Let me share a few lessons-learned about leveling your truck and boat trailer.
When we took delivery of "Naknek" in July 2003 it was set up on a King 4000# double axle, bunk trailer with B-range bias ply tires. It "looked" acceptably level so we headed for Arizona. Everything seemed to tow fine, no sway, and very comfortable at highways speeds.
By April of 2004 we had about 5000 towing miles on the rig and I noticed Major wear on the inside shoulders of both front axle tires. Something was definitely wrong. Since the rear-axle-tires showed no wear I opted to rotate the tires to avoid a blowout, and give more time to study the problem. Sure enough, about 5000 miles later (on our way back from Prince Rupert) the front tires were again showing significant wear.
During all this I had consulted various folks at tire stores, and trailer manufacturers, etc. The fellow I spoke to at King Trailer advised me that with bias ply tires I could only expect upwards of 8000 miles on a set of tires! BS. The Very uneven wear pattern was telling me Something; I just didn't know what.
I figured the problem was that the boat was loading the front axle much more than the rear axle, and that was because the boat was too far forward on the trailer. I was only partially correct.
While back at the C-Dory Factory in July the folks there were very helpful. We measures the tongue weight (550#), overall weight 4900# (boat, motors, trailer, wet, loaded) and determined that the boat was properly placed on the trailer. (In my case, proper placement has the transom exactly even with the back end of the rear bunk.) We then measured the height of the trailer fore and aft. About 3" difference. Hmmm....
Next stop was King Trailer (Marysville, WA). Again, we measured the trailer to determine the degree to which it was out-of-level. Yep, that was the problem. Although the truck trailer rig didn't look grossly out-of-level it was enough to cause the uneven tire wear. I bought a new coupler, brought the trailer tongue up to the level of the truck, and things seems to be corrected (hopefully). The 1700 miles drive home was uneventful, and the new radial tires (C load range) show NO wear whatsoever at this point. Stay tuned. Oh yea, I also had them replace both front axle bearings that were shot, and repack the others. (If nothing else, I've learned that you can tow the C-Dory on one axle for a goodly distance if a tire blows! ...I was effectively towing with a single axle trailer.)
Moral of story: Check your truck/trailer for level!
Here's what the factory did:
(1) Hookup loaded trailer and truck (you want the load on the trailer hitch, as it causes the truck to "squat" somewhat thus lowering the overall level. Do the measurements on the most level ground you can find.
(2) Choose a particular point on the trailer so you get a standard measurement fore and aft (ie. top of the siderail).
(3) Measure the height as near to the hitch as possible.
(4) Measure the hitch between the double axles (or at the axle in the case of a single axle trailer).
(5) You now know how much your rig is out-of-level.
(6) Go shopping for a new coupler with the correct amount of rise! Your aim is to be within 1/2 inch of level (the closer, the better).
(7) Test drive your outfit for a few thousand miles while enroute to your favorite boating location!
When we took delivery of "Naknek" in July 2003 it was set up on a King 4000# double axle, bunk trailer with B-range bias ply tires. It "looked" acceptably level so we headed for Arizona. Everything seemed to tow fine, no sway, and very comfortable at highways speeds.
By April of 2004 we had about 5000 towing miles on the rig and I noticed Major wear on the inside shoulders of both front axle tires. Something was definitely wrong. Since the rear-axle-tires showed no wear I opted to rotate the tires to avoid a blowout, and give more time to study the problem. Sure enough, about 5000 miles later (on our way back from Prince Rupert) the front tires were again showing significant wear.
During all this I had consulted various folks at tire stores, and trailer manufacturers, etc. The fellow I spoke to at King Trailer advised me that with bias ply tires I could only expect upwards of 8000 miles on a set of tires! BS. The Very uneven wear pattern was telling me Something; I just didn't know what.
I figured the problem was that the boat was loading the front axle much more than the rear axle, and that was because the boat was too far forward on the trailer. I was only partially correct.
While back at the C-Dory Factory in July the folks there were very helpful. We measures the tongue weight (550#), overall weight 4900# (boat, motors, trailer, wet, loaded) and determined that the boat was properly placed on the trailer. (In my case, proper placement has the transom exactly even with the back end of the rear bunk.) We then measured the height of the trailer fore and aft. About 3" difference. Hmmm....
Next stop was King Trailer (Marysville, WA). Again, we measured the trailer to determine the degree to which it was out-of-level. Yep, that was the problem. Although the truck trailer rig didn't look grossly out-of-level it was enough to cause the uneven tire wear. I bought a new coupler, brought the trailer tongue up to the level of the truck, and things seems to be corrected (hopefully). The 1700 miles drive home was uneventful, and the new radial tires (C load range) show NO wear whatsoever at this point. Stay tuned. Oh yea, I also had them replace both front axle bearings that were shot, and repack the others. (If nothing else, I've learned that you can tow the C-Dory on one axle for a goodly distance if a tire blows! ...I was effectively towing with a single axle trailer.)
Moral of story: Check your truck/trailer for level!
Here's what the factory did:
(1) Hookup loaded trailer and truck (you want the load on the trailer hitch, as it causes the truck to "squat" somewhat thus lowering the overall level. Do the measurements on the most level ground you can find.
(2) Choose a particular point on the trailer so you get a standard measurement fore and aft (ie. top of the siderail).
(3) Measure the height as near to the hitch as possible.
(4) Measure the hitch between the double axles (or at the axle in the case of a single axle trailer).
(5) You now know how much your rig is out-of-level.
(6) Go shopping for a new coupler with the correct amount of rise! Your aim is to be within 1/2 inch of level (the closer, the better).
(7) Test drive your outfit for a few thousand miles while enroute to your favorite boating location!
