Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Should we submerge a trailer when we launch a 18-ft boat from it? I
was asking this because I saw the boat dealer who sold my boat almost
fully submerged the trailer when they launched the boat for a sea
trail. I was under the impression that we should move the trailer down
to the point where the wheel axle is right above water. I was kind of
surprised to see that. Does this have something to do with the fact
that the trailer doesn't have a way to tilt the boat down? May be the
boat dealer just want the boat into the water as quickly as possible?

What's the proper way to launch a boat from a trailer if the trailer
doesn't have a way to tilt the boat?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

wrote:
Should we submerge a trailer when we launch a 18-ft boat from it? I
was asking this because I saw the boat dealer who sold my boat almost
fully submerged the trailer when they launched the boat for a sea
trail. I was under the impression that we should move the trailer down
to the point where the wheel axle is right above water. I was kind of
surprised to see that. Does this have something to do with the fact
that the trailer doesn't have a way to tilt the boat down? May be the
boat dealer just want the boat into the water as quickly as possible?

What's the proper way to launch a boat from a trailer if the trailer
doesn't have a way to tilt the boat?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Jay Chan

Depending on the angle of the ramp, the depth of the water, the design
of the trailer, and the draft of the boat on the trailer you will need
to submerge the trailer to different depths to launch. Often this means
the trailer will be almost completely submerged. It's important to make
sure that your wiring is waterproof (most people disconnect the brake
lights before backing in) and that your wheel bearings are protected.

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Sure. the trailers are made to have the back axle dunked. however,
there is always going to be water seeping into the wheel berings even
though the trailer may be brand new, and the wheel seals in new shape.
The seals are made to keep the grease in the bering, but not
necessarily anything else out.

every year when you winterize your boat and park it, you should pull
the wheel hubs and have the berings flushed out and new grease
installed. that's part of winter maintenence.

after I do this, I even go as far as parking the boat and trailer,
jacking it up and putting it on wheel stands so there is no weight on
the tires or springs. trailer stuff seems to last longer

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Depending on the angle of the ramp, the depth of the water, the design
of the trailer, and the draft of the boat on the trailer you will need
to submerge the trailer to different depths to launch. Often this means
the trailer will be almost completely submerged.

Thanks. This makes sense. The ramp in the boat dealer's place is kind
of flat. This probably explains the reason why the boat dealer needed
to almost fully submerge the trailer in order to launch the boat.

It's important to make sure that your wiring is waterproof
(most people disconnect the brake lights before backing in)
and that your wheel bearings are protected.

Yes, I will make sure I will put this in the check-list of "Pre-Launch
Preparation".

Thanks.

Jay Chan

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

... If you are buying a BMT combo that could be a concern,
particularly if you plan on it being a trailer boat.

What's BMT combo? And why does BMT cause problem if we submerge the
trailer of a BMT combo in sal****er when we launch the boat?

Dunking the hubs means you have to be dilligent in your
bearing maintenance.

Does this mean these:
- Wait in the parking lot for a while to cool down the ball bearing
before proceeding to the ramp.
- Use something like Bearing Buddy and pump grease into the
greaser cap of the ball bearing periodically to keep the interior
of the bearing assembly under pressure to prevent water from
getting into bearing assembly.
- Degrease and re-pack the ball bearing every year as a part
of winterizing procedure.
- Anything else that I am missing?

Thanks.

Jay Chan

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

every year when you winterize your boat and park it, you should pull
the wheel hubs and have the berings flushed out and new grease
installed. that's part of winter maintenence.

Thanks. I will add this in my winterizing procedure.

after I do this, I even go as far as parking the boat and trailer,
jacking it up and putting it on wheel stands so there is no weight on
the tires or springs. trailer stuff seems to last longer

"Wheel stands". Yes, that is the key words that I should use to look
for them. I have been thinking of using them. But I didn't know what
they are called. Good. Now, I can use the right terms to ask the
salesman in the store. Thanks.

By the way, do you need a wheel stand for the front wheel that is made
from hard plastic?

Jay Chan

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 10:06:48 -0800, wrote:

wrote:

: Depending on the angle of the ramp, the depth of the water, the design
: of the trailer, and the draft of the boat on the trailer you will need
: to submerge the trailer to different depths to launch. Often this means
: the trailer will be almost completely submerged. It's important to make
: sure that your wiring is waterproof (most people disconnect the brake
: lights before backing in) and that your wheel bearings are protected.


