Troubleshooting New Wobble Rollers Too Snug on Boat Trailer
Updated 10/24/2025 | Published 03/27/2025
Question:
I bought a used boat that had a variety of rollers. I replaced them with 5/8inch shaft wobble rollers I bought at a local boat shop. But, in comparing the old worn out ones with the new ones, the old ones had a slightly tapered inside diameter, so the rollers truly did wobble and mated evenly to the curve of the boat, especially at the bow. The new ones are tight to the bracket, so they dont wobble and dont meet the boat over the width of the roller. Do you have any wobble rollers that will, indeed, wobble slightly with an inside diameter that is 5/8inch in the center and slightly larger at each side? Im wondering if I should just go with a 3/4inch inside diameter, but the old rollers definitely were made with an inside diameter that was 5/8inch in the middle and a bit larger on each end of the inside of the hole that sits on the bracket. Thanks for any help you can give me!
asked by: Jeff C
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
Expert Reply:
Hey Jeff, thanks for reaching out!
It could be that your older wobble rollers had just worn down, but if the new ones feel pretty snug on the brackets then I'm wondering if you got the wrong size? What is the diameter opening on your older rollers?
I'd love to help you figure out exactly what you're needing. I just want to make sure we know exactly what's going on so we aren't playing a guessing game.
Jeff C.
10/22/2025
I just looked at my trailer and took some pictures of the existing "new" rollers and one of the old rollers that I kept. The new ones fit pretty tight to the 5/8" shaft of the brackets. They have an inner sleeve of what appears to be PVC which slides into an outer sleeve of PVC and that is pretty tight to the roller "body". I used a silicone lube when I assembled everything and the boat comes off and on the trailer beautifully. The old roller had an inner section that is loosely fixed inside the gray ribbed rubber body of the roller, so I can't get lube inside it. The inner section of the old one kind of rotates but when I got the boat, I had to really muscle it off the trailer, now I let it roll off by itself and back-turn the winch so it goes into the water controlled (plus I can't unhook the strap). The old rollers definitely are about 5/8" or maybe 3/4" ID at the center and at each end they are about 1" ID, it looks like they were made that way and aren't worn. I can send pix if that would help, not sure how to do that here. I like the inner sleeve of the new rollers, they act as a bearing that is lubricated between the 2 tubes of PVC. Thanks for any help or suggestions, I'd like to replace the 4 rollers (2 on each bracket) toward the bow of the boat.
Product Page this Question was Asked From
Yates Ribbed Wobble Roller - TPR - 5" Diameter - 5/8" Shaft
- Boat Trailer Parts
- Rollers
- Wobble Roller
- 3 Inch Wide
- 5 Inch Diameter
- Plastic
- Fits 5/8 Inch Shaft
- Yates Rubber
more information >
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Jon G.
10/22/2025
Hey Jeff, were you able to measure the diameter opening on your old rollers to compare with the new ones? Once you have that info, I can help narrow down which wobble rollers will give you the right fit.