trailer sway and wheel size

[WIMUSKY]

Under the helm it looks like there is some kind of release pin? That area looks a little funky......

 

[Thalasso]

I would think that trailer should at least have 14 in tires. That would raise the height (rear) and put more weight on the tongue without moving anything.
My guess it's the wrong trailer period. 2200 lb boat with dual axles?

 

[smokeonthewater]

Nothing wrong with tire size for the weight.... Without measuring bearing size we can only guess at to whether they are matched to the axle capacity.

Changing tire wheel size will do nothing for the problem here tho.

8" wheels do just fine at their max load for 1000+ mile trips BTDT many times (80 mph too) and a low slung boat trailer is better than a tall one at the ramp.

I agree it looks a little odd and tandem 8" is something I've never seen before but it IS old and ya never know.

The only solution to this problem is more tongue weight and the correct way to get it is move the axles back.

 

[gm280]

I have to agree with moving the axles back. However not knowing how the fenders are attached, if you move the axles and the fenders are welded in place, you will have to cut them loose and re-weld the fenders back over the tires... Really need more pictures and even some closer shots of the fenders and axle setups to say for certain. JMHO!

 

[smokeonthewater]

No Title

did a little zoom action and the fenders appear to be connected to the axle subframe

 

[H20Rat]

Under the helm it looks like there is some kind of release pin? That area looks a little funky......

That is a tilt trailer... The entire setup is for very shallow &/or beach loading. (I had a very similar setup years ago) Those are not the factory tires, someone put them on for the same reason it is a tilt trailer, shallow water operation. First thing I'd do is put bigger tires on.

 

[Thalasso]

That is a tilt trailer... The entire setup is for very shallow &/or beach loading. (I had a very similar setup years ago) Those are not the factory tires, someone put them on for the same reason it is a tilt trailer, shallow water operation. First thing I'd do is put bigger tires on.

My suggestion also.

 

[WIMUSKY]

That is a tilt trailer... The entire setup is for very shallow &/or beach loading. (I had a very similar setup years ago) Those are not the factory tires, someone put them on for the same reason it is a tilt trailer, shallow water operation. First thing I'd do is put bigger tires on.

That's what I thought too. Just didn't want to sound crazy since I've never heard of/seen a tilt tandem. It almost looks like that the trailer isn't latched all the way down to the tongue, hence my "funky" comment. It just doesn't look right at that spot.

I'm in the larger tire camp too. Get the proper rims/tires and see if that resolves the issue. That would be the easiest solution. If you still have an issue, then I would look into moving the axles "after" weighing how much tongue weight you really have.

It "almost" looks like the tongue and fenders are from a different trailer. Granted, the bulk of the trailer could have been restored, but...... Just a thought... It just looks so wrong at the release pin.....

 

[smokeonthewater]

......the total combo is about 2,200 lbs not sure what the tongue weight is. You can lift tongue off the ball with very little effort.

There is no way in heck tires will cure this problem.... Not at all possible

He currently has a very unsafe trailer and the only solution is to get proper tongue weight.

 

[UncleWillie]

In keeping with the spirit of this forum that it not only is here to assist but also to educate,
Not having any direct experience with either a Tilt or Dual axle trailer, I will ask the following questions...

If the Center of Gravity of the load is positioned between the two axles, wouldn't moving the axles backward, or the load forward,
just subject the Forward Axle to a disproportionate portion of the load and have a minimal effect on the tongue weight?
I would anticipate that, as the load is balanced between the axles, the tongue would remain Off the ground when detached from the trailer, and that the tongue weight would be very minimal while towing.

How does the Tilt feature work on a dual axle trailer? It would appear that tilting would shift nearly the entire load onto the Rear Axle and require a huge effort to perform the task.

If there were a hinge point separating the the axle trucks from the body of the trailer, this would solve both of these issues.

Based on my uncalibrated eye and that knowing nothing else,
based on the size and wide spacing of the tires, that this trailer was intended to transport a pontoon boat.

 

[smokeonthewater]

The load is always distributed evenly between the axles no matter where they are because there are equalizers AND because the trailer is kept level and the axles are the same height

The tilt mechanism yes on most trailers will exceed the range of the equalizers and put all of the weight on the rear axle but since this is done sitting still it doesn't hurt anything... You could never tow it down the road with the boat halfway off the trailer and tilted.

There is no huge effort because as the boat is slid back it's weight gets behind the axles and that is what tilts the trailer.

 

[smokeonthewater]

The tires n wheels may well be smaller than original but that is unrelated to the stability issue. It poses absolutely no safety or reliability issue AS LONG AS the tires are rated to carry the load placed upon them.

 

[MTboatguy]

I would be checking those tires out real closely, I would bet, there is very little room for error on them being able to handle that load. There is just something that does not look right with that trailer. If it were my trailer, I would go to a heavier rated 14 inch tire on it.

 

[NewfieDan]

After towing quite a bit, and looking at the photo, my suggestion would be making sure the trailer is level, or even a bit low on the front end. This, along with tongue weight, are the 2 biggest factors in making sure there is no sway. You may need more of a drop to get the trailer level. Larger tires, as others have mentioned will help to level the trailer.