Preventive Maintenance From BoatU.S. Trailer Assist™
Trailering Club members have the benefit of being rescued if their trailer develops a mechanical problem on the road. Here’s some advice from three of the 18,000 folks always on call for Trailer Assist™
The BoatU.S. Dispatch Center received calls in 2010 from Trailering Club members needing Trailer Assist for the following reasons:
| Flat Tires | 41% | |
| Bearings | 23% | |
| Axles | 11% | |
| Misc. (out of gas, locked out, dead battery) | 5% | |
| Misc. for Trailer (lights not working, brakes) | 5% |
Now, let’s go to the front lines, get past the numbers and understand why the calls had to be made. Regardless of all the checklists and inspections, unexpected things can happen when a boat trailer is on the road. Many, however, can be avoided by taking a few minutes and knowing what to look for.
Tires
The biggest problem
I see when I get a
call for Trailer Assist
is a dry cracked tire.
The sun does a lot of
damage to a trailer
tire and people aren’t
aware that they
should cover the tire
with a tarp or even a
piece of plywood to block the sun. West Marine sells
trailer tire covers, which are worth the cost. I get folks
driving from Los Angeles with their trailer boat who
plan on fishing here in San Diego. They don’t think
about the boat trailer and if they do, it’s just to check
the psi of the trailer tire.
It’s not just boat trailers, though. I see it with
folks who have RVs with plans to drive to the desert
for a few days. Their RV has been sitting outside and,
like the trailer with a boat, the tires are damaged by
the sun.
The other thing folks need to be aware of is when
you replace the tire, replace the valve stem, too. I’ve
had calls from folks along the side of a highway,
who are furious because the trailer tire is brand new
but the valve stem on the tire is brittle and losing
air. There are instances of valve stems that aren’t
designed for the high 50+ psi of a trailer tire and this
can cause failure, too. Ask for stems that can handle
80 psi and you shouldn’t have a problem.
This brings me to the next point: Carry a spare
tire. It can be done right along the side of the road
rather than having to take the trailer to a repair shop
in order for a new tire to be put on a rim. And make
sure it is inflated properly.
Toby Ramos
Ramos Tire and Road Service
San Diego, CA
A word of advice on boat trailer tires: I get a lot of
calls because a tire has gone bad and a lot of these are
the result of low air pressure inside the tire. You can’t
look at a tire and figure out if it’s inflated properly.
Take the time, kneel down and check the psi with a
tire gauge. That’s the only way to know if the tire is
properly inflated.
Our other biggest call also involved tires. People
from the North will come to Florida and never look
at the trailer tires. It’s not just boaters, it’s folks who
own RVs, too. They let their boat trailer or RV sit for six months and then take it out on the road at high
speed for two hours and more, and the tires blow out.
Lots of times, it’s flat spots on the tire. I explain it
to folks as “the tire has its memory because it sat so
long on one side that the other side can’t remember
what to do.”
Clayton Castetter
National Tire and Truck Repair
Cocoa, FL
Bearings
Lack of maintenance is the reason I get calls
from the BoatU.S. Dispatch Center to assist a person
whose trailer is broken down along the highway. In
many cases it’s the bearings. Now, anyone can check
if their bearings are bad by simply jacking up the
trailer and spinning the wheel. If you hear any kind
of grinding, that’s the first sign your bearings on that
wheel are bad. Do the same on the other wheel, too.
When you’re on the road, a bad bearing isn’t
going to be heard unless you see smoke coming from
the trailer tire. Usually, when you come to a stop
you’ll see the trailer wheel is leaning severely. Another
clue that a bearing could be going bad is losing the
dust cap.
Rob Violette
The Trailer Shop,
Key Largo, FL
Here in Florida we see a lot of boat trailers that
have been dunked into saltwater but they’re never
given a freshwater wash. That’s going to affect bearings.
I’ve been in this business for 16 years and it’s
pretty clear that everyone pays attention to the boat
and I can understand that because it’s the biggest
expense, but they never spend much time with the
trailer.
Bearings that haven’t been regreased or replaced
are going to give anyone trouble, especially if they’re
being used on the Interstate for a few hours at 65
mph. The thing is, if you ignore the bearings and
saltwater gets into a loose seal, which will turn the
grease a milky color, then when the bearings go,
there’s always a chance that’s going to damage the
spindle and possibly, the axle. I’ve answered Trailer
Assist calls when that has happened. Usually, we can
make all the repairs right there but it definitely is
going to delay a boating vacation.
Clayton Castetter
All That Other Stuff
I also see a lot of damaged leaf springs. I blame
the saltwater for this but I’ve seen it on boat trailers
that have come from the North where they’re used in
fresh water. In many cases the springs are actually in
good shape but the bolts and hangers used to hold the
springs have rusted out, usually because they aren’t
made of stainless steel.
When you’re on the road and stop for gas, feel
the sidewalls of your tires. If you’ve got a tandem or
triple-axle trailer and one tire feels warmer than all
the others, that’s a sign something is wrong, like low
tire pressure. If you’ve got a single axle, you can do
the same thing. Make sure you also touch the hubs.
Look for oil or grease that might have leaked from
the hub.
Clayton Castetter
It never hurts to have these three things with you
that can be used to change a tire: (1) a spare that’s
ready for use, (2) a breaker bar (this has a long
handle with a 13/16-inch socket to take the lug nuts
off, and (3) a hammer that can be used to hit the
lug nut a few times if it’s corroded and not loosening
when you try to remove it.
Toby Ramos
I always say you have to do more than just look
at the trailer. It’s the same as lifting the hood of your
tow vehicle. It doesn’t tell you much. You have to go
beyond just looking. Most people won’t jack up the
wheels of their trailer.
I understand that this can be more than they
want to do, in which case it makes a lot of sense to
take the time and spend the money to have a professional
check out a trailer before you make a long trip.
Rob Violette
