Trailer help

[Rusty Nail]

Hi all.
Iam new to the site and iam looking for some advice on what I should do to my trailer for maintenance.Its a stock trailer for my 82 Mac,singel axel.Ive owend her since new(I was 14) and have never done any real work to it(I know bad)Iam lucky that I only live about a mile from the loading ramp and never go faster then 30mph.But i know my luck is on borrowed time.Since ive got to pull my boat by the weekend iam looking to just make sure that i dont have a wheel or something ready to let go.Then next summer I would go and do a complete overhaul.

 

[Winkfish]

Check your tire treads to see if you may need to replace. What kind of bearings do you have on the axle? If got bearing buddies, for which I squirt a little grease in them to make sure they're well lubed. Do you use it in a salt water or fresh water environment? If fresh, that means a lot less degradation of the trailer (I assume you launch by backing into the water). If salt, rinse off well with fresh water every time you launch.

If you're getting the boat pulled anyway, you might want to take it to a trailer service place and let them check it out.

 

[Freedom77]

If you're near salt water use appropriate grease in bearing buddies. Also suggest you have a spare tire. A flat on the way to a day of sailing can ruin your day. Are your lights attached to the trailer. If so, suggest you make a removable light bar which attaches to the boat transom. Lights will corrode and fail quickly when submerged. Traffic ticket will insue. Been there. I used an 8 ft piece of aluminum strut to mount lights and appropriate 4 conductor with ground. Less headaches in future. Fair winds, Old Salt...

 

[kenn]

You've received alot of good advice so far.

I'll only add that you can assess your wheel bearing health by raising one side of the (empty) trailer and spinning the wheel. Look for any resistance, play, "grindy" or gritty sound or feel. Also look for any grease on the inside of the wheel, which indicates that a seal has failed. Any of these could indicate a defective or worn out bearing.

Another important check is to feel the trailer bearings after 15 to 30 minutes of highway-speed driving. If the bearing is cool to a bit warm, it's doing good; if it's very warm or hot, it's overdue for service or replacement.

 

[dscribner]

Rusty,

Replace the bearings and brakes, install bearing buddies and check your lugs. Probably $150 and a long afternoon. Grease her every time before you go. It only takes a second. Make sure the safety chains are good. Then put her in the water! And, as others have stated, rinse her when you get back.