Travel Trailer & 5th-Wheel Tire Alignment
The answer to “can travel trailer tires be aligned?” is, yes.
Travel trailer and 5th-wheel tires can be aligned and if you’ve traveled a lot or just gotten a new camper trailer you may want to check to see if it needs to be done.
If your camper does need some alignment done you can take it into a shop with alignment equipment or you can add a Lippert Correct Track Trailer Alignment Kit (click to view on Amazon).
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How To Check If Your Travel Trailer Or 5th-Wheel Needs Alignment
Irregular wear on the tires is one way to see if the alignment is off or if a bearing is loose.
If one side of a tire is being worn out faster than the other you should jack up that tire and push it in and out. If it wiggles you may have a worn bearing that is causing the uneven wear.
If the tire does not move your trailer tires may be out of alignment.
Another way to check the alignment of a dual axel trailer is to measure. Measuring properly to check trailer tire alignment requires parking your trailer on a flat surface.
Make sure the tires are fully inflated and the trailer is packed as if you are going to travel now. You want the weight distribution to be the same as if you were towing.
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The tires need to be straight for measurements. Pull straight forward at least one full tire rotation so the tires aren’t slightly angled from backing or turning.
Once parked you will need to measure from the front center of your trailer to the front center of each tire. On travel trailers, most people measure from the back of the ball hitch coupler.
On a 5th-wheel you may need to hang something from the kingpin to lower the center measuring point so you can reach it with a tape measure.
A plumb bob (click to view on Amazon) is a good way to do this. Just make sure your 5th-wheel is level when you do this.
Make sure you are measuring to the same spot on each tire. You are going to be comparing the measurements from the center point to each tire on each axle.
The measurements from the center to each tire on the same axle should be within 1/8 inch of each other.
On a dual axle trailer, you can also measure the axles to make sure they are aligned with each other. Choose the same spot on each hub and measure diagonally.
If the measurements don’t line up your axles may not be aligned.
How Are Travel Trailer Tires Aligned?
If your travel trailer tires do need to be aligned you can either take it to a repair shop that has alignment equipment or use an at home trailer tire alignment kit.
If the trailer is majorly misaligned by more than a few inches I suggest taking it to a shop.
At a repair shop, they will use equipment to bend the axles back into the right position to align the tires.
If the alignment is off by less than two inches you may be able to install the Lippert Correct Track Trailer Alignment Kit (click to view on Amazon) to align the tires yourself.
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Note that this kit does not move the axles. Instead, it adjusts the leaf springs. Using this kit will lift your trailer by two inches.
Some newer travel trailers and 5th-wheels are coming out of the factory with a Correct Track already installed. You may want to check to see if your camper has one already.
Have any more questions about travel trailer alignment? Leave a comment below.
Hi my rear axle needs an alignment but front one is ok. The shop says I should do both alignments becuse they might pull the other axle out of alignment. Is that true?
thanks for your answer.
Hi Joseph,
I think yes.
Each axel should be aligned with the front of the trailer but they also need to parallel to each other. It’s probably wise to make sure the front one is working with the back one after getting it aligned.
Tires are often far from perfectly round – they can easily be off 1/4 or more. I would measure to some metal, fixed point at the back of the hub or end of the axle tube.
to hang a plumbob from your kingpin, use a horseshoe magnet with a hole in the center. Suspend the plumb bob through the hole and center, the magnet on the bottom of the king pin.
with a tandem axle trailer, the back axle can be misaligned by a bent, main leaf in your spring. If you suspect an alignment problem one of the first places to look, is your leaf springs.
Thanks for the advice John!