Trailer axles hitting trailer
 

During inspecting my drum brakes (to justify upgrading to disc) I noticed that the rear brake line going across the third axle was pinched between the axle and the frame. First I thought that's probably why the last trip of season felt like I had no brakes. Then I realized my issues are far worse than just a pinched line, MY DAMN AXLE IS HITTING THE FRAME!. How i missed this before i don't know but now i have to fix it. only thing i can think of is to do a leaf-over-axle conversion. I will have much more space between the tires and fender but that'll have to do. Does anyone have any other thoughts on how to fix this. See the pics below.

this is how everything currently sits. Yes, the trailer has a bend in it, i also inherited this issue from the PO. That is also being remedied this winter by welding some 5x2 1/4 thick rectangle steel along the inside of the frame.

Damnit, my membership ran out. I'll upload the pics tomorrow.

Without seeing the pics yet......most people do not realize how fast a trailers suspension wears out. All the holes start ovaling out and the bolts wearing down, pretty soon you lose an inch or two of Clarence.....

Here are the pics i took yesterday. I'm going to boat now to remove all wheel's and inspect everything. Center axle on left side was the worst so far, grease had dried up and bearing was toast. i have a 2-3 mile downhill decent into Lake Mead and even after preparing boat for launch and bathroom break for all aboard once the trailer hits water the brakes still generate steam. I trailer 28mi each way every weekend during season so I'm upgrading brakes to EOH disc.

The under trailer pics are from the rear forward. I'll take some better pics today. My concerns with spring over axle is the increase of 5.5 inches in ride height of the trailer.

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I have to say, I can't believe that trailer hasn't bent into a horseshoe yet. It looks so overtaxed. I believe on another threat you said it is definitely bent, not just deflected in the pictures when loaded.

Took a while for me to find it, but look at this thread:
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/t...-question.html

See if the tall spring equalizers may buy you the room you need.
You can move the new brake line to behind the axle to keep it out of harms way.
You definitely need a hitch drawbar with more rise to get the tongue of the trailer higher and take the stress off of that front axle.

But I would not put any more serious money into that trailer. IMHO, anything further is a bandaid carrying you a little closer to disaster. I'm sorry to be so negative and frank, but given your previous posts and now this one...
...that's the only solid conclusion.

Quoted for truth....do yourself and loved ones a favor and shop around for a new trailer.

Sydwayz - no need to apologize for speaking the truth, that's why i posted this. I did say it was bent for the lack of another term but now that you used deflected that's exactly what it is, deflected not bent. Unloaded the trailer is as straight as an arrow no sagging what so ever which is why I'm going to work with it. I did price out a new trailer from Kokopelli but if this one can be strengthened then I'd rather wait for new trailer.

The story I got from the shop that did work on this boat for the PO is they went to pick it up from the storage yard and noticed that their truck was towing really sluggish. They also noticed the bend in the trailer. The pulled off the road and also noticed the drain plug was in. The dips hit owner stored the boat outside with drain plug in. When they removed the plug they said the water shot straight back like a pressure hose. all the weight of the water caused the trailer to deflect.

The steel is going to cost $300 and a mobile welder out here is charging the same to cut and weld it all up. When i jack up from the center of the center cross member you can really see how the trailer is supposed to sit. We plan on doing that then welding roughly 6ft pieces along the inside of frame in-between cross members from the front of the wheel wells all the way to the front.

No new pics from today. not really worth the effort. All wheels are removed and without any load on that rear axle there is only around 5in of clearance. Looks like I will be flipping the axles over the springs along with upgrading to disc brakes.

I'm looking into springs now before pulling the trigger. This trailer was made in 2010 and the springs look to be ok but still checking what the height loaded should be. Bigger truck...You mean lifted? Perfect excuse to lift.

I'm looking into springs now before pulling the trigger. This trailer was made in 2010 and the springs look to be ok but still checking what the height loaded should be. Bigger truck...You mean lifted? Perfect excuse to lift.

springs are probably shot , springs are cheap, I would put new springs on instead of mounting axles under. and I would get a bigger truck

Replace ALL suspension components, heavier rated springs, bearings, brakes, EOH, weld trailer frame braces, new trailer hitch drawbar to proper height, etc.

I agree with the others a new trailer might be the better option.....

What is that trailer rated for,

how much tongue weight ? looks to me the axles need to come forward, as you are overloading the front one....

I personally like my axles further back, all my trailers have towed better that way. That's in conjunction with the proper trucks suspension and hitch height. If the trailers level the axles suspension is designed to share the load with equalizers.

The frame flexing along with improper suspension geometry seem like more important problems.

And for some reason I don't like the idea of a spring over.....I don't think that's the best way. I feel there should be a way to make spring under work perfect.

Longer shackles, heavier duty springs, shorter spring pads. Hard to figure out without better pictures.

You could try contacting dexter axle they are pretty good help over the phone. Plus thier website has lots of info.

That trailer cannot handle that boat there is not enough structural support , its bowing badly , I would hate to take it down the freeway !!!!!!!!!!

Trailer is rated for 12k. Here are some pics of the tag along with one side of the bare axles. all hangers, shackles and spings look to be in good condition. It actually trailers nice, I don't have a comparison so my view may be skewed but it pulls straight. Only issue is the deflection in the trailer now acts as a spring when going over road changes which is why i added the strap over the nose of the boat, that keeps it sturdy. a bandaid I know now which is why I'm trying to remedy this. A new trailer is not an option for me right now.

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What does the boat weigh ? I had a Vanguard trailer under my 42 fountain it had a upper structural support frame that ran the length of the trailer that thing never bobbed or deflected a bit .The main frame is just not tall enough look at myco trailers .

