Good information with the exception of one thing. Never wrap the carpet on the bunks completely around as you did. By doing that the carpet can not drain water. Instead wrap around as you did and staple it about an inch inside the boards edge on both sides leaving about an inch or two in the bottom center exposing the wood thus the water will drain away and not absorb the bottom of the wood. This will. Also let you pre drill the holes for your fasteners that hold on your brackets and fill them with silicone . Not sealing the fasteners as such will rot the wood around them beginning with day one.
I know this comment is 3+ years old, but thank you. I'm about to re-bunk my trailer tomorrow and I've been contemplating what to do. Your method sounds like it's the perfect method.
A year ago I was just pulling onto the interstate ramp to head down to drop the boat in the water. I was moving about 50 mph and just starting to merge onto the highway when I felt a loud thump and looked at my driver side mirror and noticed my axel and wheel hub was dragging on the blacktop with no tire, sparks flying everywhere. I pulled off the side and couldn’t find the tire anywhere. We eventually found the tire about two miles down the road on the other side of the medium. It has rolled down the highway and somehow bounced up over onto the other side. I was able to recover and install the tire and found that all of the lug nuts were gone. I believe that someone had either removed them completely or loosened them almost all the way off and the wiggles themselves loose. God was with me that day because it was about 4:30am on a Saturday so there was nobody on the highway at that time or it could have caused a major accident. #trailers
When I picked up my first boat (used) to take it home, I didn’t make it 5 minutes down the road before one of the tires exploded and flew apart like a rubber grenade. Since that day, I have been very vigilant about preventative maintenance. The current boat trailer is 13 years old, so over the past 2 years I have replaced the bearings, seals, tires, bunks, inner fenders, winch, jack, tie downs, trailer cord, bow roller, and brake actuator assembly. I always upgrade when possible. Going cheap on a boat or it’s trailer almost never ends well. Storing it indoors also makes a huge difference on lifespan.
Blew out a hub on the way to the keys. I always bring a spare with me. Got it fixed road side and was rolling in about 1hr. Had to eventually replace the axle when I got home. Took a lot of the spindle with it. #trailers. Love the videos man. Thanks for all of them. I’ve watched every single one. Good stuff!! See you next week!
I seem to be spending as much time on my trailer lately as the boat. Never would have expected that. New spindles, new hubs, new tires, winch, Jack, safety chains, ...it never ends.
Great vid, In my younger days I've suffered several trailer failures going to and from the ramp. Now a days I inspect my trailer every time I launch the boat. I just did a total rebuild of my galvanized trailer, axles, tires, bunks, lights etc. in July of 2019. #trailer
Literally just upgraded to a pair of 6k axles this week on my trailer, shout out to Davis Custom Trailers for the excellent customer service in getting me hooked up and not breaking the bank! Oh how I love Tuesday, you guys are the biggest reason I still watch TH-cam! #trailers
We had a blow out headed for the Keys one year. 2 year old tire, tandem axle trailer inflated to correct pressure. We have a hydraulic floor jack but no block of wood, and are walking up & down the highway trying to find a shim. All of a sudden a grey can pulls up. A man, his wife, and 2 little kids. He asked if he can help, and then he proceeds to go back to the back of his van and comes out with an old scissor jack. He says, I keep this here for using with my trailer too! He helps us, we get tire changed, we try to pay him or buy dinner for he & his family. He says nope. I ask him where he works & find out he is a bus driver for Disney World. We tell him thanks again, are you sure there is nothing we can do to repay you, and he smiles and says " Pay it forward" Great guy & a sweet family We have been trying to live up to his example.
As always excellent especially on the stainless staples. Most important is the year stamped on side of tire. Anything past the legal date is a throw away no matter how good the tread is. Sidewalk cracks is also a no no. Stay safe
I have watched several vids like this and not one advised to have a spare tire. Unless you think every trailer comes with a spare. Granted they are not cheap, but beats sitting on the side of the road trying to find a new tire.
all good tips, i check trailer bearings every year, i had a bearing fail that is not fun along the road side, i have learned to use the correct grese in bearings that means alot!
I worked in Urgent Care for 25 years in Michigan. A boater was coming home from the lake and noticed smoke coming from the right side of the trailer by the wheels. He did not realize it but the rear of the fender had bent and was rubbing on the tire. He got down on a knee to check things out and placed one hand on the fender for support. The fender looked fairly normal and he did not realize it was hot. The boater ended up with 2nd degree burns. He was leaning on the injured hand and it took several seconds for his brain to connect with what his eyes saw. OUCH!
I have a boat trailer that was shipped with a sailboat made in England in 1964. We bought the boat in ‘75 and after 6 or 7 years sailing the Great Salt Lake I got a flat tire about 60 miles north of home in Salt Lake City. I should mention that I was in my late teens and worked on the assumption that carrying spare parts was a reasonable substitute for proper maintenance. So we left the marina and got on the highway, and as you might imagine one of the tires that was probably on the trailer when we bought it failed. No big deal, I had a spare and tools, but I hadn’t counted on the fact that the lug bolts were solidly rusted into the hubs. Being resourceful I figured I’d pull the hub and brace the wheel to get better leverage to break the rust, but when I did the wheel bearings came out in pieces. Still no big deal... we’ll just go to a parts store and buy a new set of bearings. I mentioned that the boat and trailer were built in England and I hadn’t counted on the fact that it had metric bearings... and not the common metric system but British Imperial metric. Nobody had a bearing that was sufficiently close to both the race and spindle sizes and by this time parts stores were closing down and I was going to lose light. I drove back to Salt Lake to re-assess but was nervous about leaving the boat on the side of the road. I had the spindle and race dimensions so I decided to turn an oak bearing (or bushing) on my Shopsmith lathe. Oak is a ring porous wood and I was able to pack the pores with wheel bearing grease. I figured this was enough to get me home so I drove back north, reinstalled the hub (which at this point was sans wheel), mounted up the spare, and drove the 60 miles back to Salt Lake at around 60 or 65 MPH. Once home, I thought my bearing would be trash but when I jacked up the trailer the hub still felt snug. I pulled the hub and the oak bearings. The rear bearing had warped and cracked when I pulled it out, but the outer bearing showed almost no signs of wear or heat damage. I have no doubt that I could have gone another 100+ miles on those bearings, and I still have the outer bearing kicking around as a “testament to my ingenuity.” Or maybe it’s a testament to my naivety and failure to inspect and maintain the trailer. After that we replaced the axle with a U.S. built version, and that axle finally has gotten to the point that I don’t trust it so that trailer is getting a new axle, springs, hubs, and tires, as well as a good wire brushing and paint job this summer. #trailers
I agree with Alex Davis. I also use a temperature gun for monitoring both hub temperature (80-90 F normal temperature range) and outboard cylinder temperature. I think it is as essential as a tire pressure gauge.
When installing the carpet on the bunks you can use 3M Fast 77 or #90 spray glue to hold the carpet to the bunk, but still staple. The glue keep the voids out and thus water from being held beneath the carpet. And as others have said , aluminum trailers with torsion bar suspensions work well.
I've had to rescue many friends that spare no expense on the boat maintenance but think the trailer is good for life. Trailer maintenance makes life so much easier!
I have experienced almost everything you covered in the video on one trailer or another. Great video, one thing I have found good on long trips is a temperature gun. I just check the hubs on stops and ensure nothing is getting to hot. This can be an early warning of failures. #trailers
It is worth doing this every year. I live 350 miles from a salt water ramp and tow a 9000 lb boat/trailer. My equation: Good Tires + good hubs + correct inflation = more fish in the boat!! Thanks for the vid. Also, in my situation, I would not skimp on tires. #trailers
I built my own trailer out of an old rotted jet ski trailer frame I found in a fence row. Put on new hubs, tires and wheels on the old axle it had and installed bearing buddies and it’s been an awesome little trailer and I’ve traveled out of state and thousands of trouble free miles with my little hunting layout boat on it!
