A trailer that only works one season is checked before it
Plenty of trailers in western Kentucky do most of their year's work in a few intense weeks. A grain trailer may sit through the summer and then run day and night through harvest. A trailer that hauls for planting may do the same in spring.
That pattern makes the timing of an alignment check unusually important. An axle that is out of square drags its tires sideways on every mile it runs, and the damage is roughly proportional to distance. On a trailer that runs steadily all year, a misalignment does its harm gradually and shows up in the tire records. On a seasonal trailer, it does months of damage in a few weeks, during exactly the period when nobody has time to stop and look.
The time to check is in the quiet weeks before the trailer goes back to work.
What a pre-season check covers
- Axle alignment, measured so each axle is square to the trailer and parallel to the others.
- Suspension condition, since worn hangers, bushings and equalizers let an axle wander however well it was set.
- Tires and their age, because a trailer that sat for months may be carrying tires that are older than their tread suggests.
Bring trailers in empty, and say what each one usually hauls and how it is loaded. A record of the readings for each trailer makes next year's check quicker.
Plan it with the rest of the fleet
The tractor pulling a crooked trailer wears its steer tires too, so check heavy-duty truck alignment at the same time where it is due. A fleet account can schedule the whole set in the quiet season. The national trailer alignment page covers what the measurement includes.
Other stores nearby
Paducah Commercial & Consumer and Henderson also align trailers.
About this store
The Princeton store runs sixteen services and is managed by Stephanie Fakouri.
See the national trailer alignment page for all 36 locations.