Trailer Alignment

[AlK]

After I towed (approx 900 miles) my new to me boat & trailer (dual axel) home I noticed that the front tires were very noticeably worn down on the outside edges. Before I made the trek home I made sure that all the tires were inflated within a couple pounds of maximun. The trailer ran well and other than on hills I didn't really notice that it was behind the truck Two things come to my mind that could be the cause of the problem.
1) The ball on the draw bar was approx 5 inches to low. I now have the correct draw bar.
2) The trailer may need an alignment.

What are your thoughts.

Where on the lower mainland can I take the trailer to have the alignment checked. I don't want to prematurely wear out the new tires.

Thanks

 

[Hookin'up]

Aik,
is there any visible signs on the front axle of damage or bends, if the axle was hit from the front or bottom this could cause a severe toe-in
condition which would scrub off the outer edges, also with that ball being too low you would have shifted alot more of the weight onto the front axle and
this could have caused your issue as well but if it was just outer edge wear I would lean towards a bent axle, toe is fairly easy to check
measure from center of tread to center of tread on the front of the wheels, then do the same on the rear of the wheels (same axle) and compare should be within a 1/16"
Hope this helps

 

[AlK]

gidyup,
Thanks. I have not taken a close look at the front axle so I can't say whether it has been damaged or bent, but I will take a close look at it and take some measurements.

 

[profisher]

Easy enough to check axle alignment as well. Measure from a common point on the rear axle to a common point on the frame rails, left side and right side should be the same.

 

[Tailspin]

Are they Feathered? I have seen it before where the brakes are dragging a bit due to a sticky caliper or wheel cylinder. They can losen up a km down the road each time you apply so you don't really notice until you see the wear in the tires.

 

[AlK]

The tires were not feathered and the brakes were not dragging.

 

[Hookin'up]

did you take any measurements yet?

 

[SpringFever552]

Easy enough to check axle alignment as well. Measure from a common point on the rear axle to a common point on the frame rails, left side and right side should be the same.

yes... better yet measure/triangulate to the hitch...

 

[AlK]

gidyup,
I checked the axel and they both look good, but still need to measure as you suggested and also the triangulation as suggested by Springfever552.

 

[AlK]

With the nice weather today I was able to do some measuring.
gidyup,
With the tires still being brand new the center of each tire still shows the line that is left by the mould, so that is where I measured from. Measuring center to center on the front axel there is a 3/16" difference - hence a toe in.
Springfever552,
I did the triangulation measurement on two points (bearing buddy and the brake mounting plate) and the measurements were equal for both sides.

I also measured the distance between the bearing buddies on each axle and found that the distance on the starboard is 3/16" greater than on the port side.