Professional truck drivers do Walk-Arounds their trailers. Before a trip and at every fuel / food stop. Check boat covers/straps, hitch and chains, tires and feel the temperature of the hubs .
Getting There Safely is just as important as responsible boating safety procedures. We love our boats and care for our engines (you tubes like this great channel) really help. When we purchase a new boat from a qualified retailer, we can be sure that the trailer they recommend for it, is the best choice. A professional Dealer will most likely ask you what your boating habits are; Do you drive it to the lake, drop it in and leave it in for the season? Do you travel all over the state putting the boat in and out several times a week or month? This could require an upgrade to tandem if you travel distances frequently given the extra tires involved On The Road. MISHAPS; a simple blown out tire or bearing collapse can result in a number of stressful scenarios. Some a simple headache others tragic. I always stress the need to have qualified insurance but in a tragic accident the audit on your trailer may demonstrate neglect. In costly matters like these, your insurance broker may Choke siting our irresponsible maintenance? "Discovery" is a preliminary legal process in most civil matters. Casting doubt and culpability will seek to justify law suit Values. 99% of all civil actions do get settled in "Discoveries". If there is no agreement, then a prolonged and costly trial is set out. And you thought your boat was expensive!
My wife and I recently bought a 1980 Prindle 16 with trailer and towed it home from Lake Alfred, FL. Once we got the boat off the trailer and jacked the trailer up, the passenger side wheel just pulled right off. The look on my wife's face was priceless. We are currently rebuilding the trailer (new lights, leaf springs, rollers and bearings on the wheel) so it will be road worthy next time. The boat was in way better shape than the #trailer.
We were towing our 33ft Dusky from Clearwater to Key Colony Beach on a triple axle Performance trailer. We were cruising at about 70 mph on I75 just outside of Port Charlotte and looked in the side mirrors just in time to see the bearings on the curbside front wheel shoot out and the wheel started wobbling. As we were slowing down, the opposite wheel did the same. We then spent 6 hours in Port Charlotte getting a mechanic to fix it. We kept going and made it to Miami where the same thing happened on the middle axle wheels/bearings. Fortunately, this time about 2 cars behind us was a trailer mechanic who actually knew what he was doing and he pulled over to help us. He had all of the parts and tools in his truck and we were back on the road in about 1 hour. Then we made it to Islamorada and got pulled over because only one tail light was working. We shared our trailer story from the day and he let us go with a warning and called ahead to the other police on US 1 to tell them to leave us alone (he was a good one). In the end we learned that because the steel brake lines had rusted, all the fluid escaped the lines early in the trip and there was no pressure to keep the drum brakes not engaged. So the brakes were just pressing against the hub and eventually got so hot that they burnt up the grease and shot the bearings straight out the side. The 2nd mechanic knew this and he helped rip out the brakes so that we could at least make to where we needed to go without blowing out the bearings again. This was a trip that I’ll never forget and it has made me the most prepared and paranoid trailer owner ever, but because of those lessons learned, I’ve never had that same problem again and never had an issue I wasn’t prepared for. #trailers
Best thing I've done for trailer light longevity is run a separate ground wire from each light all the way back to the tongue (where it's also connected to the trailer. This way my ground connection to trailer never gets wet and the lights always have a solid ground instead of just using the light mounting bolt. Always gets a little corroded and I'm just tired of dealing with that. Another great video. Looking forward to more on brakes. #Trailers
Certainly had a few trailer issues since buying my boat in 2016. Ended up on the side of the road due to one of my 4 tires blowing out returning from a trip. That was an easy-ish fix. The big breakdown occurred after driving 1.5hrs to the ramp. Got to the ramp and staging the boat and discovered a hub blew out. Decided I would tackle it at the end of the day. Launched boat and went fishing. Got back loaded the boat and started calling around for a new hub. Drove 45mins away to get a new hub only to discover the spindle on the trailer is tapered and the hub I got was straight. Had to nurse the rig to a marina overnight till I could return to town to get the correct hub and come back down to install it and bring the boat home. This ordeal prompted me to replace all my bunk mounts, bunks with cypress boards and marine carpet, hubs, bearings, and refresh my torsion axles. That was a full weekend ordeal but the trailer was essentially brand new and survived a 6.5hr move south without issue. #trailer
I rewired my trailer with tinned marine wiring and put a red marker light on the backside of the rear tail lights facing the tow vehicle so I can see if tail lights are working from my mirrors. In Florida trailer tires do not wear out they rot out. Also when buying new tires make sure the date (week and year, 1222 means 12th week of the year 2022) is current, you don't want to buy tires that are already a year old that were sitting on a shelf.
After seeing and helping people along my way when I go fishing i did a complete service on my trailer last weekend. It puts my mind at rest when i go fishing this weekend #trailer
Don’t just carry a spare hub , bring a spare nut and thrust washer as well , A grinder and chisel is needed to get a spun inner race off , a file can work in place of a grinder ..... but make sure to have a spare spindle nut and thirst washer ..... they are hard to find on the side of the road
I'm new to bigger boat ownership but a few years ago I had pulled a John boat trailer around with a golf cart and it popped off with the hitch and all and fell into the ditch!! Wasn't a fun call for my dad if you could imagine but hey makes me cautious now that I'm pulling something with serious weight 😂 I can't wait for the boat rewire videos I have so many questions
From my boat trailering experience over 30+ yrs IMO radials are the only way to go if you trailer your boat long distance or more than once in the spring and once in the fall. I would also recommend Stainless Steel Disc brakes and rinse them with fresh water each time the trailer is dunked into saltwater. Thats twice each time you go fishing, once when you launch the boat and once when you retrieve the boat. I would also suggest buying a trailer that's one size up from the weight of your boat. Grease the bearings each trip with bearing buddies. If you have issues with the lights, Check the ground first, it could save you a lot of time.
#TRAILERS I Upgraded my bunks on my last boat trailer to a rubber cover over the carpet to give it a more slippery surface to load the boat on, it worked good. Thanks for another great video.
Knock on wood i have not had an issue with my trailers under my boats. I am religious about checking tire pressures and hub temp while traveling to catch problems before they arise. On the bunks when i wrap a new bunk with carpet I’ll leave a gap on the bottom of the bunk to let water drain out easier. Thanks for the great info each week! #trailers
Last August I hooked up to my 21 sea pro bay boat for the first time in a couple of months, with wife and her family in the truck.. 200 yards down the road and all hell broke loose. Looked back and saw the left side of the trailer was dragging on the pavement, no tire in sight. Got out to survey the damage and saw that the leaf spring had broken in half, causing the axle to rotate 90* to where the left tire was the only thing keeping my transom and lower unit off the pavement. (the right-side U-bolt and leaf spring stayed intact through all of this) It took 2 tow trucks to safely move my boat+trailer onto a rollback truck, to take it to a shop so they could lift the boat off, and onto a new trailer. A few weeks later I checked the bay at my storage unit and found 1/3 of the U-Bolt that held the leaf spring to the axle laying in the sand.. I guess we had too many people helping load the boat that morning, and the additional weight caused the bolt to break.. The leaf springs and U bolts were replaced
Bearing Buddies, keeping grease in the Bearings,..... Raise your lights so they will not get in the water when you launch...........Keep your springs oiled to keep rust away,...........Change the tires as needed, check the tires often for dryrot ...........use treated Lumber and Stainless Bolts............................
Picked up a friend from the airport then grabbed the boat and trailer to head north. Half hour into the trip, the tread on one of the trailer tires peeled off, taking the fender with it. There was air in the tire still, so I got over and took the next exit. The tread coming off, left the fender on the freeway and the bracket that holds said fender, totally mangled. We still had a 3 hour drive, but the bracket was in the way, so I put a jack stand under it and lowered the trailer, bending back the bracket enough to make the trailer useable again. Not legal, but useable. We made it to our destination and I caught my biggest Musky in less than 10 min on the water! It was a total mess making it to the lake that day, but the reward was so sweet!
