Measure a trailer when it joins the fleet
Trailers change hands more than tractors do. They are bought used, borrowed, traded with a farm down the road, or pulled into service from the back of a yard after years of sitting. Each one arrives with a history nobody wrote down: the curb it hit, the axle that was replaced, the spring that was fitted by somebody else.
The least expensive moment to find out whether a trailer tracks straight is the day it arrives, before it has worn a set of tires finding out for you.
Why it is worth doing first
A trailer that is out of line wears its own tires, and it also pushes the tractor pulling it. The tractor's tires start wearing unevenly too, and the obvious response is to align the tractor, which does not cure a problem that is behind it.
Measuring a new-to-you trailer at the start gives you two things:
A known starting point. If it is out, it is corrected before it costs anything. If it is in, you know any later wear has a later cause.
A record. The measurement sits on file. If the trailer starts wearing tires a year later, the comparison shows whether something has moved, which points straight at an impact or a repair since.
Other times to check
After a hard impact, after any axle, spring or hanger work, and when a trailer's tires start wearing on one side or one axle faster than the other.
Plan the visit
Bring the tractor too if its steer tires have been wearing oddly; heavy-duty truck alignment is done here, and doing both at once settles the question. A trailer fleet is easier to manage on a fleet account, where measurements stay on the unit's record. The national trailer alignment page covers what the measurement includes.
Other stores nearby
Ogden also aligns trailers, and so does Twin Falls, ID.
About this store
The Tremonton store is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and is managed by Ryan Smith.
See the national trailer alignment page for all 36 locations.