1981 SN Axle
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: Repairs and Maintenance
Forum Name: Boat Maintenance
Forum Discription: Discuss maintenance of your Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16690
Printed Date: November-18-2024 at 6:54am
Topic: 1981 SN Axle
Posted By: Chata9
Subject: 1981 SN Axle
Date Posted: March-03-2010 at 7:02pm
| I am in the process of restoring my 81 SN single axle trailer (original) and noticed that both tires are wearing on the inside. Is this a problem with the axle being out of alignment/bent or the springs needing to be replaced? If it is the axle, any recomendations on where to get one for this trailer? The axle has a drop down which matches that of the prop/fin gaurds. Also, any recomendations on where to find spings for this trailer (the springs are made up of 7 leafs)? Any help in pointing me in the right direction is greatly appreciated. |
Replies:
Posted By: critter
Date Posted: March-03-2010 at 7:15pm
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I would check %20 - http://www.trailerpartsdepot.com/
or if you have an agri-supply in your area. ------------- 1980 Ski Nautique 1966 Barracuda |
Posted By: storm34
Date Posted: March-03-2010 at 9:04pm
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Hey Roger- Can't seem to get your link to work. ------------- |
Posted By: storm34
Date Posted: March-03-2010 at 9:04pm
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http://www.trailerpartsdepot.com/ - trailer parts depot
Should be good ------------- |
Posted By: Chata9
Date Posted: March-03-2010 at 10:12pm
| Thanks so much for the quick responses... I looked on trailerpartsdepot.com (no agri-supply here in Southern California) and was a bit confused with the different selections/types of axles. Would I be looking at a torsion axle? Seems to be the one that allows for the drop down. I also looked for leaf springs but they do not have a 7-leaf spring. Do i neeed 7 leafs if my current spring is set up like that or do I just need one that will support the weight? From what I have seen, the overall weight (boat+trailer+fuel+ski equipment) is about 3,500 lbs on an 81 SN... do I just get a apring that will support 1750 per spring? Thanks again for all the help. |
Posted By: Gary S
Date Posted: March-03-2010 at 10:39pm
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Hard to tell you where to go when we don't know where you are. Some Correct Craft springs were made special and are not available off the shelf. However springs can be made up custom and are not expensive. Up here in northern Illinois we have a company called Spring Align.I took them my old ones,they made me exact new ones for $65 ea. I'll even bet they could even straighten your axle. Look for auto or truck spring or suspension repair. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1711&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1966&yrend=1970" rel="nofollow - 69 Mustang HM SS 95 Nautique Super Sport |
Posted By: Gary S
Date Posted: March-04-2010 at 1:36am
I'm a slow typer, you must have posted while I was. If you live in So Cal and can't find someone to make springs,you must not be looking  Like I said look around,I'm sure they could realign that axle too,it would be easier than starting over.------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1711&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1966&yrend=1970" rel="nofollow - 69 Mustang HM SS 95 Nautique Super Sport |
Posted By: SUNAPEE CROW
Date Posted: March-04-2010 at 3:28am
| You didn't say how the tires were wearing but it sounds like you have a bent axle.Springs won't stop the wear! The axle should be "toed in" about 1/2 a degree and you should have zero camber with the boat loaded.Looks like you need to find a trailer shop that can dial in the axle or buy tires every few years.Depends on how many miles you trailer. Back in the day of beam front axles in automobiles there was a plethora of tools available to move these around without heat. You don't want to let your repair service heat the box tubing to get it where it needs to be! |
Posted By: 79nautique
Date Posted: March-04-2010 at 11:00am
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I would shoot for a 2000lbs spring but 1750 would work too haul it down to the local truck stop that has a scale and see exactly what it weighs so your not guess and over springing the trailer causing bounce or under springing and bending the axle.