I have a single axle trailer. While driving I could see the side walls bulging when I went over bumps. Sure enough I had a blow out halfway home. The next day I bought a larger tires rated for twice the weight of what the boat and trailer weight. Now I have peace of mind when pulling the trailer and boat long distances.
If you've never seen a tire separate from the tread, it will absolutely pulverize your trailer fender before you can get stopped. Pro-tip: if the tire or tires looks old, replace them.
One thing I have learned about pulling a trailer is be prepared and do pm's on trailer and truck. The trailer assembly on the truck snapped a 3/4 inch bolt. Luckily I was stopping at a stop sign before entering the hiway. My truck was 10 years old and winter salt didn't help. FYI. Check truck too
I had a customer tow their boat over for engine repair years ago. As soon as they pulled into our shop parking lot the tire fell off of their boat trailer. Perfect timing for the customer. We repaired the trailer and the engine! #trailers
Ive been that guy on the side of the road staring at a wheel hanging off because the bearings failed, not proud to say that, but I won't let it happen again!
When I purchased my current boat project we trailered it home about 30 miles. The boat had sat a good 5+ years at an air force base. Fingers crossed we made the slow trip on a Sunday. Well, 1/2 way home a tire deflated. No place had a tire fix except my local Tractor Supply. I purchased 2 complete tire setups and made it home. #trailers
Just replaced and wrapped my trailer bunks and thanks to your excellent demo I got a clean professional look to the ends of the boards - thanks! (Your tips are gonna improve my Xmas gift wrapping skills too!)
I also spray the trailer hardware with motorcycle chain lube before I leave for salt water , be aware that every bit of pollen and road dust will stick to it though
Rebuilding a 88 Welcraft and upgrading everything...currently a single axle trailer with no brakes..but need to add an additional axel to handle the all around bigger rig I’m going with...
Double check your Bearing Buddy fill recommendation OG could be overfilled and damage the inner seal The design is for light pressure on the seals so they do not suck in water when quick cooled when you launch after trailering
The first time i took my boat out we suffered a wheel bearing failure. after running to several stores, thanks to having a friend following me, we found a west marine open after three hrs on the side of the road it got fixed we went to the water. when I got home i bought every spring, perch and bushing I could find for it and a new axle because it didn't look so hot after massive bearing failure. long story short, you cant go to the water if your trailer won't get you there. Maintenance is cheaper than replacement. Thanks for the video on how to fix bunks carpeting. i have a roller bunk but now i know i can make a pro looking bunk if needed. #TRAILERS
Love the tips. You may also want to add the use of Fluid Film for and steel like the pugs and nuts. My aluminum trailer does have some ferrous parts and I coated them with Fluid Film at least twice a season here in the northeast. So far after two years and many launches in saltwater I am rust free 👍👍
Every year driving Lake George New York oh, I always see a couple of trailers on the side of the road because the bearings burnt up. Great video thanks. Trailers
One good story is my brother bought a boat.. thing had only been out a hand full of times with the previous owner. First time my brother takes it out, on his way home the whole tongue of the trailer bent in half after hitting a rather large bump in the road.
My fishing buddy was meticulous with maintenance and this was good because I learned a lot from him. Several Saturday mornings we'd gather up in his driveway and he'd teach me something. He fished every year for six weeks in Minnesota and had stayed at the same lodge every year for 10 years and was a member of the family he'd spent so much time with them. He pulled a 5th wheel camper and his 18 foot Express bass boat behind that. Looked like a train going down the highway. He carried extra everything: wheel hubs, tools, grease and was prepared if anyone was or could be. Or, so he thought! His mishap came on one of the busiest Interstates, of course. Something really easy to check and something really easy to miss. All those long trips from Louisiana to Minnesota and that bouncing trailer behind the camper had taken its toll. A spring broke and the trailer settled down low enough that the fender sliced the tire badly. Naturally, that was the end of the tire. Rubber shot up in the air, noise like a siren and swerving followed. Lesson learned? For him it was carry extra springs, hangers and the tools to replace the whole shebang. He did after that! He was a member of the Good Sam Club and they came and helped him out, but it took some time and he calculated that he could have changed it all in the time it took them to show up. That job was one of our Saturday morning lessons shortly after that. #trailers
I can see carrying some extra smaller things - and tools... But more careful observation and maintenance would likely have cured his spring problem and that's a pretty BIG (and pricey) object to just go lugging around everyplace you go... I could even see an extra hanger, lest someone run into you hard and bend the heck out of one, maybe... but an entire set of springs? 🤔🤔🤔
Literally just realized one of the brackets holding my leaf springs to my trailer completely broke. Like the weld came off and the leaf was held up by the pressure from the other side of the spring. Drove 20miles home with it like that, saying my prayers all the way home. Luckily I made it home and I'm in the process of welding the piece back on. Crazy day. #trailers
All good stuff, but you forgot to talk about the winch/safety chain for the boat. When that fails backing down the ramp, you have a boat sitting half on/half off the trailer on the ramp and an owner asking other boaters for help. Seen that one several times.
I trailer my boat 4 hours to the coast 2 or 3 times a month. I noticed a something doesn't feel right feeling last trip. I did a heat check periodically on the way home and didn't feel any heat. Once home, I jacked her up and pulled the dust caps. Yup, salt water in the cap. I pulled the bearings and inspected. One needed to be replaced and the other was fine. Races were good. Moral of the story, be aware of how she feels. She'll tell you how she is before a catastrophic failure. Side note, I keep a spare hub in the truck as well as tools for the job.
So strange you came out with a boat trailer video this week lol, We went out fishing last Sunday morning pulled the boat all the way to the ramp about 20 miles and as we were turning into the ramp the right rear tire came off hub and all literally broke the bearings, we grabbed the tire threw it in the truck and launched the boat thankfully it's a triple axel with torsion axles. I spent most of the afternoon Monday putting two new hubs on and all new bearing buddies 4 out of the 5 rubber grommets that were left were dry rotted letting water into the bearings. This is a 2017 18K trailer! So yes absolutely keep a close eye on your trailer! #trailers
A buddy and I borrowed his father in-laws fishing boat. His father in-law was telling us that he had just rewired and installed new bearing in the hubs. We got about 1.5hrs from the house and we lost a wheel/hub. Got the wheel/hub it was about 100feet in the bush. Pulled the bearing cap off everything was still there but was missing the cotter pin. Put the hub back on. Did are best to file the threads with a hook file. Tightened the nut and used a hook as a cotter pin. Checked the other side it had no cotter pin as well, put a hook in. Than just turned around and went home. No fishing that day.
#Trailers only 2 issues I had was I had a nail in one tire and got it fixed and since my old trailer had the bearing buddy I used a dewalt grease gun and change the bearing grease after I was driving with the boat I heard squeaking. Be safe Aaron !!!!
I prefer dielectric grease and self sealing crimp type shrinkfit connectors or shrink tubing. Sometimes even solder connections and use self sealing shrink tube.
Born Again I have to say. Yourself' and Andy from "Boat Works Today" should have a joint page named "How to fix a hole in the water called a boat". You gentlemen are so spot on. May I add; If your going to run a non radial tire bite the bullet and buy 16 ply, they hold plugs beautifully. If she doesn't roll on average three times a month, hence she's stored during winter, invest in jack stands. Get the bulge off bottom.
Best advice I can give anyone is to use some West Systems 105 with 206 hardener on your pressure treated wood. Let your boards dry out for two months and then roll the epoxy resin on them before bunk install. They will last longer than the boat, truck, or lake...
Boat a new boat with a single axel trailer...within a year found out boat was too heavy and had to have dual axel with brakes. Now it rides like a dream #trailers
Should also be checking the DOT number for manufacture date. I see too many blowouts in my tireshop (costco) due to 10 year old tires just not being able to handle heat even though the look new.
