Regular maintenance to small trailer axles can prevent a mountain of woe. Daily wear, unknown damage, and overlooked or ignored repair and maintenance needs can take a toll on the complex geometry of the system, potentially resulting in a slew of expensive situations.
It’s Typically Not the Trailer Axle Beam that Requires Maintenance
While the axle is indeed a major part of the axle system, all its attached components work together to keep the system running straight, true, and safe. When a part of the axle system is out-of-whack, symptoms are rarely seen in the beam. What components are most often in need of attention?
- Bearings
A large percentage of trailer problems stem from failure to perform this simple and inexpensive maintenance procedure. Ungreased and neglected, bearings will overheat, destroying spindles, hubs, shaking tires, and eventually causing wheels to fall off, resulting in extensive trailer damage. Bearings should be greased once a year or every 3,000 miles. In-between, keep an eye out for wobbly tires and grease on the back of the rim, which indicate a leak. - Oil Seal
Leaks from the oil seal typically point back to wheel bearing issues. - Spindles
Uneven tire tread wear could indicate spindle misalignment. Scratches or nicks on spindle components could also lead to bearing damage. - Wheel Hubs
Wheel runoff crashes are often the result of improper/ignored maintenance. Lack of lubrication and axle nuts that are too tight or too loose are typical causes. Most times, your trailer will give you signs of impending failure via steering feedback, tire wear, sounds and smoky smells. As with other components, it pays to be aware of trailer operation. - Castle Nuts
Castle nuts should only be slightly more than hand-tight. Anything further puts excess pressure on bearings, and can lead to premature bearing failure. - Tires
The end of the road for the axle system literally and figuratively, issues in the system are often felt and seen in the tires. If you’re eating through tires, seeing odd/uneven tread wear, experiencing poor fuel mileage, or having difficulty controlling your trailer in-motion, look to the above component issues, as well as axle alignment in relation to the frame, to detect the cause. Ignoring the situation could eventually lead to tread separation or failure by blowout.
Reduce downtime and repair costs with regular trailer axle inspection and maintenance. Get off to the right start and ensure a smooth journey with the help of Ainsworth Trailer Repair today.
