Things I have learned about boat trailers

[wingsnhammers]

Here are a few things that I have learned about boat trailers over the years.

1. Never trust what the previous owner tells you!
2. Pull the hubs and check the bearings, races, and seals. Chances are, something will need to be replaced even if it is only the grease.
3. If the wheels and tires are old, so are the valve stems. I weak valve stem WILL fling off and leave you with a flat.
4. Submersible lights aren't always truly submersible.
5. If you decide to take an old trailer apart to rebuild it, plan on buying new hardware. Chances are that most of the original hardware is rusted beyond use.
6. If you are completely rewiring a trailer, take the time and do it right the first time. It will help save headaches later on.
7. Never trust what the previous owner tells you!
8. Make sure your coupler latch has a pin or lock in it. It isn't a good feeling getting to the ramp and seeing that the latch is up.
9. Carry a GOOD spare tire and wheel. If at all possible, have an extra hub with bearings handy, too.
10. A good spare tire/wheel or hub is no good if you don't have the tools to change it.
11. Don't use rope as a winch strap. That junk just kinks up and rolls into itself and can be quite embarrassing having to spend 10 minutes fidgeting with that dang rope.
12. Make sure your boat is secured to the trailer properly before towing. The guy I saw last weekend with his 2012 19' Ebbtide in the weeds beside the road reminded me how important it is to make sure the thing is on there good!
13. Can't end on 13. I'm superstitious.
14. Never trust what the previous owner tells you!

Sorry for the small rant, guys. I'm on my second boat trailer now, and I learned a few (but not all) of these the hard way. I completely rebuilt the first trailer and was lucky enough to be able to buy new hubs to fix most of my issues with it. The new trailer was completely rebuilt and gone through before I even started on the boat. I ended up getting a flat because a valve stem rotted apart and noticed that I had water in my hubs. The inner seal was the only part that I didn't inspect or replace when I first went though it. :roll: I also have a problem with my tires scrubbing the fenders when there is any weight in the boat. I can't buy new leaf springs because all I can find is 1 3/4" leaf packs and mine has 1 1/2". I also can't buy a new hub kit because the spindle is tapered. The inner bearing is 1" and the outer is 1/2". This thing is starting to be a pain. I will eventually work through it though. It just sucks that I had to spend all of my mod money on my trailer and not the boat. I still need to get some steel bar stock and bolts so that I can make longer shackles for my leaf springs to give me the extra clearance I need. I still haven't even started trying to fix the bunks to make the boat sit better on the trailer either. #-o

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful day. Maybe someone here will read something here that will help them out in the future.

 

[New River Rat]

W n H, I liked this. Lots of good advice!

 

[Colbyt]

Very good post.

 

[wingsnhammers]

Feel free to add any more. I am sure I missed plenty!

 

[The Wirtzer]

Very good info. I've recently had to replace bearings on two utility trailers that were 'good to go' according to the previous owner. One set of bearings ground themselves into dust 15 miles out of a northern Minnesota town and required an angle grinder to get the inner race off. Did I mention it was December 31, just before sunset and it was the coldest it had been up to that point that winter. I finished the repairs with the help of a local resident, his angle grinder and a generator in minus 10 degree temps. That was the second bearing break. After that, I had a "bearing party". Every trailer I own got new bearings and, in one case, hubs.

I truly hate trailers. They are a necessary evil, though, to haul my toys.

Tim

 

[wingsnhammers]

My last job had me operating an Airboat on Lake Okeechobee. The drive from our shop to the ramp on any given day could be 5 minutes to 1.5 hours. Almost every issue we had with bearings, hubs, or axles was on the longer trips and we had to do the repairs on the side of the road. It was an absolute pain. To make it worse, we were running 12 hours a day and our shop was 30 minutes from the nearest parts store, so almost all of our trailers rode on roadside fixes until the junk busted again. I learned really quick how to change bearings, races, and hubs.

I'm glad I don't work that job anymore. I make sure to check things over really well on every trailer I use, now. I let the inner grease seal slip past me on my current trailer. I guess I will just consider replacing those a "must" from now on.

With my last trailer, the guy swore up and down that it pulled great. He said it just needed new tires. Well, somehow we fit the 14' jonboat in the bed of my S10, then put the motor in the boat and strapped the trailer on top of all of it. The hubs had no dust covers and there was zero grease in either hub. In fact, the only thing holding the whole thing together was the rust. I ended up buying and installing all new bearings, seals, races, and bearing buddies. Just my luck, the last whack on the last bearing buddy broke the hub and I had to buy new hubs anyway. That was a 80$ lesson learned the hard way.

 

[dahut]

Thank you for such an excellent post.
I like trailers, there is just something about them that is promising. A good trailer says something is going to get done, someone is going somewhere. It screams potential.

Ive heard that you should plan to spend the same money on your trailer that you spend on your boat upgrades. It is the crucial link between a boat in the yard, or one in the water.

I'm getting a next boat and trailer this weekend. I expect the worst and am planning for the trailer to be a total rebuild. I cant wait!

 

[Kismet]

Here's one for #13:

Always tell the exact truth when selling a trailer. If you don't know, say so! The extra $20-100 just isn't worth your character and reputation.


nice list.