Another one of those just bought a boat story’s. I did get it home ok after purchasing it. When I took it out for the first time on my own, had a nice time and parked it in the driveway and started to wash it down. I got to the #trailer and noticed the rear wheels (duel axel) witch are oil bath hubs had a milky brown fluid in them. Needless to say seals were shot so replaced seals and bearings. So I am constantly going over the #trailer and looking for what needs attention. Next will be the front bearings and brakes, maybe axels too. Thanks for the information and can’t wait for more on #trailers 👍👍
Whichever you want, backed or not backed is the most common types. We used the non back cuz it's cheaper:) and doesnt hold as much water. From what I understand the best is the rubber on the bunks, but that's a little more expensive.
My issue was with the brakes dragging and overheating the hub. Fortunately we found someone on a Sunday to fix the issues and made it to Bimini around sundown.
Love the videos look forward to it every Tuesday. I’m in Massachusetts and can’t wait for the boating season to start in at least a few weeks. As far as a trailer story goes I was heading up to Maine for camping for a week and I got a blow out on one of my trailer tires and had to get a new tire and run driven up to me from mass. #trailers
don't know if anyone told you but never use pressure treated wood when it will contact any kind of metal. just use normal 2x4s or what ever size you need and use either oil based outdoor paint or fiberglass resin and seal any other hole you drill with 5200, it will last so much longer then pressure treated lumber and you'll thank me when you don't have to change your bunks every other season.
My sailboat trailor was parked during the winter with the boat on it and when I came to move the boat back into the water, I found that one of the axle's had broken in half! I replaced both axls at that time and now I have always been on top of keeping my trailor in tip-top shape. #trailors
Trailers are fairly easy to keep in good order. I think too many people are just too lazy to carry out the simple periodic maintenance. #trailers thanks again for an informative video. Could you do a video on optimax common problems? Keep up the good work Stuart
Thanks must have missed it when scrolling through the video's. These test I have already done. My problem is that fuel floods out of the drain holes above the anti cavitation plate. I'll get my hands on an explosion drawing and start tracking down where it may be originating from. Thanks for taking the time to answer my comment.
Most tandem axel boat trailers are designed to be able to operate on 3 wheels. If your tire or axel bearing dies and youre in a sticky situation such as being on the interstate you should be able to get to a safe place as long as you drive slow. I wouldn't recommend doing this with a boat over 30 feet though. Id just stop and fix it wherever I am or get it towed.
Picked up a boat that had only been trailered back and forth to a marina once a year for 15 years. When I got on the highway the grease broke down and oozed out of the hubs. Limped it to the nearest hardware store for a grease gun and a couple fresh tubes of grease. No permanent damage! #trailers
Always double check the lug nuts after trailer repair! I was pulling a friends boat after he made some repairs. We got to the top of a tall bridge over the intracoastal waterway and the left wheel came off the trailer. The wheel shot across the road, luckily not hitting any cars. We were stuck on the top of that bridge for a while getting the wheel back on. We were lucky it did not hit a car in the other lane, or jump over the barricade and end up in the water. #trailers
a year ago i was pulling backing my trailer into my drive way; it's a triple axle and the turn is sharp so the tires get really torqued. My mom's friend started screaming that one of the wheels fell off. I thought she was nuts but when i got out and looked there was the wheel, sitting on the ground. The bearings had failed and disintegrated.
Im new to trailering. Not many stories to tell. With your great videos hopefully I won't come up with many. I can say though watch for loose fenders. Ive seen them bounce enough to bounce into the side of the tire. That will shed a tire with a quickness. It is possible to not notice the issue when the trailer is stationary, but traveling at speed on the rough roads in this country can compound the movement. #trailers
I replaced all my carpets last year on an aluminum trailer we purchased for our boat and an ole timer said to always leave the bottom of the bunks without carpet that way the water soaked bunks will drain and dry out with rot. If carpet covers the whole bunk the water is trapped and that water will rot the bottom of the bunks and will let you down one day! #Trailers👍🏻
Leaving the bunk bottoms uncarpeted definitely allows them to dry better. I learned that the hard way on an old pontoon trailer. Bunk boards rotted from not being able to sufficiently drain & dry.
I had to do a emergency trailer rehab on Easter a few years ago to tow a used newly purchased Edgewater 185cc from Charleston, SC to Nashville, TN needed new hubs/bearings, and hardware to hold the axle to the springs was a pretty nerve racking 9hrs. Also the springs were shot. #Trailers
#TRAILERS These stories just make me even more paranoid about trailer maintenance. I'm a somewhat new boat/trailer owner so really no good stories of trailers issues. I try to look over and maintain the trailer so these tips are great to keep in mind, thank you!
Lustfulvengance has it right: ditch the carpet. And go the extra step of heavy linseed oil treatment to the wood (let pressure treated dry out before trying this). Next, anywhere you have galvanized attached to aluminum, put a layer of rubber/fiber gasket material between, and coat the material with Fluid Film or light grease. For aluminum-to-aluminum joints use Fluid Film in the joint and on all fasteners. And part of my cleanup after a day on the water includes shooting grease in the wheel bearings. I also do this after a long drive before putting the boat in the water. If you don't leave any room for water in the hub (and if your bearing tension is right) you should never have a problem.
This entire video speaks to me. My trailer has been fresh water dipped it's entire life, two years ago my front tire lost it's tread and was grabbed by the rear tire effectively tearing the welds at the front spring mounts. That's the price you pay for being cheap and not replacing dry rot tires. One additional caveat to the axle inspection is that axle failure isn't also visible. Last year on the way home from the finger lakes in NY, my axle split at a drain hole in the center. It rusted from the inside out. #trailers #BreakOutAnotherThousand
Bought a jetski with what i thought was a good painted steel trailer. After a few trips pulling it home on a humpy road i got home and the tongue of the trailer bent in half. Had i not strapped the ski to the trailer tight, the trailer would fell apart on the freeway. The straps connected to the jetski held it all in place. Needless to say, i went out and bought a brand new aluminum trailer for it and it tows like a dream now. #trailer
I have had multiple bearing failures in my years of towing boats. Made it a point to start replacing hubs and bearings every spring. Makes being stranded on the side of the road with a blown bearing much less likely. One horror story is from a buddy of mine. He was having some warranty work done to his brand new trailer and the dealer gave him a "loaner" trailer for the weekend. His boat is a Sportsman Masters 227 and fully loaded weighs close to 4,500 lbs. The loaner trailer was a single axle trailer that looked like it was for a 18' skiff. Needless to say, we made it about 20 miles and one of the bearings blew out. We limped another 10 miles or so to the ramp, put the boat in, fished all day, then road the boat 50 miles to a friends river house to park at his dock. Called the dealer and told them to come pick up the trailer, we left it at the ramp. #Trailers
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Good information with the exception of one thing. Never wrap the carpet on the bunks completely around as you did. By doing that the carpet can not drain water. Instead wrap around as you did and staple it about an inch inside the boards edge on both sides leaving about an inch or two in the bottom center exposing the wood thus the water will drain away and not absorb the bottom of the wood. This will. Also let you pre drill the holes for your fasteners that hold on your brackets and fill them with silicone . Not sealing the fasteners as such will rot the wood around them beginning with day one.
I know this comment is 3+ years old, but thank you. I'm about to re-bunk my trailer tomorrow and I've been contemplating what to do. Your method sounds like it's the perfect method.
You left out tire production dates. Old tires with good tread are still failures waiting to happen.
A year ago I was just pulling onto the interstate ramp to head down to drop the boat in the water. I was moving about 50 mph and just starting to merge onto the highway when I felt a loud thump and looked at my driver side mirror and noticed my axel and wheel hub was dragging on the blacktop with no tire, sparks flying everywhere. I pulled off the side and couldn’t find the tire anywhere. We eventually found the tire about two miles down the road on the other side of the medium. It has rolled down the highway and somehow bounced up over onto the other side. I was able to recover and install the tire and found that all of the lug nuts were gone. I believe that someone had either removed them completely or loosened them almost all the way off and the wiggles themselves loose. God was with me that day because it was about 4:30am on a Saturday so there was nobody on the highway at that time or it could have caused a major accident. #trailers
Make sure you have a lug wrench in your tow vehicle that fits the lug nuts on the trailer.
