Triton trailer problems

08nightfire · Nov 15, 2009

I bought a 09 2 place drive on drive off about a month ago. Brought it home with my sled andd didnt notice any problems. It sat for about a 3 weeks then took off on a 300 mile trip to get another sled. About 100 miles in it started vibrating real bad. Didnt think much of it since I was empty but it did this when I had the sled on too. Under 60 I dont notice it.... Anyone else have this problem??

Rprecision · Nov 15, 2009

I would do through and makesure the wheelbearing are all ok, make sure you dont have a tire issue. For the most part the smaller tires are hard to balence and a usally not done. However if you have a crappy tire, broken belts, then that should be looked at.

Tires and bearings

As a side note it may help to better understand what this vibration consists of.

08nightfire · Nov 15, 2009

Thanks I will check the tires. I checked the bearings a few times through out the drive and they were all cool. Is there something I can put in the tires to balance them or can they be balanced like a car tire? The vibration is like a vehicle tire out of balance with a hum. Best i can describe it. I know its not in my vehicle because i took it down the road without the trailer as soon as i got home.

MT boondocker · Nov 15, 2009

Yes you can get your trailer tires balanced. I run 13" tires on my Triton drive on drive off and have them balanced.

MORSNO · Nov 15, 2009

When I pull my 16' trailer empty on the highway I get a vibration from the wind on the front drive off ramps. In the rear view mirror you can see the ramps moving in the wind, once the sleds are loaded all is well.

anchorman · Nov 16, 2009

This is not uncommon with most any small trailer. The tires spec'ed by most manufacturers are not very great quality and a "out of round" or otherwise faulty tire happens to get through from time to time. Have them checked by a tire shop and then if there is a problem, contact the tire manufacturer. If you can show them you just purchased the trailer they will almost always get you a new tire.

As much as I'd like to say it is the competition (Triton), 99% of the time it is a tire issue, not the trailer.

omernikski · Nov 16, 2009

Trailer tires can "flatspot" when sitting for awhile. It's not uncommon and will usually work itself out.

94fordguy · Nov 16, 2009

I've had a similar experience on my trailer, vibrates pretty good at highway speeds if you don't have a lot of weight on it. I jacked it up and spun the tires and sure enough they were not quite round even though they are fairly new and in good condition.

If it still vibrates with a full load on and you can see that the tires are not quite round, I would take it in and either try to have they balanced, or just get a new set of tires on it.

this1ultraflyz · Nov 16, 2009

08nightfire said:
I bought a 09 2 place drive on drive off about a month ago. Brought it home with my sled andd didnt notice any problems. It sat for about a 3 weeks then took off on a 300 mile trip to get another sled. About 100 miles in it started vibrating real bad. Didnt think much of it since I was empty but it did this when I had the sled on too. Under 60 I dont notice it.... Anyone else have this problem??

If everything checks out good on trailer and you know your truck tires are in balance have your Drive shaft checked on you truck, Balance and . I know a two place is not heavy and should not have much hitch weight but that would be next place I would look. I had a vibration in my truck for years tried a couple different brands of tires. Then had Drive shaft checked GM had assembled drive shaft wrong. It was not bad other than when I pulled something and the drive-line angle would change a bit. You could notice under load when first take off and between 50 and 65 mph. Obviously got worse as truck got older that when I looked into it further and had it all fixed up. It was like buying a new truck and it really cut back on my speeding tickets.

08nightfire · Nov 17, 2009

Thanks for all the input!! I will pull the tires this weekend and see if I can find someone to balance them for me..

4GR8X · Nov 17, 2009

08nightfire said:
I bought a 09 2 place drive on drive off about a month ago. Brought it home with my sled andd didnt notice any problems. It sat for about a 3 weeks then took off on a 300 mile trip to get another sled. About 100 miles in it started vibrating real bad. Didnt think much of it since I was empty but it did this when I had the sled on too. Under 60 I dont notice it.... Anyone else have this problem??

Greetings 08nightfire,

Your enote doesn't define if your new purchase was a new or used trailer. A 2009 model....sounds new, if that is the case consider contacting the dealer for support.

Craig.

08nightfire · Nov 18, 2009

It was brand new and I talked to the dealer. He said he hasnt heard anyone else having problems with one he has sold.

Olie3170 · Nov 18, 2009

I haven't heard of this problem before either, however if you decide that it isn't any of the above problems then you may want to re-torque the bolts holding the axles in place. Make sure both sets of bolts are in the same bolt holes as the other side so your axles are straight. Some of those 2 place trailers have an option for a second axle and if the bolts were off a hole that could cause some possible vibration.

