I hung my trailer axle on the end of a Ky Lake ramp during the winter draw-down some time back. I had to snatch it over the lip of the ramp with my truck and it moved one side of the axle back noticeably (adjustable axle). My Dad and I had no tools other than a pair of vice-grips so we decided to limp it the 5 miles back to my Dad's house. By the time we got there, the tires on both sides were ripped to shreds. I had to replace both.

I took the wheels and tires off and put the trailer on jack stands so we could restore the factory alignment. I measured from a marked spot on my hitch to the front side of both axle hubs after putting the axle back to its original spot (I could tell where it had been originally from the dirt marks on the underside of the rails). According to the dirt marks and the paint scratches, the axle came from the factory out of alignment by well over 1/2". One would think they would set the trailer in some sort of jig to align everything prior to sending the trailer out to the public? That might explain the terrible tire wear I had been getting prior to the ramp incident.

Some time later I decided to check my bearings, races and grease in the hubs. I only have an 8 mile drive each way to the ramps I use on KY Lake so I don't put a lot of miles on the trailer. When I went to take the brass nut off the driver's side axle, I found out it had been cross-threaded from the factory or dealer. I had never had the grease caps off either side. Try finding a 1" die to chase threads on a Sunday afternoon. I finally got one from an electrical contractor friend of mine after I had been to or called every auto parts place in the area.

As I have added more equipment to my boat over the years, I have become more concerned about my trailer. If I was towing several miles each trip I would have to seriously consider a heavier duty trailer.