When I picked up my first boat (used) to take it home, I didn’t make it 5 minutes down the road before one of the tires exploded and flew apart like a rubber grenade. Since that day, I have been very vigilant about preventative maintenance. The current boat trailer is 13 years old, so over the past 2 years I have replaced the bearings, seals, tires, bunks, inner fenders, winch, jack, tie downs, trailer cord, bow roller, and brake actuator assembly. I always upgrade when possible. Going cheap on a boat or it’s trailer almost never ends well. Storing it indoors also makes a huge difference on lifespan.
Ha I feel your pain old rotten bias Ply tires failed on me after a boat purchase
Hank Schrader you have one of the best channel names I’ve ever seen!
Blew out a hub on the way to the keys. I always bring a spare with me. Got it fixed road side and was rolling in about 1hr. Had to eventually replace the axle when I got home. Took a lot of the spindle with it. #trailers. Love the videos man. Thanks for all of them. I’ve watched every single one. Good stuff!! See you next week!
I seem to be spending as much time on my trailer lately as the boat. Never would have expected that. New spindles, new hubs, new tires, winch, Jack, safety chains, ...it never ends.
Yours truly is finding that out since I bought a project boat and it's trailer. Good thing I'm retired or I would never see the end of it!! 😁
forgot to say that your video is great and will help alot of boaters off the side of the road ....thanks for posting charles
Great vid, In my younger days I've suffered several trailer failures going to and from the ramp. Now a days I inspect my trailer every time I launch the boat. I just did a total rebuild of my galvanized trailer, axles, tires, bunks, lights etc. in July of 2019. #trailer
Literally just upgraded to a pair of 6k axles this week on my trailer, shout out to Davis Custom Trailers for the excellent customer service in getting me hooked up and not breaking the bank!
Oh how I love Tuesday, you guys are the biggest reason I still watch TH-cam! #trailers
Thank you! :) Nice work on the trailer!
We had a blow out headed for the Keys one year. 2 year old tire, tandem axle trailer inflated to correct pressure.
We have a hydraulic floor jack but no block of wood, and are walking up & down the highway trying to find a shim.
All of a sudden a grey can pulls up. A man, his wife, and 2 little kids.
He asked if he can help, and then he proceeds to go back to the back of his van and comes out with an old scissor jack.
He says, I keep this here for using with my trailer too!
He helps us, we get tire changed, we try to pay him or buy dinner for he & his family. He says nope. I ask him where he works & find out he is a bus driver for Disney World.
We tell him thanks again, are you sure there is nothing we can do to repay you, and he smiles and says
" Pay it forward"
Great guy & a sweet family
We have been trying to live up to his example.
As always excellent especially on the stainless staples. Most important is the year stamped on side of tire. Anything past the legal date is a throw away no matter how good the tread is. Sidewalk cracks is also a no no. Stay safe
I have watched several vids like this and not one advised to have a spare tire. Unless you think every trailer comes with a spare. Granted they are not cheap, but beats sitting on the side of the road trying to find a new tire.
all good tips, i check trailer bearings every year, i had a bearing fail that is not fun along the road side, i have learned to use the correct grese in bearings that means alot!
I worked in Urgent Care for 25 years in Michigan. A boater was coming home from the lake and noticed smoke coming from the right side of the trailer by the wheels. He did not realize it but the rear of the fender had bent and was rubbing on the tire. He got down on a knee to check things out and placed one hand on the fender for support. The fender looked fairly normal and he did not realize it was hot. The boater ended up with 2nd degree burns. He was leaning on the injured hand and it took several seconds for his brain to connect with what his eyes saw. OUCH!
I have a boat trailer that was shipped with a sailboat made in England in 1964. We bought the boat in ‘75 and after 6 or 7 years sailing the Great Salt Lake I got a flat tire about 60 miles north of home in Salt Lake City. I should mention that I was in my late teens and worked on the assumption that carrying spare parts was a reasonable substitute for proper maintenance. So we left the marina and got on the highway, and as you might imagine one of the tires that was probably on the trailer when we bought it failed. No big deal, I had a spare and tools, but I hadn’t counted on the fact that the lug bolts were solidly rusted into the hubs. Being resourceful I figured I’d pull the hub and brace the wheel to get better leverage to break the rust, but when I did the wheel bearings came out in pieces. Still no big deal... we’ll just go to a parts store and buy a new set of bearings. I mentioned that the boat and trailer were built in England and I hadn’t counted on the fact that it had metric bearings... and not the common metric system but British Imperial metric. Nobody had a bearing that was sufficiently close to both the race and spindle sizes and by this time parts stores were closing down and I was going to lose light. I drove back to Salt Lake to re-assess but was nervous about leaving the boat on the side of the road. I had the spindle and race dimensions so I decided to turn an oak bearing (or bushing) on my Shopsmith lathe. Oak is a ring porous wood and I was able to pack the pores with wheel bearing grease. I figured this was enough to get me home so I drove back north, reinstalled the hub (which at this point was sans wheel), mounted up the spare, and drove the 60 miles back to Salt Lake at around 60 or 65 MPH. Once home, I thought my bearing would be trash but when I jacked up the trailer the hub still felt snug. I pulled the hub and the oak bearings. The rear bearing had warped and cracked when I pulled it out, but the outer bearing showed almost no signs of wear or heat damage. I have no doubt that I could have gone another 100+ miles on those bearings, and I still have the outer bearing kicking around as a “testament to my ingenuity.” Or maybe it’s a testament to my naivety and failure to inspect and maintain the trailer. After that we replaced the axle with a U.S. built version, and that axle finally has gotten to the point that I don’t trust it so that trailer is getting a new axle, springs, hubs, and tires, as well as a good wire brushing and paint job this summer. #trailers
I agree with Alex Davis. I also use a temperature gun for monitoring both hub temperature (80-90 F normal temperature range) and outboard cylinder temperature. I think it is as essential as a tire pressure gauge.
When installing the carpet on the bunks you can use 3M Fast 77 or #90 spray glue to hold the carpet to the bunk, but still staple. The glue keep the voids out and thus water from being held beneath the carpet. And as others have said , aluminum trailers with torsion bar suspensions work well.
I've had to rescue many friends that spare no expense on the boat maintenance but think the trailer is good for life. Trailer maintenance makes life so much easier!
I have experienced almost everything you covered in the video on one trailer or another. Great video, one thing I have found good on long trips is a temperature gun. I just check the hubs on stops and ensure nothing is getting to hot. This can be an early warning of failures. #trailers
No need for a temp sensor gun, use your finger. never breaks and doesnt need batteries, plus you never leave home without one.
You can always use just stainless steel hose clamps and you don't have to mess around with it every 3 years that's what I would do
It is worth doing this every year. I live 350 miles from a salt water ramp and tow a 9000 lb boat/trailer. My equation: Good Tires + good hubs + correct inflation = more fish in the boat!! Thanks for the vid. Also, in my situation, I would not skimp on tires. #trailers
I built my own trailer out of an old rotted jet ski trailer frame I found in a fence row. Put on new hubs, tires and wheels on the old axle it had and installed bearing buddies and it’s been an awesome little trailer and I’ve traveled out of state and thousands of trouble free miles with my little hunting layout boat on it!
Great video. I always wrap my wires and spin the trailer wheel while applying grease when jacked up.
Great video.. my favorite tire so far is the Goodyear endurance.. cheers!
Professional truck drivers do Walk-Arounds their trailers. Before a trip and at every fuel / food stop. Check boat covers/straps, hitch and chains, tires and feel the temperature of the hubs .
Getting There Safely is just as important as responsible boating safety procedures.
We love our boats and care for our engines (you tubes like this great channel) really help.
When we purchase a new boat from a qualified retailer, we can be sure that the trailer they recommend for it, is the best choice.