 

[wingsnhammers]

Both of ya'll are correct. A good trailer says much about how a person cares for his equipment. Nobody likes to be the "dupe" and get the raw end of the stick on a deal. It's a shame that so many people try to dump junk on somebody else without even so much as a "...it may need a few parts replaced..." I refuse to sell somebody something that is a lost cause. I made sure to detail everything that I did to the boat and trailer when I sold my last boat. The guy was so impressed that I was so forthcoming that he didn't even haggle. I took his money, and he hooked up and ran. :mrgreen:

 

[Buckethead]

Great advice. I totally rebuilt my trailer, all new grade 8 hardware, new leaf spring bushings, bearings, races, seals, the whole 9 yards. New wiring kit, jack, winch, tires and wheels. Wire wheeled all the old paint and primer off and put on new. I shouldn't have any trouble if I keep up with maintenance. It was costly but worth it. I was involved with a seized hub once way way out in east Jesus and I do not want to play that game again. Good post.

 

[BCOWANWHEELS]

I was a trucker for 25 yrs over the road, you wouldnt believe how many i seen sitting on the side of the road. I even seen one come unhooked from a pickup,go completely across the interstate and the tounge went under a guardrail and it got real bad then, the pickup kept going. thank GOD knowbody got hit or hurt. keep this in mind, if your trailer goes down while on the road your liable for any and all damages and if somebody gets hurt you,ll be in prision soon. also when cops see a towed trailer and they pass you there checking out your trailer for safety issues. cross you safety chains under your tongue and your chains should keep trailer off the road if it comes unhooked.
bob

 

[Ranchero50]

#15. Try to bring enough tow vehicle.

Me Friday, helping my dad get his '83 Chris Craft 280 Catalina home from the bay. 280 mile round trip, hauled the trailer down, loaded the boat and brought it back around the DC beltway in rush hour traffic. The 2003 F-250 was outclassed, 5.4l just didn't have enough umph and with 108k on the clock I didn't push it hard. Pulled the mountains at 3k in second @45mph on I-70. 65-70 when the traffic would allow it but the speed bled off fast on the uphill sections.

The trailer has hydraulic brakes on all three axles and they worked wonderfully after getting the pucks free in the cylinders and replacing a pair of cut lines. We figured we were close to 10k lbs plus the truck itself and it traveled well.

The hull is 29' long

This is just before all the brake lights came on and we went bumper to bumper for 16 miles.

11'-6" to the windshield bow, 10'-6" wide at the rub strips.

Now that it's home I get to build a hardtop for it this winter.

 

[nbaffaro]

Used this one on my latest trailer re-do: lots of anti seize on the shackle bolts. Won't wash off and keeps the rust away.

 

[dahut]

I like it. Bad for the aquatic environment, but spot on for preventing rusted bolts.
We have food grade thread coating at work. You may want to look into that.

 

[PSG-1]

Good advice!

A couple I will add, especially for the saltwater guys:

• 
  ALWAYS rinse your trailer with fresh water after hauling out, whether it's a painted trailer, galvanized, or even aluminum, salt water corrosion knows no bounds. Especially here on the east coast of the US, which is one of the most corrosive environments in the world. And when I say rinse, I mean especially the springs, and wheels. If you have a tubular frame trailer and it's possible, shoot a stream of fresh water into the tubing from the back of the trailer, and keep it flowing until it runs out the front end. And even doing this will not stop the trailer from eventually rusting, however, it will greatly prolong its life.
  
  Inspect U-bolts, springs, and hanger brackets often, look for thinning out from rust. Repair or replace when material thickness has been reduced to 75% of its original thickness. Pay particular attention to the area of your axle where the springs and tie plates come into contact with it, this is usually where corrosion will be worst, and where the axle will fail from corrosion thinning it out.
  
  Inspect and keep grease on the wheel studs to prevent rust from eating away the threads where the nut can't be removed. Replace studs when the threads appear mangled or dissolved from rust.
  
  Spend the extra money and use stainless steel lag bolts to secure bunks to brackets. Galvanized is about worthless in saltwater, the wood soaks up salt, and this in conjunction with the copper chromium arsenate of the treated wood in the bunks, will eat away the threads of galvanized. Stainless doesn't have this problem, and can be used over and over again.
  
  For galvanized trailers, pay particular attention to corrosion of the trailer frame at the rear corners, and the rear cross member. If you see rust forming here, or anywhere else, immediately knock it loose with a BFH, then apply ospho, and follow up with cold galvanized spray. And be prepared to have to do this over and over again in these areas, it seems that once rust starts forming, it's pretty **** hard to stop it.
  
  For aluminum trailers, pay particular attention to corrosion forming at the areas where the U-bolts hold bunk brackets or other structural members to the frame, and any other area of the trailer where dis-similar metal is in contact with it. I have seen corrosion from U-bolts eat clean through 1/4" aluminum tubing.
  

 

[Captain Ahab]

That is a Sweet Chris Craft. You pulled it now????? The best part of the season is just starting in the Chessie!

 

[Boat2fast]

With all the time spent and parts money spent to rebuild an old trailer...I have a hard time telling if I should have just bought a new one. Sometimes it comes out close.

 

[lucescoflathead]

Great Posts. How about make sure you can get a title for it. I bought one From Ohio that just had a bill of sale. It cost me as much to get it titled as I paid for the trailer. I ended up rebuilding it anyway.