A boat trailer axle is a device that attaches tires and a suspension system to a boat trailer. It is commonly made of a hollow steel tube with bolted spindles and is mounted on leaf-type springs. Some boats have electronic brakes, and some trailers use a torsion bar suspension system.
A boat trailer axle is a device used to attach tires and a suspension system on a boat trailer. Commonly made of a hollow steel tube with bolted spindles, the boat trailer axle is typically mounted on a set of leaf-type springs and suspended below the trailer’s main frame. Depending on the size and weight of the boat, the boat trailer axle may have a set of electronic brakes attached to the wheel hubs. It is common for most trailers used to haul boats to include wheel hubs that allow the wheel bearings to be greased without removing the wheel assembly.
A boat trailer suspension system is usually nothing more than a shock absorber attached to the axle of a boat trailer. The axle is mounted to a set of leaf springs to provide the cushioned ride for the boat when pulling on the road. By using a simple straight axle, the unit can be entered and exited from the water without damaging exotic or complicated suspension components. Many manufacturers drill a series of small holes in the bottom of the boat trailer axle to allow water to enter the axle, thus eliminating the buoyancy associated with sealing a hollow axle tube at all ends.
Many boat trailer axle designs use a flat plate welded to the end of a steel tube. The plate is drilled to accommodate a bolt-on spindle package, and this allows the wheel axle, hub, and brake assembly, if equipped, to be easily attached to the boat trailer axle. This type of spindle assembly and construction allows the manufacturer to produce various types of spindle assemblies and spindle tubes as individual components. Once ordered, the appropriate axle can be mounted to the appropriate axle tube and the boat trailer can be assembled.
While the typical and most common method of suspending a boat trailer axle is from a leaf spring, some trailers use a torsion bar suspension system instead of leaf springs. On a torsion bar type trailer, the boat trailer axle is often a half axle design with the spindle ends bolted to a stub or half axle. This type of trailer is often used when a lower profile is desired, as the absence of a full length axle running under the boat can allow the entire system to sit much lower. This can occasionally allow the boat to be launched and retrieved in shallow water.
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