A professional Dealer will most likely ask you what your boating habits are;
Do you drive it to the lake, drop it in and leave it in for the season?
Do you travel all over the state putting the boat in and out several times a week or month?
This could require an upgrade to tandem if you travel distances frequently given the extra tires involved On The Road.
MISHAPS; a simple blown out tire or bearing collapse can result in a number of stressful scenarios.
Some a simple headache others tragic.
I always stress the need to have qualified insurance but in a tragic accident the audit on your trailer may demonstrate neglect.
In costly matters like these, your insurance broker may Choke siting our irresponsible maintenance?
"Discovery" is a preliminary legal process in most civil matters.
Casting doubt and culpability will seek to justify law suit Values.
99% of all civil actions do get settled in "Discoveries".
If there is no agreement, then a prolonged and costly trial is set out.
And you thought your boat was expensive!
My wife and I recently bought a 1980 Prindle 16 with trailer and towed it home from Lake Alfred, FL. Once we got the boat off the trailer and jacked the trailer up, the passenger side wheel just pulled right off. The look on my wife's face was priceless. We are currently rebuilding the trailer (new lights, leaf springs, rollers and bearings on the wheel) so it will be road worthy next time. The boat was in way better shape than the #trailer.
We were towing our 33ft Dusky from Clearwater to Key Colony Beach on a triple axle Performance trailer. We were cruising at about 70 mph on I75 just outside of Port Charlotte and looked in the side mirrors just in time to see the bearings on the curbside front wheel shoot out and the wheel started wobbling. As we were slowing down, the opposite wheel did the same. We then spent 6 hours in Port Charlotte getting a mechanic to fix it. We kept going and made it to Miami where the same thing happened on the middle axle wheels/bearings. Fortunately, this time about 2 cars behind us was a trailer mechanic who actually knew what he was doing and he pulled over to help us. He had all of the parts and tools in his truck and we were back on the road in about 1 hour. Then we made it to Islamorada and got pulled over because only one tail light was working. We shared our trailer story from the day and he let us go with a warning and called ahead to the other police on US 1 to tell them to leave us alone (he was a good one). In the end we learned that because the steel brake lines had rusted, all the fluid escaped the lines early in the trip and there was no pressure to keep the drum brakes not engaged. So the brakes were just pressing against the hub and eventually got so hot that they burnt up the grease and shot the bearings straight out the side. The 2nd mechanic knew this and he helped rip out the brakes so that we could at least make to where we needed to go without blowing out the bearings again. This was a trip that I’ll never forget and it has made me the most prepared and paranoid trailer owner ever, but because of those lessons learned, I’ve never had that same problem again and never had an issue I wasn’t prepared for. #trailers
Wish you could work my boat.....your videos are priceless!!!
Best thing I've done for trailer light longevity is run a separate ground wire from each light all the way back to the tongue (where it's also connected to the trailer. This way my ground connection to trailer never gets wet and the lights always have a solid ground instead of just using the light mounting bolt. Always gets a little corroded and I'm just tired of dealing with that.
Another great video. Looking forward to more on brakes. #Trailers
Certainly had a few trailer issues since buying my boat in 2016. Ended up on the side of the road due to one of my 4 tires blowing out returning from a trip. That was an easy-ish fix. The big breakdown occurred after driving 1.5hrs to the ramp. Got to the ramp and staging the boat and discovered a hub blew out. Decided I would tackle it at the end of the day. Launched boat and went fishing. Got back loaded the boat and started calling around for a new hub. Drove 45mins away to get a new hub only to discover the spindle on the trailer is tapered and the hub I got was straight. Had to nurse the rig to a marina overnight till I could return to town to get the correct hub and come back down to install it and bring the boat home. This ordeal prompted me to replace all my bunk mounts, bunks with cypress boards and marine carpet, hubs, bearings, and refresh my torsion axles. That was a full weekend ordeal but the trailer was essentially brand new and survived a 6.5hr move south without issue. #trailer
I rewired my trailer with tinned marine wiring and put a red marker light on the backside of the rear tail lights facing the tow vehicle so I can see if tail lights are working from my mirrors. In Florida trailer tires do not wear out they rot out. Also when buying new tires make sure the date (week and year, 1222 means 12th week of the year 2022) is current, you don't want to buy tires that are already a year old that were sitting on a shelf.
After seeing and helping people along my way when I go fishing i did a complete service on my trailer last weekend. It puts my mind at rest when i go fishing this weekend #trailer
I almost had an anxiety attack at :48 when I saw a bag of Scotch Loc wire connectors. There is nothing more useless on a boat trailer
Don’t just carry a spare hub , bring a spare nut and thrust washer as well , A grinder and chisel is needed to get a spun inner race off , a file can work in place of a grinder ..... but make sure to have a spare spindle nut and thirst washer ..... they are hard to find on the side of the road
I'm new to bigger boat ownership but a few years ago I had pulled a John boat trailer around with a golf cart and it popped off with the hitch and all and fell into the ditch!! Wasn't a fun call for my dad if you could imagine but hey makes me cautious now that I'm pulling something with serious weight 😂 I can't wait for the boat rewire videos I have so many questions
From my boat trailering experience over 30+ yrs IMO radials are the only way to go if you trailer your boat long distance or more than once in the spring and once in the fall. I would also recommend Stainless Steel Disc brakes and rinse them with fresh water each time the trailer is dunked into saltwater. Thats twice each time you go fishing, once when you launch the boat and once when you retrieve the boat. I would also suggest buying a trailer that's one size up from the weight of your boat. Grease the bearings each trip with bearing buddies. If you have issues with the lights, Check the ground first, it could save you a lot of time.
What a great library of knowledge
#TRAILERS I Upgraded my bunks on my last boat trailer to a rubber cover over the carpet to give it a more slippery surface to load the boat on, it worked good. Thanks for another great video.
Knock on wood i have not had an issue with my trailers under my boats. I am religious about checking tire pressures and hub temp while traveling to catch problems before they arise. On the bunks when i wrap a new bunk with carpet I’ll leave a gap on the bottom of the bunk to let water drain out easier. Thanks for the great info each week! #trailers
Last August I hooked up to my 21 sea pro bay boat for the first time in a couple of months, with wife and her family in the truck.. 200 yards down the road and all hell broke loose. Looked back and saw the left side of the trailer was dragging on the pavement, no tire in sight. Got out to survey the damage and saw that the leaf spring had broken in half, causing the axle to rotate 90* to where the left tire was the only thing keeping my transom and lower unit off the pavement. (the right-side U-bolt and leaf spring stayed intact through all of this)
It took 2 tow trucks to safely move my boat+trailer onto a rollback truck, to take it to a shop so they could lift the boat off, and onto a new trailer.
A few weeks later I checked the bay at my storage unit and found 1/3 of the U-Bolt that held the leaf spring to the axle laying in the sand.. I guess we had too many people helping load the boat that morning, and the additional weight caused the bolt to break.. The leaf springs and U bolts were replaced
Bearing Buddies, keeping grease in the Bearings,..... Raise your lights so they will not get in the water when you launch...........Keep your springs oiled to keep rust away,...........Change the tires as needed, check the tires often for dryrot ...........use treated Lumber and Stainless Bolts............................
Those worst case images make my skin crawl. Great information.
Picked up a friend from the airport then grabbed the boat and trailer to head north. Half hour into the trip, the tread on one of the trailer tires peeled off, taking the fender with it. There was air in the tire still, so I got over and took the next exit. The tread coming off, left the fender on the freeway and the bracket that holds said fender, totally mangled. We still had a 3 hour drive, but the bracket was in the way, so I put a jack stand under it and lowered the trailer, bending back the bracket enough to make the trailer useable again. Not legal, but useable.
We made it to our destination and I caught my biggest Musky in less than 10 min on the water! It was a total mess making it to the lake that day, but the reward was so sweet!