Also, we always recommend that you torque your lug nuts after you pull it loaded and empty after a hundred miles or so. Fewer miles if your dealer didn't properly torque them to begin with.

If you maybe hit a curb or something similar that might tweak the axle out of alignment and that may be an issue.

The bearing might not be adjusted properly. You can take off the dust cap and adjust them yourself just make sure they you do not over tighten them, or take the trailer to someone who can adjust them for you. Just make sure that when you spin the wheel to check for adjustment that your brakes, if you have them, are not grabbing and making you think that your bearing are too tight.

If you make it over to Wisconsin, you could run it by the factory and they can take a look at it and see if it is a bad axle. They should be able to tell if the axle is bad and put on a new one for you right away. If you let me know that you are headed that way I'll give them the heads up that you are coming and I'll get someone to take care of you. It is very rare for an axle to be built a little out of wack but it does occasionally happen.

I'll sure help you if I can. I hope my 2 cents helps you out.

Thanks,
Olie

08nightfire · Nov 18, 2009

Thanks Olie!! I will check everything you mentioned tonight when I get home. Do these trailers come put together from the factory? I kind of thought the dealer I bought it from would be a little more helpful thean he was. I bought a sled, trailer, and all new gear from him this year but whatever i guess....

Olie3170 · Nov 18, 2009

You are welcome.

It really depends on the dealership, they can either come pre-assembled or not. Its my preference to have them shipped to me with out the axles, salt shields or other accessories bolted on (un-assembled), because I can get more on a load and I do not charge the $40 per axle to my customers if I do it. Some dealers do not have the equipment to flip a trailer back over onto it's wheels after the axle was put on so they have to have them freighted in assembled. It's like the old saying goes I guess, if you want it done right...

I would think that your dealer would be more helpful as well, but like most dealers he probably is only concerned with helping you until that check is written. I would have personally gone out and crawled under and around your trailer and tried to diagnose the problem and if I couldn't figure it out then I would find someone who could. We stand behind what we sell for years to come.

We have a full service diesel and trailer service shop with 8 bays to get you in quickly. Our guys are very well trained.

Let me know what you find, of if you cant find anything. I'll keep thinking about it in the mean time. It's very rare for a Triton to have problems so I think we should get it resolved the best and least expensive way we know how.

Thanks,
Olie

08nightfire · Nov 18, 2009

Ok I checked the lugs, bearings and tires tonight. The tires look good and dont appear to be out of round. The bearings look well greased and I think are adjusted properly. I could only see 1 set of holes to mount the axle. I measured from the back of the trailer to the front of the axle on both sides and looks to be square. Does this axel have a preload in it? I noticed it has a slight upward bend to it. I hooked onto my old snowmobile trailer and took it down the road empty and loaded and it pulled just fine. When I did it with the new one again it acted the same as before. Same weight on both trailers and same speed.

Olie3170 · Nov 18, 2009

Well, if that all looks good then I'm at a loss at the moment. The axles do have an upward bend in the middle so that when you load them they will straighten out instead of dip downward.

I'll keep thinking for you. You had the tires balanced, right?

I'll post more thoughts as they come to me, I'll also call Triton to see what they think it might be and I'll talk to my best trailer guy in our service department.

Thanks,

08nightfire · Nov 18, 2009

No thats the one thing that is left. I will take them in Friday to get balanced. Thanks again!!

4GR8X · Nov 18, 2009

Greetings 08nightfire,

I checked the Triton web site for information on their warranty, it reads like you have a one year limited warranty.

You maybe at the point in time that you share your issues with the factory.

Good luck,

Craig.

08nightfire · Nov 19, 2009

Emailed Triton this morning and here is there reply

Dear Customer:

Since this is a new trailer I would have the dealer look at it, sometimes a new person might see something or know more what to look for in the trailer. When the possible problem is found, the dealer can see if this is a warranty issue or not. All claims start at the dealership. Other things to check are to make sure that the rims are properly seated down on the hub with no debris in the way, and to make sure that other parts on the tongue and axle are tightened properly.

Thank you for visiting Triton Trailers on the web! Have a fun and safe season!

Sincerely,
Craig,
CSR & Marketing

I think I will go back to the dealer I bought it from this afternoon and see what he has to say....

Triton trailer problems

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