Good answer.

The key is to get the boat floating. Back up enough to get the back end of the
boat to "bob up". Note the depth of the trailer at that point. When
I retrieve my boats, I usually have the trailer a little more shallow than
the "float point" so it'll self center on the trailer. For my small I/O,
that's usually when the fender of the trailer is about 2 inches out
of the water.

However, every boat, trailer and ramp behaves differently so you'll have
to get to know your setup.

barry
Like you, I find that I am about right when the tops of my trailer
fenders are just above water.

Dave Hall

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Throw in the tide as another variable involved in launching....

In other words, this is probably inevitable that the trailer will get
wet no matter how careful I move the trailer into position. I see...

the wiring harness.... If you use an reverse lockout solenoid, I
recommend that you use the standard 4-wire trailer set-up and add a
2-wire plug (available at any auto/trailer/etc. store) for hot and
ground to the solenoid. Using two plugs, you can unplug the trailer
lights, but keep the brakes attached... if the solenoid goes under
water you probably have wet carpet in the tow vehicle...!!

You have a good point. This means I cannot simply disconnect the
wiring between the towing vehicle and the trailer; I need to at least
keep the connection with the trailer brake. The fact is that my towing
vehicle is a compact SUV (1996 PathFinder) instead of a full-size SUV,
and the fact that the 18-ft boat is relatively big for the SUV. This
means I should worry about the towing vehicle being dragged down into
the water by the weight of the boat/trailer. Now, I just have to fully
understand your wiring instruction. Honestly, I don't quite understand
the details of your instruction. I probably need to print your
instruction, and bring the instruction to an auto store and ask around.

Thanks for the info.

Jay Chan

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Around 11/7/2005 1:03 PM, wrote:

after I do this, I even go as far as parking the boat and trailer,
jacking it up and putting it on wheel stands so there is no weight on
the tires or springs. trailer stuff seems to last longer


"Wheel stands". Yes, that is the key words that I should use to look
for them. I have been thinking of using them. But I didn't know what
they are called. Good. Now, I can use the right terms to ask the
salesman in the store. Thanks.

AKA "Jack stands".

Maybe it's a regional thing. :)

By the way, do you need a wheel stand for the front wheel that is made
from hard plastic?

Nope.

--
~/Garth - 1966 Glastron V-142 Skiflite: "Blue-Boat"
"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing about in boats."
-Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

I have a tandem aluminum boat trailer with stainless steel fittings,
torsion bar suspension and stainless steel brakes, and a variation of
"bearing buddies."

I regularly dunk about 75% of the trailer in the drink when launching or
retrieving my trailer boat. I wash the boat after every use, and while
doing that, I rinse off the trailer, especially the wheels and brakes.

There is no visible rust anywhere on the trailer. ...

Good to hear that. Seem like the aluminum and stainless steel
materials really help, especially if we wash the trailer after use.

Unfortunately, the trailer comes with the second-hand boat, and I don't
really have a choice here; otherwise, I would have chosen an alumimum
trailer.

The frame in my trailer is made from galvonized steel, and the
fittings are regular steel. The galvonized frame is still holding up
well. But the steel fittings (such as U-bolts) are all covered with
rust. I am thinking of spraying them with some kind of
rust-removal/primer chemical (no sure what it is?) and hopefully get
the rust under control. If this doesn't work, I may need to replace
the rusted fittings with stainless steel fittings in a case-by-case
basis -- or replace the entire trailer (depending on the available
budget).

Galvanized boat trailers do fairly well with the same kind of care,
except...you cannot see inside the steel box tubes that make up the
frames, so you don't know what is happening in there. Also, steel leaf
springs typically rust up no matter what you do. That's why I went with
aluminum and with torsion axles.

My trailer also has an torsion axle. But it is covered with rust (just
like any other fittings in this trailer). Oh well...

Anyway, I will wash the trailer with freshwater whenever after it is
submerged in sal****er. Hopefully, this can extend the life of the
trailer.

Jay Chan

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

What's BMT combo? And why does BMT cause problem if we submerge the
trailer of a BMT combo in sal****er when we launch the boat?

