Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Squaring Trailer Axles??? HELP

Ok, I read, googled etc.... but now that i have the hangers ground off one side of the airboat trailer I want to be dang sure before I weld new ones on....

You could see tires facing away from parallel on the frame. AFTER I blew 2-3 tires and finally the fender came off... then you could SEE...

So now I read, made a center mark at the ball hitch on the tongue. Measured width at the tongue best I could, split it in half and made an X so to speak.

Had Carolyn hold the tape on that X, obviously left front corner one side, right front corner other side...

Measured back. Multiple points. between 1.5 and 2 inches off.

Tried to measure to center of the side remainings, first bolt hole on the front hanger. Squared reference marks wtih square and level. Checked bolt hole to new bolt hole. Clamped. Put front spring in new hanger with old bolt.

Still looked good. Measured to front of axle and then finally to back of axle where they hit the outer frame edges... made more marks. Checked and rechecked. Verified to front of square hub on drop axle... Ended up adjusting 3/16 of an inch to kind of split the differences.

Then put tire back on.... still not parallel to frame. Which tells me I think, frame is not square. Tire spins true. Front inside of tire is 2.5 inches from frame. Back inside of same tire 2 inches from frame.

So it still looks crooked.

But I THINK I have it done correctly now off the tongue, regardless of what it looks like to the eye.

The old problem was the tires would feather bad on one edge.. to no tread, while the other side had almost like 3/4 of new tread still... obviously running down the road crooked.

Tell me I've done it right and can weld the first hanger and measure from there back along the frame to meet the spacing on the other side.

Or tell me I've done it wrong and what to do.

Airboat sitting in the pasture... and we were going to have an inch of rain... or less... now the [bleep] say 6 plus inches tonight is possible so I'd like to get the axles back on and load the boat to get it out of the weather if possible.

Thanks!

jeff

Is the spindle ok? square with the frame?

take square and see if frame is square, look at each corner. Measure across from corner to corner, if frame is square, they will measure the same.

If frame is square, the spindles, hangers, tie bolt, or warped wheel could be problem.

That's all I can think of.

My only thought, is to remember there may be some toe in on the axel?

This ain't toe in. At least I"m fairly sure its not. Way I understand it the axles have to be same distance from tongue or ball so to speak.

Rest of it won't matter.

Back of frame is square, will go measure the diagonals in a bit, but also can it not be off if the angles to get to the tongue are not perfect, while the back part of the frame could still be square?

The spindles you can't tell, they are drop axles, so they don't come out of the axle directly. So that the trailer rides low to the ground. I could take the hubs off to get ot center of spindle then but prefer not to. But will if I have to.

I put a new axle and hangers on my trailer and then took it to the alignment shop and had them bend the axle into shape so my tires wouldn't wear funny.

LOL. We are country. No alignment shop here that could do that. That would be nice.

Measure your frame corner to corner right front to left rear and repeat for other side to make sure your frame is square. It also sounds as though your axle may be bent.

Just use a string or rope from the ball mount back to the front hanger mount or hub centers,. Also, if trailer jack is centered behind ball as in an A-frame style hitch you could just wrap around that and still use the rope like a large scribe. Just some thoughts, doesn't have to be complicated.

I'd hook the tape to the end of the tongue and measure to the hanger on one side, then the other.
The tape may bend around the corner under the frame but if it bends the same on each side, you'll be fine.

Once you know the front hangers are the same distance from the tongue the rest is easy.

Your triangle needs the same length from ball to axle left and ball to axle right.

If you can't get a good measure to the hanger, try measuring to the front edge of the steel wheel.

That's the way to do it. Regardless if the frame is exactly square, the axles and the hitch point is where things matter.

Frame hard to measure wihtout help and Carolyn went to take a nap... me next.. LOL.

Pretty good shot at measuring, 141.5 and 143 on the diagonals.

Where I sit, center of tongue at the ball, to the back edge each side of the axle where it meets teh frame, is almost exact now, less than 1/4 difference if even that, likely best I can meausre within 1/8 inch.

Axles are not bent as they are basically new and never had any issues. Bought new 2 years ago, not much mileage, and just put on the springs the way they were. And best I could tell before I took all this on, my 6 foot level indicates not bent either.

PM sent, Jeff

GTC

Feeling better now that I"m good, but will rest a bit and read more replies and if all good, then go weld in an hour or so.

Thanks, Jeff

^^^^^ will not matter how the frame sits. You need the axles square to the pulling axis. If the tires sit square to the axles it will pull straight and not wear tires excessively.

Can't believe none of you guys dial in a little "climb" when setting up axles.

GTC

Put your wheels in a long, straight piece of channel iron that will span the distance. Measure to the channel iron,on a place equi-distant from the wheels. miles

If the tongue to axle distance is different the trailer will crabwalk till both wheels are pointing down the road.
If wheels arent aligned, then you get uneven tire wear.
You need to get your hubs lined up before you do the tongue to axle fixing.

Must be driving on flatter roads than I do.

Greg chimed in, and I have em welded on now. I'm betting the trailer will pull better and tires wear better as I moved the axles close to 2 inches total.

I may still not be perfect but the frame is not square so no other things to measure to in this instance...

At some point I will report back in.

Everything burned in with 6010s. Tryhing to get the fumes of the galv out of my body for a bit and then back to the trailer and get the boat out of the pasture.

My experience is that anything set up dead "square" tends to wander off to the right on cambered / crowned roads.

This little tweak for "climb" has seemed to apply well to little itty single axle boat trailers, on up into multi axled air brake equipped heavy haulers.

Glad to see I'm not the only one ever heard of this.

GTC