Measure the span from eye to eye (the part of the spring that the hanger and bolt attach the trailer's frame and the leaf spring it's self) on the spring the style of the eye on each end of the spring usually they are not the same. Measure the width of the spring, measure the width, O.D and I.D. of the bushings at each end of the spring usually they are the same. You'll also want to measure the length of the hanger if it's not welded to the trailer's frame. Once you have all this info then you can order the correct spring. Take some pictures and post them if you can that will help us direct you to the right springs for the job. Your axle might have a slight bend in it causing the tire ware but replace the springs first then you can do some string measurements and find out for sure then we can address that issue. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=756&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1979&yrend=1979 - 79 nautique |
Posted By: Chata9
Date Posted: March-04-2010 at 7:02pm
| Thanks for the help everyone. I took some pictures of the setup and will post them later tonight. I found a local shop here in So Cal that does trailer repair/maintainence. I was hoping to do all of the work myself, but it looks like this may take someone with a speacial understanding and the tools to straighten the axle. I thought that by simply buying a new axle I could bypass the repair shop and do the job myself. The tires are wearing on the inside pretty bad. One of the tires I replaced last year, so the wear isn't that noticable yet, but the other tire has been on there since I purchased the boat in 2005. I trailer some pretty long distances and always inspect the tires, but did not think to look on the inside edge (tire looks brand new from the outside) until I did this restoration and noticed something was going on. I will definitly replace the tire before I trailer again. I know that the springs will not cause this knind of wear, but I thought while I was at it I may as well replace the springs too. Many of the springs I see have 3 or 4 leafs that will support 3500 total lbs. Do I still need a 7-leaf setup or can I switch to the 4-leaf setup? |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: March-04-2010 at 7:06pm
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As long as the load rating on the springs is appropriate, the # of leafs really doesnt matter much. The length is an oddball one though- which is really the reason you may have to go custom. I ran into this issue on my #2 CC trailers. ------------- |
Posted By: Hollywood
Date Posted: March-04-2010 at 7:11pm
+1 for Spring Align! Great place, they made and installed new leafs for Kurt's Jeep Cherokee before we drove to VA to pick up our 88 SN in 2001. ------------- |
Gary S wrote:Posted By: Chata9
Date Posted: March-05-2010 at 1:13pm
I've attached a few pictures of the axle, springs, and tire. Is that a torsion axle that is pretty common or something specialized? The spring measures 30" on center from both eyes. I looked at agri-supply, trailerparts depot and etrailer, but none seem to have the 30" double eye spring. Just may have to have them custom made Let me know what you guys think.    
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Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: March-05-2010 at 1:38pm
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Scott,
Seeing that your tires are worn on both sides, tells me that I feel your axle is fine. A bent axle will wear the tires on the insides and not both sides. To me it looks like the tires have been run severely under inflated and overloaded. I also do not feel the tire wear is due to a problem with your springs. Is your boat carrying extra weight due to wet foam? It can add up to well over 500lbs. Do you put extra cargo in the boat when trailering? Don't do that ether! Your springs are the "special" OEM's and the reason you can't find off the shelf to match the eye to eye distance. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: 79nautique
Date Posted: March-05-2010 at 2:17pm
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I agree with Pete on the under inflation issue, But I also see a toe issue as well, drag your palm across the width of the tire outside to inside and then inside to outside, if you feel a sharp edge in one direction against your palm as you move across the width that is caused by the toe being off. I can tell you exactly how to measure it and how you can bend the axil yourself to correct the problem pretty easy fix just have to go slow and might have to do it a couple of times untill it's right.
There is no need to get all bent out of shape and worried by everyone telling you it's a special length because it really doesn't make that much of a difference, the springs are unsprung at the moment and if they where loaded you would have a longer dimension. With it unloaded you need to measure the height of the spring so you can order a new spring that will work well in this application. With the design of the shackel in the rear you have some leway on length. You need to drop a plumb bob off of the rear shackel where the top bolt mounts to the fixed postion on the trailer now measure across a level line from the front eye bolt that is fixed to the frame and get that measurement should be longer than the 30 earlier. Once you have that then we can pick the spring. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=756&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1979&yrend=1979 - 79 nautique |
Posted By: Chata9
Date Posted: March-05-2010 at 7:14pm
| Thanks for all of the input.... this place is great! It is hard to see in the pictures, but the tires are actually wearing more on the inside. The inside has almost no tread left, while the outside looks almost new. I know that it looks like the outside is worn, but that is how the tire was made. For some reason the tread steps down on the outside of the tire and the center tread is raised. A very weird tire if you ask me, I have never seen one like it. I guess it makes sense if you’re riding on the center of the tire as you should be. As for the springs, I plan on replacing them anyways and will have to find a local shop here that can make some up. Thanks for the advice on measuring. I will load the boat back on and measure the springs again. I will then take it down to the local truck stop to get weighed…. Then I will have the propert info for the proper springs. I found a local shop that can check out the axle to see if it is bent and align if need be. Thanks again for all of the help and suggestions. Is there anything else that you guys would recommend I do during this trailer restoration, such as replace the bearings or the hubs? |