Boat Trailer Axle Sheared Off Trailer

[wl1193]

Hi. I need some suggestions and information. I have a 18.5 fish and ski bass boat from very well known bass boat manufacturer. I bought the boat and trailer brand new in 2005. The trailer has one axle.

Earlier today, I was driving on westbound 580 towards Livermore in the far right lane traveling about 55 to 60 mph. I was coming down the Alta Mont Pass, about 2 miles from the Greenville Road exit, when my wife said something did not seem right. About a 1/2 second later I felt a thump and felt something dragging. I looked in my driver's side rear view mirror and saw my boat and trailer skidding sideways in the next lane over to my left. The trailer swung back around behind me and I pulled over to the side of the road. I got out of my van and expected to see a flat tire. Instead I saw the axle and the two wheels about 100 yards behind me in the shoulder of the road. The wheels were still attached to the axle.

There were alot of cars nearby and thank God no one got hurt from the trailer or the axle. As far as i know, no cars were hit by the axle.

I am not mechanically inclined so bear with me. I looked at the axle and tires. One tire had a gash in it where the sidewall meets the tire and it also had a hole in it. The hole and gash were on the in side of the tire (the side that faces the axle not the street). Before leaving on my camping trip, I made sure the tires were inflated to 50 psi cold -per the instructions on the tires and on the trailer's VIN plate. The welds that attach the axle to the trailer frame were sheared off.

The boat appeared to be okay and the 150 Optimax engine appeared to be okay (from a quick inspection). The boat, trailer and detached axle are sitting at a tow yard in Livermore. My boat trailer warranty expired four years ago.

I called my insurance company to make a claim. I should hear form them tomorrow. If they dont cover me, how much could a replacement axle, fender etc. set me back? What about a good replacement trailer? I plan on having Boat Masters take a look at the trailer, boat and engine since the tow yard is a few minutes away from them.

Any and all thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

[GW]

remember that tow yard is charging you storage by the day, so if the insurance wont pay you need to get it out of there ASAP.
I think your best course of action if you had to bear the cost is to just find a used trailer somewhere, I would be a decent one could be had for under 1K. I would consider a tandem axle trailer, I know I will never buy a single axle trailer again for anything. However, even being 4 years out of warranty I would still contact the manufacturer and see what they say.

Good luck and keep us up to date.

[Richard - Sonora]

I know of two instances where the spare tire came loose and dropped to the surface while at speed, taking out the trailer axle in the process. R

[wl1193]

The spare tire is still mounted to the side of the trailer.

[mark poulson]

Wow, sounds like you dodged a bullet!!!
The boat and trailer could have just as easily twisted and flipped over, pulling you and your truck into who-knows-what kind of predicament.
If your trailer has leaf springs, they may have broken inside their leaves, without being detected, and put additional strain on the U shackles that hold the axle. If one of the U shakles failed, the other one wouldn't be able to keep the axle attached.
I had leafe springs break several times, but the trailer dropped down onto a wheel each time, and I heard the squeal and pulled over.
Sounds to me like that is what happened to you, but your boat was so heavy it caused the wheel on the side of the broken shackle to bind up into the fender well, and then twist out and under the trailer, breaking the other side loose, too.
The cut in your tire is probably from when the wheel came loose, and was dragged under the fender, which cut it.
Good luck with your mess. I hope the manuf. steps up for you, or that your insurance cover it.

[chf8500]

I would sure think your insurance will cover all the expenses less deductible, as far as the repair on your trailer a decent welding shop should be able to put a new axle assy and repair any frame damage. shouldn't be too bad on cost, I repaired a tandem last year that the same thing happened to, axle assy about 350 to 500, labor will take about 3 to 5 hrs or so depending on how it came apart from the frame, and fenders, steel ones run around 50 to 100 a set, fiber I don't know and those you probably would have to get from the trailer manufacturer. Just as a thought, check with the boat maker, a lot of times they will stand behind their product in cases like this even after the warranty has expired.

[crawdaddy]

I had the same experience where the tire was punctured on the inside and broke the axle. I took the axle to a trailer shop and they ordered a new one for me. I then installed it myself in the driveway. This was on a 15ft boat with no trailer brakes or any mechanical stuff. It was really easy.

[rmd]

This is why we came up with Trailer safety Device most likely your leaf spring broke and your tire got caught in the fender and tore your axle bar off the trailer once you break a leaf spring there is nothing to hold your tire in place with are safety device you can see that were it is mounted this unit will keep your axle were it belong until you get to a safe place.Go to you tube and type in RMD trailer safety device and you will see how it is mounted and how works

[wl1193]

The axle is not leaf sprung, it is torsion. The two wheels were still attached to the axle. The trailer is warped from the impact.

[mark poulson]

My torsion box axle is attached to my trailer by two bolted brackets, one on each of the trailer frame members. When I had a wheel bearing seize and my wheel came off a year+ ago, Jordan at Anglers found that one of the brackets had cracked almost completely through. Two different trailer repair companies had missed that, but Jordan found it.
Maybe one of the brackets failed over time, and you just didn't see it.

I've always wondered why trailers don't come with shock absorbers, and why their tires need such heavy duty side walls, which seem to me to make them more prone to delamination.
My truck tires carry a lot more weight, but they don't come apart like the trailer tires do.

[chf8500]

For sure there are a lot of torsion axles on the road, I have seen several fail for different reasons, just a suggestion but whether you opt for a new trailer or repair on yours, go with a multiple leaf spring set up that is rated at least 1000# heavier than your load. for most bass boats that would be a 4 leaf set up, stay clear of the single spring and then take a look at the assy once in awhile, all things do get some wear and fail without a bit of maintance and our axles seem to be a neglected item more often than not.

[dwise]

Okay, now I'm worried...

[mark poulson]

Darlene,
Cheap, over-tempered leaf springs from China have become the norm now, and they are brittle and subject to failure from breakage.
When my first leaf spring broke, it was a three leaf spring, and the bottom leaf broke right over the axle. When I removed it for replacement, I found the middle leaf was broken, too.
I hope older boat trailers have domestically made springs, and won't be prone to breakage.
Anglers Marine in Anaheim was a huge Champion dealer. Ask Jordan or Rick if trailers of your age have had spring breakage problems.

[dwise]

Gads! Another thing for me to worry about! Ack!