.

Check each axle. If they're OK then the problem is in the mounting on the trailer. The equalizer has no control over the alignment. You have to go by the rigid mounts and springs I'd check the spacing between their spring mounting holes. Make sure each spring is mounted the same on both sides of an axle.

A mechanic once told me that I could do a rough check of the toe-in by measuring across from side to side on the tire. Mark a spot on the tire in front a given distance above the ground and measure across there. Roll forward until the mark is the same distance above the ground on the rear and measure again. There should be the toe-in difference. That process reduces any wobble in a wheel and tire. You move forward because that is the normal direction you drive.


Good luck, I hope you find the problem soon.

 

[bob johnson]

tghanks....but this axle isn't going into any lathe I have access to...besides its a square axle... I am going to take it to work now and put it in a vice on the Bridgeport miller and indicate the spindle. ill know it it has any taper....the store called me back and he said he found some info on his end that said the spindles has 1 degree of camber!!!.......go figure...it didn't say that anywhere when I bought them!!...... there is no adjustment I can make on the subframe and hangers,,,,si I have adjust this set up with the holes in the axle and u bolt plates that clear the bolt and nut of the springs.... I think I am going to bore the holes in the axle at 1" dia and make up four off center bushings that are 1" od and 9/16th id... actually I might make up a few different offsets...so I have options...


whats the consensus??? I need the axles to be less than 1/8th spacing...or tighter...like 1/16th "?????

thanks


bob

 

[StarTed]

I was thinking of chucking up the spindle in a lathe and then you'd see the wobble from the camber. It wouldn't take that big of a lathe with the tail stock removed to turn the axle. Don't turn on the lathe --- this is a hand turning process.

Your idea of making and using some offset bushings should work fine. I've used that for a miss drilled hole in a bell housing that I was modifying.

I'd shoot for 1/16th or less knowing some additional error will creep in.

 

[bob johnson]

I was thinking of chucking up the spindle in a lathe and then you'd see the wobble from the camber. It wouldn't take that big of a lathe with the tail stock removed to turn the axle. Don't turn on the lathe --- this is a hand turning process.

Your idea of making and using some offset bushings should work fine. I've used that for a miss drilled hole in a bell housing that I was modifying.

I'd shoot for 1/16th or less knowing some additional error will creep in.

yea I could do that if my lathers were not so close to the wall...the axles are about 96" long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and that's a lot of weight hanging way out at the end...

bob

 

[bob johnson]

ok SO I BROUGHT BOTH AXLES TO WORK, and set each one at a time up in my Bridgeport..i indicated the 2"sq axle in the vice.... and I then ran an indicator on the spindles to check for taper......both axles had taper one way that kinda match the other end....about 1.5 degrees.... I say ABOUT... they did differ, as well as the different axles differed.... but it looks like they TREIED set set some type of camber.....I was getting about .023- .027" of taper per 1 " of run.....which roughly makes about 1.4-1.5 degrees.... BUT while one axle was within about .003" taper on the sides 90 degrees to the " 1.5 degree camber, the other axle had a taper on its side....that was about .015"...so while I could set both axles with the camber down..... one axle with be either toed in or out from the other STRAIGHT axles spindles!!

.... id hate to buy new axles from any other maker then find out...that's INDUSTRY STANDARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what to do?????

I still cant get a hold of Tie Down.... my retailer said they had a fire and have limited contact capacity!!

if I set the axles with spindles angled down...does anyone think the one spindle( of four) that has a .015 per 1" angle........cause me serious tire wear???

like if I drive 3,000 miles the tires would be shot?


thanks

bob

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Just put a straight edge on the flats of the axle and measure to the tip of the spindle.

 

[StarTed]

I think your idea of putting the camber down is fine.

Put the front axle with the toe in forward and I think you should be OK. If necessary you could bend the axle just a little near that end with a hydraulic press to correct that small amount. That would be best between the spindle and the spring mount.

Rear wheel drive cars have a toe in because there is some movement backwards when they are pushed down the road. I don't know about front wheel drive cars

You may be over engineering this by now but that is what I tend to do.

 

[bob johnson]

so I found out the axles have camber just in the spindle.... the axle is straight.. I also found that the hangers welded onto the fram bracket are about 1/8th " off in length....so I cut the holes in the axles to clear the spring bolts in a milling machine at work, I cut the hole rectangle so I could adjust in any direction. I then set the axles to be equal from to back. this came out great.....they are within a1/32" side to side on the front axle to the ball. the the back axle is less than 1/32" to the first axle. so I tightened everything down and put the wheels on and ran a square down the outside of the tires only to find I didn't set the axles the same away from the trailer frame...they are parallel, but there is about a 1/4" difference!!!!!!!!!!!

how important is this? I think if I have to loseen everything to get that measure equal Ill mess everything else up and basically have to do it all over again...I am THINKING because they are both straight...I might not matter

whats the word??

thanks

bob

 

[StarTed]

My feeling is that it won't matter that much. some vehicles are different width front to back and it does make some difference if driving in ruts. The theory was that on those jeep pickups that it'd improve traction but I don't know if that actually worked. I heard reports that there was some fish tailing on rutty roads.

I think you are close enough to dead on and much better now than most trailers on the road.

Did you move the trailer ahead 1/2 revolution of the wheels and check again? It's possible there could be a little bend in the wheels but that should show up as not parallel.