I have a single axle trailer. While driving I could see the side walls bulging when I went over bumps. Sure enough I had a blow out halfway home. The next day I bought a larger tires rated for twice the weight of what the boat and trailer weight. Now I have peace of mind when pulling the trailer and boat long distances.
If you've never seen a tire separate from the tread, it will absolutely pulverize your trailer fender before you can get stopped. Pro-tip: if the tire or tires looks old, replace them.
One thing I have learned about pulling a trailer is be prepared and do pm's on trailer and truck.
The trailer assembly on the truck snapped a 3/4 inch bolt. Luckily I was stopping at a stop sign before entering the hiway.
My truck was 10 years old and winter salt didn't help. FYI. Check truck too
I had a customer tow their boat over for engine repair years ago. As soon as they pulled into our shop parking lot the tire fell off of their boat trailer. Perfect timing for the customer. We repaired the trailer and the engine! #trailers
This channel is amazing..! We are new to boating although we have a new boat it's always good to educate ourselves regarding everything boats.
Welcome aboard!
Ive been that guy on the side of the road staring at a wheel hanging off because the bearings failed, not proud to say that, but I won't let it happen again!
I just picked up a 26' Robalo project boat. Before I could move it I had to replace the leaf springs on the tandem trailer. Learned a lot. #trailers
From boat motors to boat trailers you are the man.keep up the awesome videos#trailers
Excellent video. 1st time boat owner and I appreciate the info
Thanks for watching!
When I purchased my current boat project we trailered it home about 30 miles. The boat had sat a good 5+ years at an air force base. Fingers crossed we made the slow trip on a Sunday. Well, 1/2 way home a tire deflated. No place had a tire fix except my local Tractor Supply. I purchased 2 complete tire setups and made it home. #trailers
Just replaced and wrapped my trailer bunks and thanks to your excellent demo I got a clean professional look to the ends of the boards - thanks! (Your tips are gonna improve my Xmas gift wrapping skills too!)
I also spray the trailer hardware with motorcycle chain lube before I leave for salt water , be aware that every bit of pollen and road dust will stick to it though
Rebuilding a 88 Welcraft and upgrading everything...currently a single axle trailer with no brakes..but need to add an additional axel to handle the all around bigger rig I’m going with...
When hooking up safety chains cross them, that makes a craddle incase the tongue comes loose from the hitch.
Double check your Bearing Buddy fill recommendation OG could be overfilled and damage the inner seal The design is for light pressure on the seals so they do not suck in water when quick cooled when you launch after trailering
great video
had my wheel lock up do to brake drum pad corrosion. big flat spot on one tire
The first time i took my boat out we suffered a wheel bearing failure. after running to several stores, thanks to having a friend following me, we found a west marine open after three hrs on the side of the road it got fixed we went to the water. when I got home i bought every spring, perch and bushing I could find for it and a new axle because it didn't look so hot after massive bearing failure. long story short, you cant go to the water if your trailer won't get you there. Maintenance is cheaper than replacement.
Thanks for the video on how to fix bunks carpeting. i have a roller bunk but now i know i can make a pro looking bunk if needed.
#TRAILERS
thanks for the support.
Love the tips. You may also want to add the use of Fluid Film for and steel like the pugs and nuts. My aluminum trailer does have some ferrous parts and I coated them with Fluid Film at least twice a season here in the northeast. So far after two years and many launches in saltwater I am rust free 👍👍
Every year driving Lake George New York oh, I always see a couple of trailers on the side of the road because the bearings burnt up. Great video thanks. Trailers
One good story is my brother bought a boat.. thing had only been out a hand full of times with the previous owner. First time my brother takes it out, on his way home the whole tongue of the trailer bent in half after hitting a rather large bump in the road.
My fishing buddy was meticulous with maintenance and this was good because I learned a lot from him. Several Saturday mornings we'd gather up in his driveway and he'd teach me something. He fished every year for six weeks in Minnesota and had stayed at the same lodge every year for 10 years and was a member of the family he'd spent so much time with them. He pulled a 5th wheel camper and his 18 foot Express bass boat behind that. Looked like a train going down the highway. He carried extra everything: wheel hubs, tools, grease and was prepared if anyone was or could be. Or, so he thought! His mishap came on one of the busiest Interstates, of course. Something really easy to check and something really easy to miss. All those long trips from Louisiana to Minnesota and that bouncing trailer behind the camper had taken its toll. A spring broke and the trailer settled down low enough that the fender sliced the tire badly. Naturally, that was the end of the tire. Rubber shot up in the air, noise like a siren and swerving followed. Lesson learned? For him it was carry extra springs, hangers and the tools to replace the whole shebang. He did after that! He was a member of the Good Sam Club and they came and helped him out, but it took some time and he calculated that he could have changed it all in the time it took them to show up. That job was one of our Saturday morning lessons shortly after that. #trailers
I can see carrying some extra smaller things - and tools... But more careful observation and maintenance would likely have cured his spring problem and that's a pretty BIG (and pricey) object to just go lugging around everyplace you go... I could even see an extra hanger, lest someone run into you hard and bend the heck out of one, maybe... but an entire set of springs? 🤔🤔🤔
Literally just realized one of the brackets holding my leaf springs to my trailer completely broke. Like the weld came off and the leaf was held up by the pressure from the other side of the spring. Drove 20miles home with it like that, saying my prayers all the way home. Luckily I made it home and I'm in the process of welding the piece back on. Crazy day. #trailers
All good stuff, but you forgot to talk about the winch/safety chain for the boat. When that fails backing down the ramp, you have a boat sitting half on/half off the trailer on the ramp and an owner asking other boaters for help. Seen that one several times.
I trailer my boat 4 hours to the coast 2 or 3 times a month. I noticed a something doesn't feel right feeling last trip. I did a heat check periodically on the way home and didn't feel any heat. Once home, I jacked her up and pulled the dust caps. Yup, salt water in the cap. I pulled the bearings and inspected. One needed to be replaced and the other was fine. Races were good. Moral of the story, be aware of how she feels. She'll tell you how she is before a catastrophic failure. Side note, I keep a spare hub in the truck as well as tools for the job.
So strange you came out with a boat trailer video this week lol, We went out fishing last Sunday morning pulled the boat all the way to the ramp about 20 miles and as we were turning into the ramp the right rear tire came off hub and all literally broke the bearings, we grabbed the tire threw it in the truck and launched the boat thankfully it's a triple axel with torsion axles. I spent most of the afternoon Monday putting two new hubs on and all new bearing buddies 4 out of the 5 rubber grommets that were left were dry rotted letting water into the bearings. This is a 2017 18K trailer! So yes absolutely keep a close eye on your trailer! #trailers
A buddy and I borrowed his father in-laws fishing boat. His father in-law was telling us that he had just rewired and installed new bearing in the hubs. We got about 1.5hrs from the house and we lost a wheel/hub. Got the wheel/hub it was about 100feet in the bush. Pulled the bearing cap off everything was still there but was missing the cotter pin. Put the hub back on. Did are best to file the threads with a hook file. Tightened the nut and used a hook as a cotter pin. Checked the other side it had no cotter pin as well, put a hook in. Than just turned around and went home. No fishing that day.
Oh no! Can't forget the cotter pins :(
#Trailers only 2 issues I had was I had a nail in one tire and got it fixed and since my old trailer had the bearing buddy I used a dewalt grease gun and change the bearing grease after I was driving with the boat I heard squeaking. Be safe Aaron !!!!
Pro tip pot your wires in silicon caulk before crimping Heat shrink not as important but it does look neat
I prefer dielectric grease and self sealing crimp type shrinkfit connectors or shrink tubing. Sometimes even solder connections and use self sealing shrink tube.
Born Again I have to say. Yourself' and Andy from "Boat Works Today" should have a joint page named "How to fix a hole in the water called a boat". You gentlemen are so spot on. May I add;
If your going to run a non radial tire bite the bullet and buy 16 ply, they hold plugs beautifully. If she doesn't roll on average three times a month, hence she's stored during winter, invest in jack stands. Get the bulge off bottom.
