Thread: Boat Trailer Axle Alignment

I had the same problem with my trailer. I know this it is not the perfect way to align an axle but my tire wear has gotten a lot better. The trailer axles are bent when the are new. Over time they straighten out when you hit bumps, pot holes and run off the road. Don't laugh at my drawing but I connected a chain on the outside of the leaf springs and put a jack under the axle but on top of the chain. Then I jacked the jack up. The chain pulled down and the axle bent upward in the center. I then leveled the trailer side to side on jack stands and used a plumb bob to make sure the tire was sitting straight up and down. I also ran a string beside the tire from front to back of the trailer and adjusted toe. Once I got close to plumb I would move one end of the chain to the center of the axle and bend one side at a time.

My axle was a round tube. I helped a buddy bend his and he had a square tube. The square axle was harder to bend for sure. We ended up adding weight to the rear of the boat to get it to bend enough but neither axle tried to crimp at the jack. I know I used a bottle jack for the picture but I always used a floor jack like you use to jack a car up with.