Boatmate G23 Trailer tires camber

[Rich M]

I just replaced the tires this season on our 2015 Boatmate trailer. The insides of all 4 tires were worn almost to bald. I thought that because of their age maybe they were wearing faster. I drive the trailer twice a year to our lake which is about 40 miles away. The trailer sits under a roof the rest of the season and is indoor all winter with the boat on it. I have never hit anything or even noticed this before. But the tires are definitely cambered out at the bottom. I always check the tire pressure before driving the trailer so it isn't that. I am a bit surprised because of how little we use the trailer. I tried calling boatmate and emailing them but I cannot get any response. I am guessing that the axles are shot but I am looking to see if anyone else has had this and how they resolved it. Thanks

[srock]

Good luck with Boatmate. Every time I have dealt with them they screw it up. Ordered a trailer...built wrong. Delivery...could not get an accurate date and missed 3 of their estimated dates by weeks. Order an accessory...delivered to an incorrect address. Order a new matching rim and tire...misplaced the order. And to make things worse...try getting an email response or return phone call from any department.

[SilentSeven]

Find a reputable alignment shop in your area and ask them if they do trailer work - many will. RV travel trailers and others can and do need alignments.

They will be able to inspect the trailer and suggest what's wrong. I'd say skip the manufacturer....

My guess - either the axles are bent (!) or there's some bearing problem across all the hubs. It would be unusual to have to this on all 4 wheels however. Have you recently jacked up one side and shook the wheels to check for bearing play?

EDITS - couple interesting vids cuz I was curious.

Aligning a leaf spring type axle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRyTeqYuGBk

Torsion axle bent spindle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aDpp6jZB6w

[jhiestand]

Is there any chance the trailer isn't rated for the weight of your rig? Should be a capacity plate on the trailer inner frame. Doesn't seem like that'd be a player, but your exact question came up on etrailer and they stated the same thing -- https://www.etrailer.com/question-208270.html .. They also mention axle deterioration as a possible cause. And I sure hope the lifespan of torsion axles doesn't apply to ours, as it's significantly older than what they stated as typical lifespan.

[SilentSeven]

ah...good question. Leaf spring or torsion axle?

[Rich M]

So the trailer has a GVWR of 8400 lbs. Also to note, that if it is not rated for the boat I have I would be super angry because it says Nautique G23 right on the VIN tag. Honestly, I think the torsion axle dampers are worn out. I am going to take it apart soon. I can't see the actual axle bending and we have never hit anything with it. I barely even use it. I often feel stupid for having a nice trailer for how little it gets driven. I was hoping someone else could point me in the right direction because of their experience because I can't get boatmate to reply to me.

[SilentSeven]

I was looking for something about worn dampers but couldn't find anything. However the Dexter video showing how their rubber dampened axel works sure looks suspicious....I'd think those rubber items would degrade over time and could lead to the condition you're seeing. I think you're on the right track.

[Rich M]

Thanks. Quite honestly I think it is a stupid design. I think that I would much rather just have leaf springs and keep it simple. I might have another solution. I have to see what it looks like when I disassemble it.

[Rich M]

So I have replaced all 4 torsion arms with hubs, bearings and rotors. None of the old ones had obvious damage to them. But, because of the length of them it would be very hard to see a bend unless it was catastrophic. It looks better but I have only had a chance to take it for a short drive because I found other problems that need to be handled. I did take the caps off and inspect the rubber dampers and none of them were degraded or damaged. I am not 100% satisfied so far with how the tires look rolling down the street but I will let you know when I finish the job and get to really take it out on the road. Thanks for all your help and suggestions

[Miljack]

So I have replaced all 4 torsion arms with hubs, bearings and rotors. None of the old ones had obvious damage to them. But, because of the length of them it would be very hard to see a bend unless it was catastrophic. It looks better but I have only had a chance to take it for a short drive because I found other problems that need to be handled. I did take the caps off and inspect the rubber dampers and none of them were degraded or damaged. I am not 100% satisfied so far with how the tires look rolling down the street but I will let you know when I finish the job and get to really take it out on the road. Thanks for all your help and suggestions

You replaced "all 4 torsion arms.." or, you replaced all the hubs, bearings and rotors? Unless you've somehow damaged the torsion arms, ie the spindle/snout is bent relative to the torsion arms, then, the torsion axles could be the issue creating too much negative camber.

Negative camber in a torsion axle setup is normally the result of worn out torsion axles, ie. the rubber bushings which handle the twist load in the axle. You could convert to leaf springs, but, that is a fairly large project, and, your trailer and boat combo will ride much "rougher" than a torsion axle setup.

[Rich M]

I changed the torsion arm, hub and rotors. I'm also pretty sure now that my camber problem may in fact come from how little we use the trailer. After closer inspection taking these apart I have decided that after I get the boat off of the trailer tomorrow I am going to lift the trailer off of the ground and put a strap from the bottom of one wheel to the bottom of the wheel on the opposite side and put light tension on it. I think the rubber dampers deform and take set from sitting in on place for so long. I have a few weeks to work on it and see if I can improve it. It is much better with the new arms but I think it should be bettter.

[SilentSeven]

I get the possible problem with the torsion bushings...but why the new arms/hub/rotors? Did you see a problem or with this just a "while i'm in there" thing?

[Rich M]

I had taken some of them apart and the rubber dampers did not appear to be damaged. Since nobody at boatmate would return a phone call I bought the arm/hub/rotor assemblies because they were $170 each and I figured that without visible damage that the spindle and axle housing were not the problem. Now that I know that everything is good, the only thing that I can think of that could be wrong is the dampers took a set from sitting. I drove it last night and it is much better. I am just a bit of a perfectionist so after spending all this time I want it to be 100%

[srock]

I had taken some of them apart and the rubber dampers did not appear to be damaged. Since nobody at boatmate would return a phone call I bought the arm/hub/rotor assemblies because they were $170 each and I figured that without visible damage that the spindle and axle housing were not the problem. Now that I know that everything is good, the only thing that I can think of that could be wrong is the dampers took a set from sitting. I drove it last night and it is much better. I am just a bit of a perfectionist so after spending all this time I want it to be 100%

Hmmm.... as in my prior post, a return phone call is not Boatmates strong point and this is not a recent issue it's been that way for years.

[Waveslayer]

Resurrecting this thread. Just took our nee 2015 boat to Shasta Lake from Orange County. Parked at my house and both front tires are ruined, inner tread of the tires are gone!

Assuming the prior owner bent the axles...

Where are you guys finding replacement axles and are you upgrading them to 4,200 lbs axles?

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