Should Axles be Aligned with the Tongue or Frame on Trailer with Tongue that was Welded Off-Center

Published 10/27/2017

Question:

I have changed my single axle pontoon trailer to a tandem axle trailer. I fabricated two indentical slides from 1/4 inch by 2-1/2 inch angle iron which have the spring hangers and fender mounts welded to them. These are then clamped to the trailer frame tubing. When trying to align the axles, I discovered the tongue of this factory built tracker trailstar trailer is offset by about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch to the right of the trailer center. It is not bent, it was welded up this way from the factory. Should I align my axles to the hitch, which causes them to sit at a slight angle on the frame, or align them so they are square to the frame?

asked by: Mark M

Expert Reply:

When aligning the axles on your Trailstar Trailer, I recommend aligning them so that they are square to the trailer's frame. Doing this will maintain the load capacity and structural integrity of the trailer itself. If you were to instead align the trailer to the tongue, it would shift the load bearing components of the trailer off-center, essentially reducing it to an unknown capacity. This may have an effect on other components as well, such as the suspension and wheels.

The only drawback I can think of with having the axles offset from the trailer tongue, is that at some point down the line you may experience some uneven tire wear. This is simply because the trailer is going to be constantly trying to pull itself to center behind your tow vehicle. With that being said, a 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch offset should not cause too much of an issue.

expert reply by: Chris R