Best advice I can give anyone is to use some West Systems 105 with 206 hardener on your pressure treated wood. Let your boards dry out for two months and then roll the epoxy resin on them before bunk install. They will last longer than the boat, truck, or lake...
Boat a new boat with a single axel trailer...within a year found out boat was too heavy and had to have dual axel with brakes. Now it rides like a dream #trailers
Should also be checking the DOT number for manufacture date. I see too many blowouts in my tireshop (costco) due to 10 year old tires just not being able to handle heat even though the look new.
Another one of those just bought a boat story’s. I did get it home ok after purchasing it. When I took it out for the first time on my own, had a nice time and parked it in the driveway and started to wash it down. I got to the #trailer and noticed the rear wheels (duel axel) witch are oil bath hubs had a milky brown fluid in them. Needless to say seals were shot so replaced seals and bearings. So I am constantly going over the #trailer and looking for what needs attention. Next will be the front bearings and brakes, maybe axels too. Thanks for the information and can’t wait for more on #trailers 👍👍
Thanks for the great video. What type of carpet you would recommend for the bunks?
Whichever you want, backed or not backed is the most common types. We used the non back cuz it's cheaper:) and doesnt hold as much water. From what I understand the best is the rubber on the bunks, but that's a little more expensive.
My issue was with the brakes dragging and overheating the hub. Fortunately we found someone on a Sunday to fix the issues and made it to Bimini around sundown.
Love the videos look forward to it every Tuesday. I’m in Massachusetts and can’t wait for the boating season to start in at least a few weeks. As far as a trailer story goes I was heading up to Maine for camping for a week and I got a blow out on one of my trailer tires and had to get a new tire and run driven up to me from mass. #trailers
don't know if anyone told you but never use pressure treated wood when it will contact any kind of metal. just use normal 2x4s or what ever size you need and use either oil based outdoor paint or fiberglass resin and seal any other hole you drill with 5200, it will last so much longer then pressure treated lumber and you'll thank me when you don't have to change your bunks every other season.
My sailboat trailor was parked during the winter with the boat on it and when I came to move the boat back into the water, I found that one of the axle's had broken in half! I replaced both axls at that time and now I have always been on top of keeping my trailor in tip-top shape. #trailors
For a better and 100% rust free staples you want to use Monel staples, Not available in most box stores, but are available online.
Trailers are fairly easy to keep in good order. I think too many people are just too lazy to carry out the simple periodic maintenance. #trailers thanks again for an informative video. Could you do a video on optimax common problems? Keep up the good work Stuart
th-cam.com/video/88u0TdOo6vI/w-d-xo.html
Thanks must have missed it when scrolling through the video's. These test I have already done. My problem is that fuel floods out of the drain holes above the anti cavitation plate. I'll get my hands on an explosion drawing and start tracking down where it may be originating from. Thanks for taking the time to answer my comment.
Most tandem axel boat trailers are designed to be able to operate on 3 wheels. If your tire or axel bearing dies and youre in a sticky situation such as being on the interstate you should be able to get to a safe place as long as you drive slow. I wouldn't recommend doing this with a boat over 30 feet though. Id just stop and fix it wherever I am or get it towed.
Picked up a boat that had only been trailered back and forth to a marina once a year for 15 years. When I got on the highway the grease broke down and oozed out of the hubs. Limped it to the nearest hardware store for a grease gun and a couple fresh tubes of grease. No permanent damage! #trailers
Always double check the lug nuts after trailer repair! I was pulling a friends boat after he made some repairs. We got to the top of a tall bridge over the intracoastal waterway and the left wheel came off the trailer. The wheel shot across the road, luckily not hitting any cars. We were stuck on the top of that bridge for a while getting the wheel back on. We were lucky it did not hit a car in the other lane, or jump over the barricade and end up in the water. #trailers
a year ago i was pulling backing my trailer into my drive way; it's a triple axle and the turn is sharp so the tires get really torqued. My mom's friend started screaming that one of the wheels fell off. I thought she was nuts but when i got out and looked there was the wheel, sitting on the ground. The bearings had failed and disintegrated.
#trailers Ive been taking better care of my boat and trailer since I started watching. Videos are awesome and so is the website. Thank you
Great video boss man! Getting ready to rewire my boat trailer should I ground trailer lights to truck or trailer?
To the trailer :)
@@BornAgainBoating 10-4 thanks Aaron
You do great work! Top notch care and quality. I love and appreciate the effort you put forth in your work!
Im new to trailering. Not many stories to tell. With your great videos hopefully I won't come up with many. I can say though watch for loose fenders. Ive seen them bounce enough to bounce into the side of the tire. That will shed a tire with a quickness. It is possible to not notice the issue when the trailer is stationary, but traveling at speed on the rough roads in this country can compound the movement. #trailers
I replaced all my carpets last year on an aluminum trailer we purchased for our boat and an ole timer said to always leave the bottom of the bunks without carpet that way the water soaked bunks will drain and dry out with rot. If carpet covers the whole bunk the water is trapped and that water will rot the bottom of the bunks and will let you down one day! #Trailers👍🏻
Leaving the bunk bottoms uncarpeted definitely allows them to dry better. I learned that the hard way on an old pontoon trailer. Bunk boards rotted from not being able to sufficiently drain & dry.
I had to do a emergency trailer rehab on Easter a few years ago to tow a used newly purchased Edgewater 185cc from Charleston, SC to Nashville, TN needed new hubs/bearings, and hardware to hold the axle to the springs was a pretty nerve racking 9hrs. Also the springs were shot. #Trailers
#TRAILERS These stories just make me even more paranoid about trailer maintenance. I'm a somewhat new boat/trailer owner so really no good stories of trailers issues. I try to look over and maintain the trailer so these tips are great to keep in mind, thank you!
Lustfulvengance has it right: ditch the carpet. And go the extra step of heavy linseed oil treatment to the wood (let pressure treated dry out before trying this). Next, anywhere you have galvanized attached to aluminum, put a layer of rubber/fiber gasket material between, and coat the material with Fluid Film or light grease. For aluminum-to-aluminum joints use Fluid Film in the joint and on all fasteners. And part of my cleanup after a day on the water includes shooting grease in the wheel bearings. I also do this after a long drive before putting the boat in the water. If you don't leave any room for water in the hub (and if your bearing tension is right) you should never have a problem.
This entire video speaks to me. My trailer has been fresh water dipped it's entire life, two years ago my front tire lost it's tread and was grabbed by the rear tire effectively tearing the welds at the front spring mounts. That's the price you pay for being cheap and not replacing dry rot tires. One additional caveat to the axle inspection is that axle failure isn't also visible. Last year on the way home from the finger lakes in NY, my axle split at a drain hole in the center. It rusted from the inside out. #trailers #BreakOutAnotherThousand
Bought a jetski with what i thought was a good painted steel trailer. After a few trips pulling it home on a humpy road i got home and the tongue of the trailer bent in half. Had i not strapped the ski to the trailer tight, the trailer would fell apart on the freeway. The straps connected to the jetski held it all in place. Needless to say, i went out and bought a brand new aluminum trailer for it and it tows like a dream now. #trailer
Great information, love what you do!!!
I have had multiple bearing failures in my years of towing boats. Made it a point to start replacing hubs and bearings every spring. Makes being stranded on the side of the road with a blown bearing much less likely. One horror story is from a buddy of mine. He was having some warranty work done to his brand new trailer and the dealer gave him a "loaner" trailer for the weekend. His boat is a Sportsman Masters 227 and fully loaded weighs close to 4,500 lbs. The loaner trailer was a single axle trailer that looked like it was for a 18' skiff. Needless to say, we made it about 20 miles and one of the bearings blew out. We limped another 10 miles or so to the ramp, put the boat in, fished all day, then road the boat 50 miles to a friends river house to park at his dock. Called the dealer and told them to come pick up the trailer, we left it at the ramp. #Trailers