Checking axle alignment
I was wanting to check the alignment of the axles on my trailer and was thinking of tying a weight to a string and hanging it from the kingpin then marking that spot on the ground. From there measure...
Forum Discussion
N-Trouble wrote:
I was wanting to check the alignment of the axles on my trailer and was thinking of tying a weight to a string and hanging it from the kingpin then marking that spot on the ground. From there measure back to some point of the axle/wheel on each side and comparing. I realize this is a crude method compared to using a laser setup that I suspect most alignment shops probably use but would it at least tell me if I have any kind of alignment issue?
What you are looking at doing is checking the axle placement from the factory not the actual axle tow in or camber. The axles only have 4 none moving mounting points, the front spring mounts and the rear mounts for the back axle. So check the distance from the king pin to each front mount one each side and see if they are the same, all the rest of the mounts (equalizer and rear spring mounts) should be the same on both sides. If everything else is installed correctly and are the same parts the trailer will track correctly but the tow in and camber can still be off. The only way to set that is bending the axles on a alignment machine.
Denny
