Trailer service and repair

As the season is just around the corner now, spring break is only three months away, I know a lot of people are getting ready to tow their boats. Some people are headed to the lake or river and others are preparing to go get their boats and bring them home or elsewhere for service. I just wanted to remind everyone not to neglect their trailer. It is all that separates your boat from the pavement and if its not in good safe condition your quick tow from a to b will quickly turn into a nightmare. A couple quick things to remember:

-Trailer tires rarely wear out. They do however age. A tire can look brand new and still be at risk of a blowout. If your tires are over 5 years old I would recommend replacing them. I know new tires are pricy but if one lets go and takes out a fender or even worse your boat you are going to regret putting it off.

-Check your wheel bearings. This doesn't mean shoot some grease in the buddy bearings and call it good. Jack up each wheel individually and give it a spin. Check for excessive resistance or roughness. Also try to wiggle the wheel from side to side. There should be very minimal play if any. This is also a good time to check trailer brakes for dragging and tension.

-If the grease looks very watered down or dirty it is best to disassemble the hubs and check the bearings. Repack or replace as needed.If everything checks out give each bearing buddy a few shots of grease. Don't get carried away. Just pump the grease in until the plunger on the bearing buddy starts to move and your done.

-Check your straps. Boats should be secured with transom straps and a bow strap. Make sure they are tight and not worn or frayed. You would be surprised how often a customer shows up at the shop and realizes a strap failed and his boat moved on the trailer.

-Climb under the trailer and inspect the bunks and bunk supports. Most people pay little attention to this area until they launch their boat and realize a bunk is floating away.

This is just a general guide and certain trailers may be different and require more or less attention. If your trailer needs attention whether it is just maintenance or a ground up restoration don't wait until it is to late and you are stranded on the side of the road.
If you have any questions or concerns about your trailer, or if you don't want to tackle the work yourself, feel free to call the shop. We have repaired and restored a lot of trailers and would be happy to help you out.

Good thread and great reminder.

I have wet bearings on my trailer. Its been a couple years since I've checked the levels. Albeit I don't tow very far and I haven't noticed any leaks, but you just never know.

Here are a few examples of customers trailers.
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Before
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After. New paint, wheels tires and lights. Also added additional tail light

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Before This trailer was really bad. You can see the fenders sagging and dragging on the wheels. The bunk supports were not only rusty but they were in the wrong spots. They were pushed to far outward causing the bunks to be poorly supported and fail prematurely. Not to mention they were to short so the boat sat on the fenders.
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Not the best after pictures and still waiting for new wheels but you get the idea.

Forgot to mention we also moved the axles back 14 inches on that last trailer. Customer was complaining about poor handling above 50 mph and it was due to a lack of tongue weight. Most trailers don't need these kind of repairs but I believe this trailer was built for a different boat and somehow ended up under this daytona.

A few more after pictures. These were all done before I realized how important before pictures were.
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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hotboat

Good thread and great reminder.

I have wet bearings on my trailer. Its been a couple years since I've checked the levels. Albeit I don't tow very far and I haven't noticed any leaks, but you just never know.

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Oil bath hubs are a tough one. They are designed to require minimal maintenance and perhaps due to this they are often neglected. They are a great system but in my opinion don't really belong on boat trailers. The problem is boat trailers sit for an extended period of time. Since the hub is only about half full of oil the seals have a tendency to dry out above the oil level. You can look when the boat is parked and not see any leak but as soon as you tow the dry half of the seal can fail causing oil to leak out. Most people check their trailers before leaving home. So what happens is you give it a good look, don't see any signs of a leak, and proceed to tow your boat to the ramp. Launch the boat play all day and go home. Oil leaks out on the road and by the time you check it again before your next trip the evidence is gone. This is made worse by the fact that after a season or two the oil level inspection window on the outside of the hub is often discolored making it difficult or impossible to check the level.
Don't get me wrong, I know there are a lot of advantages to the oil bath hub. It just needs to be inspected and maintained like any other part of the boat and trailer.