Boat, Motor, Trailer.

I just meant the trailer design and the hull design may mean you have
to dunk it to get the boat off. You might want another trailer style
if you can get it.

Thanks for the explanation.

Bearing buddies are a good idea but not a cure all. You should still
do a dissassembly, cleaning and visual inspection at least once a
year. Maybe more you are in salt water and go a couple times a week.

I don't think I will use the boat in sal****er that many times per
week. I guess disassembling the bearing once a year should be enough
for me.

Don't over pump your bearing buddy. It will squirt grease everywhere
and if you are really going fast with the gun you can blow the rear
seal out. As soon as you see the plate start moving stop pumping. It
is now under spring pessure and that is all you need.

Yes, I have heard about this previously (probably from here). Thanks
for the advice.

Jay Chan

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Garth Almgren wrote:
Around 11/7/2005 1:03 PM, wrote:


after I do this, I even go as far as parking the boat and trailer,
jacking it up and putting it on wheel stands so there is no weight on
the tires or springs. trailer stuff seems to last longer


"Wheel stands". Yes, that is the key words that I should use to look
for them. I have been thinking of using them. But I didn't know what
they are called. Good. Now, I can use the right terms to ask the
salesman in the store. Thanks.


AKA "Jack stands".

Maybe it's a regional thing. :)


By the way, do you need a wheel stand for the front wheel that is made
from hard plastic?


Nope.

Us 'poor folk' use blocks. I had some 8" x 8" treated posts left over
from a deck project that I use.

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

I need to at least keep the connection with the trailer brake.

If you have brakes on the trailer that is a good reason NOT to dunk
the wheels. They don't like being wet, particularly salty and wet

Oh well... I guess I will have to disconnect all the wires that will
disable the brake in the trailer. I hope my towing vehicle will not
get dragged into the water (a PathFinder with 4-wheel-drive).

Jay Chan

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Bearing buddies are a good idea but not a cure all. You should still
do a dissassembly, cleaning and visual inspection at least once a
year. Maybe more you are in salt water and go a couple times a week.


I don't think I will use the boat in sal****er that many times per
week. I guess disassembling the bearing once a year should be enough
for me.

If you are going to go into salt water, I'd recomend after use and
washing,then spray down the exposed bolts, nuts, clamps etc, with a
good penetrating oil. I prefer, Howe's, or PB Blaster. cheap stuff,
like STP brand, WD-40 and "Liquid\-drench" arn't the better choices.
PLUS!

After use in sal****er, you should hook your engine up to a hose using
"muffs" and run fresh water through it. it will help cut the corrosive
elements in the salt water.

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Around 11/8/2005 7:01 AM, Don White wrote:

Garth Almgren wrote:

Around 11/7/2005 1:03 PM, wrote:

"Wheel stands". Yes, that is the key words that I should use to look
for them. I have been thinking of using them. But I didn't know what
they are called. Good. Now, I can use the right terms to ask the
salesman in the store. Thanks.

AKA "Jack stands".

Maybe it's a regional thing. :)

Us 'poor folk' use blocks. I had some 8" x 8" treated posts left over
from a deck project that I use.

Hey, that works too. Just make sure they're not the real "blocks";
cinderblocks can shatter unexpectedly if you load them up the wrong way.



My "ramps" are treated 2x8 planks (also left over from a deck
project...) nailed together in a stair-step fashion. Heavy as heck, but
extremely cheap for me, since the wood was bought about 50 years ago.
Good quality, too; the planks that replaced them needed extra joists in
the middle of the old 6' spans to get rid of excessive bouncing.


--
~/Garth - 1966 Glastron V-142 Skiflite: "Blue-Boat"
"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing about in boats."
-Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

May suggestion my not apply to you! If you don't have surge disk brakes
with a reverse lockout.... just ignore my suggestion..... as the
lockout makes backing up more likely... not more dangerous. If you
only have 4 wires, just unplug the whole thing and don't worry about
it.

Actually, I don't really know what kind of brake the trailer has, or
whether the trailer has any brake at all. I guess it has an
electric-operated brake. But I am not sure. I will be downloading the
owner manual from EZ-Loader web site to see if I can find any info
about this.

