Boat Trailer Wheels Contact Interior of Wheel Wells When Driven Over Speed Bump  

Question:

Expert Reply:

We will start off with the presumption that the trailer is new, its suspension is in good order and that it is properly rated for the boat's weight. In this case you should not experience the tires contacting the inside of the wheel wells when you drive over a speed bump, nor at any other time.

This kind of issue can happen when the tire size on the trailer is changed to one of a larger overall diameter. Larger tires reduce the available clearance for the normal suspension travel of most trailers. We generally recommend no less than 3-inches of clearance between the top of the tire tread and the top interior wheel well surface. If you have this much room and your suspension deflection is still causing tire-to-wheel-well contact then something is off. If the trailer is not new it could have worn, sagging leaf springs.

When one of your tandem axles is over the speed bump it will carry slightly more of the total trailer load but not all of it. The other axle still has weight on it. Keep in mind that tandem axle trailers use suspension equalizers that work to distribute the load over both sets of leaf springs. The axle with the more-compressed set of springs will carry more weight but not all.

Please tell me about the boat's actual loaded weight, the trailer capacity and anything else you can to help us diagnose the issue.

We do offer trailer jounce spring kits, that work like bump stops, to provide progressive resistance under load. Kits # TTRA15252A and # TTRA15252 fit aluminum and steel frame trailers, respectively.

expert reply by: Adam R

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