Bent Trailer Axles?

ChevMech · February 18, 2015

After almost 2 years of ownership I finally got my 20 ft C&M trailer set up the way I want it. I happy with what I have except....yes there's always an except....the way the trailer is wearing the tires.

Yesterday I loaded up a '41 Chevrolet Coupe to deliver to a buyer about 200 miles down the road. Just estimating, the trailer weights about 1800 lbs on its own, and the car weighed about 2700, so combined I was pulling 4500 lbs. That being said, it has two 3500 lab axles under it. When I parked the trailer, I walked around it to make sure everything was as it should be after pulling it over 400 miles. I saw the tread on the inside of all four tires was worn down. I'm not talking a little, I'm talking about the kind that if you saw your vehicle wearing them like this, you would be making an appointment for a front end alignment. What could be causing this? I realize metal flexes under load, but I didn't think it would be enough to wear down a set of tires like this.

sahls01gmc · February 18, 2015

What psi are the tires at?

Are they wearing out on the insides? Bent axles are possible, but not likely. Does it sway a lot when you are pulling it? What does the manufacturer say about it?

ChevMech · February 18, 2015

I have the tires at 50 psi as recommended on the sidewall. Yes, the tires are wearing out on the inside tread. I have not yet contacted the manufacturer.

The trailer doesn't sway at all. I pulled it at 75 mph both loaded and unloaded yesterday and I had no trouble with it moving around.

sahls01gmc · February 18, 2015

That's interesting. You're still under your weight, so it shouldn't be an overload issue. How do you know they are 3,500# axles? Is it possible that they could be 2,000# axles?

I'd get in touch with the manufacturer, just to see if they have had this issue or not. Do you have any pictures of it loaded and unloaded? Perhaps someone can "measure" the angles of the wheels loaded an unloaded.

ChevMech · February 18, 2015

If I recall correctly, the sticker on the inside of the tongue says their 3500#. I will have to double check. It would be pretty messed up if they built a 20ft by 7ft trailer with a carrying capacity of 4000 lbs.

I'm going to have to give them a call and see what they have to say.

I bought it brand new from a dealer in 2013. Since I've had it, I've notice the angle of the front wheel on the driver's side change anytime any load is put on the trailer.

sk · February 18, 2015

If I recall correctly, the sticker on the inside of the tongue says their 3500#. I will have to double check. It would be pretty messed up if they built a 20ft by 7ft trailer with a carrying capacity of 4000 lbs.

I'm going to have to give them a call and see what they have to say.

I bought it brand new from a dealer in 2013. Since I've had it, I've notice the angle of the front wheel on the driver's side change anytime any load is put on the trailer.

Actually the capacity has nothing to do with size. You can get a "landscaping" trailer that is 20 ft. long but it is not rated as high as a "car" or "utility" trailer that is the same length.

Landscaping trailers are made to haul lightweight things like mowers, small tractors, wheelbarrows, etc. and are meant to be pulled by a light-duty truck. Because of this the manufacturers build them from smaller angle, thinner cross-members, and lighter axles to keep the trailer weight low but still make them long so you can load a lot of equipment (4 or 5 mowers don't weigh much).

Car or utility trailers are long so they can fit the length of a car or large tractor. They are built with C-channel, thicker cross-members, and heavier axles. Because of this they weigh more and usually require a 3/4-ton truck.

Either way there should be a GCWR tag somewhere on your trailer. The GCWR is the total weight of truck, trailer, and cargo. So take this number, subtract your truck and trailer weight, and that will tell you how much weight you can load on the trailer. If you are above this you are overloading the trailer (and it's axles, brakes, etc).

ChevMech · February 18, 2015

Actually the capacity has nothing to do with size. You can get a "landscaping" trailer that is 20 ft. long but it is not rated as high as a "car" or "utility" trailer that is the same length.

Landscaping trailers are made to haul lightweight things like mowers, small tractors, wheelbarrows, etc. and are meant to be pulled by a light-duty truck. Because of this the manufacturers build them from smaller angle, thinner cross-members, and lighter axles to keep the trailer weight low but still make them long so you can load a lot of equipment (4 or 5 mowers don't weigh much).

Car or utility trailers are long so they can fit the length of a car or large tractor. They are built with C-channel, thicker cross-members, and heavier axles. Because of this they weigh more and usually require a 3/4-ton truck.

Either way there should be a GCWR tag somewhere on your trailer. The GCWR is the total weight of truck, trailer, and cargo. So take this number, subtract your truck and trailer weight, and that will tell you how much weight you can load on the trailer. If you are above this you are overloading the trailer (and it's axles, brakes, etc).