I "think" mine has 4-wires. The plug of the wiring has 3 exposed metal
prongs sticking out and 1 black plastic prong that may or may not have
any metal thing inside. What does this tell me anyway?

Your Pathfinder should be fine. I have a 4WD Colorado (and before that
an S-10) that I use to launch an 8,000 lb. boat... Just put it in 4WD
LO *before* you need it and make slow accelerations so that you don't
twist an axle (or worse).

With an 18 foot boat, you really shouldn't have any problems backing
into the water..... and relax, the trailer is designed to get wet!

Great! This means I can disconnect the wiring before backing the boat
to the ramp, and submerge the trailer into the water if I need to.

Thanks for sharing the info.

Jay Chan

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

If you are going to go into salt water, I'd recomend after use and
washing,then spray down the exposed bolts, nuts, clamps etc, with a
good penetrating oil. I prefer, Howe's, or PB Blaster. cheap stuff,
like STP brand, WD-40 and "Liquid\-drench" arn't the better choices.

Thanks for the tip. I washed the trailer; but I didn't know that I
should be using penetrating oil for those components in the trailer.
Now, I will make a note on this and make sure I will do this.

After use in sal****er, you should hook your engine up to a hose using
"muffs" and run fresh water through it. it will help cut the corrosive
elements in the salt water.

Yes, I know about this. I intend to get that muffs tomorrow and start
working on the motor.

Thanks.

Jay Chan

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

I "think" mine has 4-wires. The plug of the wiring has 3 exposed metal
prongs sticking out and 1 black plastic prong that may or may not have
any metal thing inside. What does this tell me anyway?
It sounds like you have no brakes at all. Generally, electric brakes
have additional wiring running to a control unit and surge brakes have
additional wiring tied to the backup lights that release the brakes in
reverse (pushing the trailer backwards has the same effect as the
trailer pushing the vehicle when stopping.). I won't guarantee this is
always the case but has been the setup on rigs I've seen. Take a look
at the back side of the wheels and see if there is anything that
appears to be a brake with a line of some type running from the wheel
to the tongue of the trailer. Disc brakes are easy to see - a disc
with a caliper mounted - drum brakes would be enclosed. If all you see
is the axle with a spindle attached and the wheel bolted on then you
have no brakes and nothing to worry about.

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

It sounds like you have no brakes at all. Generally, electric brakes
have additional wiring running to a control unit and surge brakes have
additional wiring tied to the backup lights that release the brakes in
reverse ...

This seems to be true. Oh well, this means I have no less thing to
worry about.

Now, I just have to worry about braking the towing vehicle carefully,
and not pressing the brake too abruptly.

Thanks for the news.

Jay Chan

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Don,
Why the need for hydraulic brakes in sal****er?


"Don White" wrote in message
...
wrote:



Actually, I don't really know what kind of brake the trailer has, or
whether the trailer has any brake at all. I guess it has an
electric-operated brake. But I am not sure. I will be downloading the
owner manual from EZ-Loader web site to see if I can find any info
about this.

snip...

If you plan on dunking that trailer in sal****er, you'd better hope it has
hydraulic brakes. One of the local trailer dealers here told me people
were buying undersized trailers to avoid the brake requirement.

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Sounds like it is like most EZ-loader trailer. Surge brakes. The
coupler where you attached to the tow ball slides and activates a master
cylinder to provide braking. The 4 wire plug has a ground wire in the
rubber shielded connector and the other 3 are running lights and brake /
turn signals for left and right.

"Tom" wrote in message
...

I "think" mine has 4-wires. The plug of the wiring has 3 exposed metal
prongs sticking out and 1 black plastic prong that may or may not have
any metal thing inside. What does this tell me anyway?
It sounds like you have no brakes at all. Generally, electric brakes
have additional wiring running to a control unit and surge brakes have
additional wiring tied to the backup lights that release the brakes in
reverse (pushing the trailer backwards has the same effect as the
trailer pushing the vehicle when stopping.). I won't guarantee this is
always the case but has been the setup on rigs I've seen. Take a look
at the back side of the wheels and see if there is anything that
appears to be a brake with a line of some type running from the wheel
to the tongue of the trailer. Disc brakes are easy to see - a disc
with a caliper mounted - drum brakes would be enclosed. If all you see
is the axle with a spindle attached and the wheel bolted on then you
have no brakes and nothing to worry about.