NADA says boat weighs 7,700lbs so adjust for load and we should still be well within the trailer specs. The boat itself isn't too heavy, what the previous owner did caused the deflection. The bow/sag will be fixed by welding support along the length of the trailer forward the axles, once straight the trailer equalizes the load just fine.

As for height clearance issue with the axles. Dexter says either go ahead with the over under swap or upsize to a heavier spring. I'm gonig to try an 8k spring. if that don't work then the spring over will have to happen. New trailer is out of the price range right now.

7700??? That seems awfully light for a Scarab III. I'd be guessing more like 11,000 or so.....

7750 from NADA
8200 net from marine bluebook

Front axle is hitting the frame because the equalizers are allowing it due to the nose down attitude of the trailer putting all of the load on the front axle.

It may tow like a dream according to you but that load is certainly not distributed evenly among the axles.

That tiny frame is scary looking.

Your best bet is to hack the excess tongue off that is not needed and weld a second tube under the one that is there,

Second weld a truss down the length of the trailer rails and it might get by,

Have you measured the tongue weight and trailer weight with the boat on it ?

If not I suggest you go do that 1st

Spending any money on heavier springs is futile as the whole problem lies in the poor geometry of the axles and equalizers because of the incorrect distribution being applied .

What about going to drop axles like I have, instead of the straight tube?

I will tell ya, I've pulled my Buddy's Scarab III around, which also happens to be on a trailer that is underbuilt for the boat, and it's no lightweight. My 38 Fountain on my myco trailer, weighs 13k lbs with no fuel in the boat. His Scarab III feels every bit as heavy back there as my Fountain, maybe heavier .I think those NADA weight numbers are way low. I"ll bet you go weigh that boat/trailer combo, and you got at least 12500 there, prob closer to 13500. The boat itself gotta be at least 10k lbs.

My buddy's trailer under his Scarab, was made for that boat. I dont even remember the brand name. But, it has triple 3500LB axles. The axles look terrible from the bow with all the weight on them. Total piece of crap. He mainly uses it for storage only. I think somewhere, back in the day, someone was lying about how much those Scarabs really weighed.

I had a trailer that came with my 31 foot 12000 lb Parasail boat from the Havasu area that resembled this piece of work.

The rating plate said it was good to go but pulling it was like trailing your boat on a wet noodle

Tommymonza - the weird thing is that it's not the front axle that's hitting, it's the rear most axle, see the pic on 1st page. the other two axles have more space than the third but not by much. I actually had to lift it to get that pinched brake line out of there. Trailer sits with left side just a few inches higher than right side due to concreate pad. I do plan on welding 5x2x.25 tube along the inside of the existing frame to straighten it out. you can physically see the bend starting just in front of the first axle then magnifies just after the first crossmember where the trailer tapers in.

MT - new axles are a thought but I've concluded that I'm going to order all my brake parts now and install and put wheels back on, then get the welder over to fix the sag. Once that's all done i'll reassess my options. I don't want to do too much fab and then end up with more garbage. I know it'll be more work having to lift the trailer again but I think that's my best approach right now.

Based off this statement I'm guessing boat is water logged and weighs way more then you think. Think you might have bigger issues then a trailer. How long was water sitting in boat? Have you ever put a moister meter on it?

Skip the 5x2 tube running on the inside that is doing very little compared to putting some 2x2 running along the top with some spacers. Look for a thread where the guy just made a goose neck for his Cigarette out of his bumper pull and beefed it up this way.

Rear axle hitting when jacked up in the driveway ? What about when loaded on the truck?

I did have it surveyed before buying and it checked out fine on the moisture meter. Once I get tires wheels back on I will take it to scales to check overall weight.

Off topic but what disc brakes would you all get if switching to discs: integral hub or separate hub and rotor?

I'll look into running tube along the top and run it by my welder. Now i'm not sure about it on truck. I will check all that after wheels are on to get a better picture of what's going on. ordering brakes now so I'll have a week or so until wheels go back on

Bilge wasn't full off water at time of purchase. I didn't learn that tidbit until I had shop do some paint work. Same shop that redid interior for po..

Bilge wasn't full off water at time of purchase. I didn't learn that tidbit until I had shop do some paint work. Same shop that redid interior for po..

That is even more scary that it was surveyed and no mention by surveyor that bilge was full of water!!!!!

Have you ever thought of adding a helper spring?

New springs but then add a helper to help with future spring sag

Yes, but then why not just go with new springs?

I noticed in the pic that you don't have shackles between the springs and equalizers. If i can do that i think it will give me the clearance i need.

They do have shackles, but only on one side of the spring.

Gotcha

Skip the 5x2 tube running on the inside that is doing very little compared to putting some 2x2 running along the top with some spacers. Look for a thread where the guy just made a goose neck for his Cigarette out of his bumper pull and beefed it up this way.

Rear axle hitting when jacked up in the driveway ? What about when loaded on the truck?

Is anybody else getting annoyed by these post before quotes and double posts that have been happening the last couple weeks besides me?

I think I have a few double posts in this thread, it is annoying.

Is the frame a C channel? If so, you may want to box it in addition to the truss on top.

Once you stiffen the frame I'd check the balance of the boat on the trailer to make sure it is sitting over the axles. I wouldn't go spring over unless it was absolutely required.

When I lived in Henderson I'd run down the hill from Boulder to the lake all the time and never had any problems with brakes. Neither did my buddy with a 36 Outlaw. EOH will definitely help but I think the improperly balanced load is giving you braking problems.