I guess what I'm saying is if you're going to classify the trailer as "utility" and build in two heavy duty ramps, it doesn't seem like 2000# axles would even be an option.

Anyway, now that you mention the GCWR, I'm curious as to what that is. I pull it with a 3/4 ton Chevrolet with a 6.0 and a 3.73 rear end....I should be good pulling an 3500# car lol

00Silverado4x4 · February 19, 2015

If you are wearing the inside of the tread I'd be checking the bearing on all wheels. They may be worn or have come loose. That's what happened to my travel trailer years ago, bearings came loose and destroyed the inside tread of all tires in about the same distance your talking about.

BigBadSierra · February 19, 2015

This can also be caused if the axel is out of line. Check out E-trailer the have good write up on alot of this stuff.

ChevMech · February 20, 2015

I've visited etrailer before, but I had no idea they a Q&A forum on there. Wow, that's a lot of information. Unfortunately I still haven't found the answer I need.

Next time I have time though, I am going to be checking the bearings.

Oh, and how do you tell whether or not you have the 2000# axels as opposed to the 3500# ones? I know the sticker is supposed to tell you, but there could have been a manufacturer mistake.

KMGZ400 · February 20, 2015

This can also be caused if the axel is out of line. Check out E-trailer the have good write up on alot of this stuff.

i could be wrong but wouldnt they wearing differently then he described if the axle was out of alignment? i would think that the tires would be wearing differently on both side if it was out of line

BigBadSierra · February 20, 2015

Nope I had a boat trailer wearing the insides axles was slightly our of line.

Here is a full write up.

You may be experiencing some wear in the suspension components that can cause tire wear and also be a symptom or cause the axle to be misaligned. Inspect your suspension components and if any of the holes where hardware goes is egg-shaped, that indicates wear.

To determine if the axle is not properly aligned, pull in straight on a level surface and stop. Measure from the center of the axle on one end to the center of the ball hole on the coupler. Then do the same on the other side. Even a small difference can cause wear.

Tire wear on the inside generally indicates an overloaded trailer. If you have not been carrying heavy loads, check to see if the axle has been flipped. If it has, that would be why the tires are wearing. An axle has a bow in it that should be curved up. When a load is placed on it, the bow helps support some of the weight, the axle straightens some and the tires will wear evenly.

Make sure that your tires have ST in front of the tire size. This indicates it is a special trailer tire. Only use special trailer tires on trailers, not passenger vehicle tires. Trailer tires are built with a thicker sidewall to handle more vertical load which is why they must be inflated to the max psi indicated on the tire. If they are not, they can wear unevenly and there will be excessive heat build up that can cause the tire to fail.

If you can jack up one side of the trailer, try moving the wheel alternating pushing on the top and bottom of the tire back and forth. If there is movement, this would indicate there is a bearing problem and you will need to replace the bearings, races, and seals.

pcf · February 20, 2015

Not enough toe-in can cause feathering from inside to outside edges of the tires, it can look similar to a camber problem. When you drive down the road, the force of the road against the tires will cause them to toe out. The faster you go, the more force on the tires, and the more toe out there will be.

While it shouldn't effect a car hauler enough to matter, depending on the tie down locations and the amount of force used, you can bow a trailer frame with too much pressure on tie downs. It'll cause negative camber like an over load will.

sk · February 20, 2015

Oh, and how do you tell whether or not you have the 2000# axels as opposed to the 3500# ones? I know the sticker is supposed to tell you, but there could have been a manufacturer mistake.

If you crawl under the trailer and check the axle tubes they usually have a sticker on them somewhere. Some manufacturers hang a metal "dog tag" on them but some use a sticker. On those the sticker may have come off anyway so you may not be able to tell. Also, if you remove the tires and look at the brake size you can usually tell from that (but I don't remember what size brakes the 3500# axle use - I think it may be 10").

ChevMech · February 23, 2015

Just an update as to what I'm working with. Yesterday I had some time to take everything apart and see what I was up against. I found that all my bearings seemed good....emphasis on seemed. There was no grinding noise, excess heat, or wobble.

I crawled underneath to find any markings. There was one on the rear axle (the one with the brakes). It really gave me nothing as far as weight ratings. I now no the axles were manufactured by Rockwell for C&M. I also have serial numbers and lot numbers, but I doubt that will help anything.

The sticker in the c-channel of the tongue said I have tow 3500# axles. Unless I've over loaded this thing at one point where I've bent them, I cannot find a reason I'm getting such bad wear. I drove a vehicle on the deck and backed it onto concrete. Laying under it, I could see a slight bend in both tubes, as compared to the angle iron right above it.

How feasible is it to just put heavier axles under it and just forget this issue?