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Dr. Dr. Smithers wrote:
Don,
Why the need for hydraulic brakes in sal****er?



I should have said 'surge' brakes......although they are a hydraulic
system..aren't they
The brakes aren't needed in the sal****er, but are useful going to and
from sal****er.

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Sounds like it is like most EZ-loader trailer. Surge brakes. The
coupler where you attached to the tow ball slides and activates a master
cylinder to provide braking. The 4 wire plug has a ground wire in the
rubber shielded connector and the other 3 are running lights and brake /
turn signals for left and right.

Thanks for the pointer.

I will have to get under the trailer to see if the trailer has a brake
or not. If I see a brake, I will assume that the trailer has a surge
brake because the wiring only has 4 wires. Does this sound right?

Jay Chan

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

If you plan on dunking that trailer in sal****er, you'd better hope it
has hydraulic brakes.

I see your point of not wanting to mix electricity with water.

One of the local trailer dealers here told me people were buying
undersized trailers to avoid the brake requirement.

This sounds odd. Having a brake in the trailer should help the
stopping power and is a good thing, right? Why would anyone want to
avoid having a brake system if the towing load demands its use? People
must have been buying undersized trailers because of the low price, not
because their being brakeless.

Jay Chan

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Don,

Thanks for the explanation, I had surge brakes on my trailer and couldn't
imagine that they had two different trailer brakes, one for freshwater and
one for sal****er, but there have been crazier situations.

I had a smaller boat and trailer w/o any brakes (approx. 2500 lbs.), and
then a heaver boat and trailer (approx. 3500 lbs) with surge brakes. I
would assume there is a maximum weight for towing w/o trailer brakes, but I
couldn't tell the difference between the two. With both of them, you have
to anticipate your stops, it takes substantially longer to stop when pulling
a trailer.



"Don White" wrote in message
...
Dr. Dr. Smithers wrote:
Don,
Why the need for hydraulic brakes in sal****er?



I should have said 'surge' brakes......although they are a hydraulic
system..aren't they
The brakes aren't needed in the sal****er, but are useful going to and
from sal****er.

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

wrote:


Thanks for the pointer.

I will have to get under the trailer to see if the trailer has a brake
or not. If I see a brake, I will assume that the trailer has a surge
brake because the wiring only has 4 wires. Does this sound right?

Jay Chan


You can tell a surge brake system quite easilt. Look at your coupler
and see if there is an oversized 'box'.
http://www.championtrailers.com/techsup.html#techretro

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Dr. Dr. Smithers wrote:
Don,

Thanks for the explanation, I had surge brakes on my trailer and couldn't
imagine that they had two different trailer brakes, one for freshwater and
one for sal****er, but there have been crazier situations.

I had a smaller boat and trailer w/o any brakes (approx. 2500 lbs.), and
then a heaver boat and trailer (approx. 3500 lbs) with surge brakes. I
would assume there is a maximum weight for towing w/o trailer brakes, but I
couldn't tell the difference between the two. With both of them, you have
to anticipate your stops, it takes substantially longer to stop when pulling
a trailer.


I've read that electric brakes are safer than surge because they come on
as soon as you hit the brake pedal. Surge on the other hand has a
slight lag as the moving parts in the coupler must push oil in a master
cylinder and then out to the actual brakes. Trouble is...electric brakes
are not suitable for immersing in salt water...yet!

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Sounds like it is like most EZ-loader trailer. Surge brakes. The
coupler where you attached to the tow ball slides and activates a master
cylinder to provide braking. The 4 wire plug has a ground wire in the
rubber shielded connector and the other 3 are running lights and brake /
turn signals for left and right.

I have checked the trailer, and I am now sure that it has "some kind"
of brake. It surely looks like it is a surge-brake as what you have
suggested because the trailer coupler is quite oversized.

The other thing is that the wiring actually has 5 wires instead of 4
wires as what I said previously. I guess my memory was fooling me.
The wiring plug totally has 4 metal prongs. Two of the wires goes into
the same prong.

Anyway, now that I know my trailer has a surge brake, I don't need to
worry about submerging the trailer into sal****er (as long as I wash it
afterward). Great!

