Bent Trailer Axles?

sahls01gmc · February 23, 2015

Hmm, I would question the strength of the axles if you can see them bend with only 4,000lbs on it (I'm guessing the car weighed something close to that....which is about 1/2 of your rating).

New axles wouldn't be that bad to replace. Some might even come with brakes, and may require different lug wheels. By the time you add up all of that and your time doing the work, wouldn't you just rather buy a new trailer? They're under $3,000 all day long.

ChevMech · February 23, 2015

That's what I was trying to figure. It was more or less a shell of a car with the engine and transmission, so 4000# is a good estimate. I've carried heavier vehicles, but nothing that would damage the trailer to cause this.

Looking online, if I switch from the Rockwell to Dexter axles, I'm looking at $128 for the idler and $307 for the axle with brakes. With shipping, I'm looking at a little over $500 while retaining the same wheels and tires.

I'm really at a loss as to what to do with this thing if I want to continue using it.

ChevMech · February 25, 2015

I really appreciate everyone's input. I have tried most of the suggestions given, but it still seems as if I have something wrong with the strength of the axles. I called the dealer I bought it from yesterday and explained the situation to him. He told me to bring it in. I think that will be my first step before I start throwing money at it. Thank you again for all your help!!! I will keep you posted as to what happens!

sahls01gmc · February 25, 2015

That's a very positive sign if the dealer is telling you to bring it in. I'm not saying that they will replace everything, but at least they are giving you the time of day.

Please keep us posted. Sounds like axles are cheaper than I originally thought, so you might be on the right path!

ChevMech · March 5, 2015

Update on my trailer axles. Since my bosses think we should be working all the time, I had my dad take my trailer to the dealership. He said they took it off the truck straight to the shop. Within 20 minutes they said that I had two bent axles. The dealer said since he can't prove who is at fault, he would replace both axles at his cost. I'm looking at getting a new brake and idler axle for about $175. Since the tires were both worn because of this, he offered to replace them with heavier one for $45 a piece. As Billy Mays would say "But wait, there's more!!!". I told the dealer I'm a little cash poor right now and probably wouldn't do the tires. He extended that offer for the next 6 months!!! Now all I'm doing is waiting for the call to go pick it up.

I don't want to advertise on a discussion forum, but if you are close to San Antonio, Tx and looking for a great dealership to work with, PM me and I will give you the name of this place. I can't say enough nice things about this organization.....and if you know me, that's quite a surprise

sahls01gmc · March 5, 2015

Wow, fantastic! Most dealers would say "Yup, they're bent.....not my problem." Awesome to see they are willing to help you out even though they can't technically say they did anything.

I'm gonna be in the market for a new trailer, and I don't mind driving a lil further to deal with quality people.

ChevMech · March 16, 2015

Since everyone on this thread has been so helpful, I'll give you another update on my trailer saga. Since it has been raining, yesterday was the first day I have had the opportunity to inspect the work done. What I found was a sad disappointment. I have new axles, but they used the same hubs, which is fine. Whoever put the thing back together didn't find it important to make sure the bearing covers were on correctly. I could easily lightly kick two of them and they would come off. I also found the brakes are horribly out of adjustment. I can't lock the wheels up at 20 mph with full power going to the back. The one that really burned me was how the trailer brakes were wired. Because it came from the factory with cr*ppy wiring, I replaced it so I could have slack in the right places to tie the wire back since this thing goes off road every so often. I also butt spliced everything together and sealed it off with heat shrink to prevent corrosion and potential brake failure. I pulled the wheel off to find the wiring just hanging about 6 inches off the ground and SCOTCH LOCKS!!! Seriously? Needless to say, I'm going to spend a portion of my day off tomorrow going through everything fixing what some flunky "fixed".

sahls01gmc · March 16, 2015

Ugh...sorry to hear that. Do the brakes just need to be adjusted or replaced?

As an electrician myself, I can't stand letting anyone else do electrical work on my things. No work looks as good as your own. Unfortunately, there's no way around that one.

At least you got hooked up and not completely hung out to dry. Let us know how it sits with some weight on it!

Hutch65 · March 18, 2015

Find a serious frame shop once you are sure you have 3500 lb axles and are therfore not overloading it. Your axles must be exactly parallel to each other and square to the frame. Simple adjustment to the spring shackles can be needed to achieve this. The camber of the wheels is the next check and this is a little trickier. The axles can be adjusted for proper arching with a combination of heating (not always used) and jacking while laser checking the spec. Many people have screwed up the caster/camber of their trailers by improper jacking under the axles. Remember, I said serious frame shop, this a job for pros who are experienced in this and routinely do trailers.

ChevMech · March 18, 2015

Ugh...sorry to hear that. Do the brakes just need to be adjusted or replaced?

As an electrician myself, I can't stand letting anyone else do electrical work on my things. No work looks as good as your own. Unfortunately, there's no way around that one.

At least you got hooked up and not completely hung out to dry. Let us know how it sits with some weight on it!

I took the wheels of the brake axle yesterday and did a total evaluation. It seems like they used my original brakes on the new set, so my settings were as I had left them for the most part. Also, as previously stated, those scotch locks had to go. I took it all back apart, but I couldn't find any butt splices....but I was able to find my soldering stuff, so everything is soldered and sealed with shrink tubing. Would it make sense to say that the brakes are stronger with the new connections? The only change I made to the brake system was the wiring connections and now the wheels with lock up on pavement where they weren't before.

All and all I can't complain about the service. I will still recommend the dealership to anyone looking, It just seems like they let a stoned high school kid put everything together. I mean, how hard is it to tap a bearing cap flush to the hub.

Find a serious frame shop once you are sure you have 3500 lb axles and are therfore not overloading it. Your axles must be exactly parallel to each other and square to the frame. Simple adjustment to the spring shackles can be needed to achieve this. The camber of the wheels is the next check and this is a little trickier. The axles can be adjusted for proper arching with a combination of heating (not always used) and jacking while laser checking the spec. Many people have screwed up the caster/camber of their trailers by improper jacking under the axles. Remember, I said serious frame shop, this a job for pros who are experienced in this and routinely do trailers.

Sounds like money lol. I'm thinking I'm going to use this trailer until I 1. Find someone who wants to give me the right amount of money for it, or 2. Can afford to buy a heavier rig designed solely for hauling vehicles. When that time comes, I'll have a pro take care of it for me.