Thanks.

Jay Chan

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

You can tell a surge brake system quite easilt. Look at your coupler
and see if there is an oversized 'box'.
http://www.championtrailers.com/techsup.html#techretro

Yes, I have checked my trailer, and it has an oversized coupler box.
And I have also checked under the trailer and see a wire going into
each wheel assembly. Now, I am sure that my trailer has a brake and it
is a surge brake.

Thanks for the picture.

Now, I have a question:
When I released the brake in the towing vehicle and started towing,
I often heard noise coming from behind me (likely coming from the
connection between the towing vehicle and the trailer). Is it a
standard behavior of a surge brake? May be the surge brake had engaged
when I stopped the car, and it remained engaged. When I released the
brake in the towing vehicle and stepped on the gas panel, the surge
brake could not respond fast enough to release its brake. That caused
the hitch ball of the towing vehicle to impact on the coupler of the
trailer, and this made noise. Is my understanding correct? If this
was the case, I should go easy on the gas panel when I go from stop to
start the vehicle.

Jay Chan

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Thanks for the tip. I washed the trailer; but I didn't know that I
should be using penetrating oil for those components in the trailer.
Now, I will make a note on this and make sure I will do this.

That's jsut a bit extra that I do.

It helps keep corrosion off the steel parts. Even after washing, the
bolts etc, can still rust. This helps prevent that.

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

wrote in message
...
On 9 Nov 2005 11:00:46 -0800, wrote:

This sounds odd. Having a brake in the trailer should help the
stopping power and is a good thing, right? Why would anyone want to
avoid having a brake system if the towing load demands its use? People
must have been buying undersized trailers because of the low price, not
because their being brakeless.


If you dunk brakes in salt water they won't last long.
I suppose you cas flush them with fresh water every time but you are
still soaking all that hardware and allowing it to rust up.

The law requires brakes on boat trailers over a given weight. 3000# in
California, and I would hate to tow my 4400# rig, even with my 3/4 ton truck
without brakes. I used to get about 2 years out of a set of Drum brakes. I
am going on 3 years with my Kodiak disk brakes, and they have been
fantastic. Stop well, and even the pads were still in great shape. Did
change pads this year, as lost a wheel bearing and another nice thing about
disk brakes. They kept the wheel from leaving the trailer. The rotor did
wipe out the pad and itself. You just lean over the fender and hose off the
brakes.

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Here's an excellent article on boat trailer wheel bearing maintenance:

http://www.pugetsoundanglers.org/Fis...ler_brakes.htm

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

On 10 Nov 2005 19:05:14 -0800, "Tim" wrote:

Here's an excellent article on boat trailer wheel bearing maintenance:

http://www.pugetsoundanglers.org/Fis...ler_brakes.htm

Thanks, Tim. That *is* a good site.

--
John H.

"Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it."
Rene Descartes

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

On 10 Nov 2005 19:05:14 -0800, "Tim" wrote:

Here's an excellent article on boat trailer wheel bearing maintenance:

http://www.pugetsoundanglers.org/Fis...ler_brakes.htm

Tim - that's a great site but there are a couple of procedures that
concern me. During inspection, clean the cups and cones thoroughly and
inspect each roller while rotating it in the cage. If any roller shows
any sign of cracking or flaking then replace the bearings. Look at the
raceway and see if there is any flaking or dents. If so, replace the
bearings. Most bearings will show signs of fatigue or contamination
long before failing and a thorough inspection may allow you to replace
the bearings in a location that is far better than the side of the
road. Installing the race (or cup) with a hammer and punch can be
disastrous unless done very carefully (gently). It's best to use an
arbor that fits the race initially (piece of pipe, socket etc. or a
block of hard plastic or wood (careful of debris) to start rather than
strike the cup directly. Once flush you probably need to use a punch
as few of us have anything that will fit properly but the punch should
be a softer material (hard plastic, aluminum, brass) if possible.
Gentle is the key word here - lightly tap and move around the OD to
keep the cup square and not in a bind. When tightening the nut you
should rotate the hub full rotations in both directions as you tighten
to insure the rollers are aligned - not to seat the race which should
already be seated. Tapered rollers have a tendency to skew until
properly seated and rotating while tightening will help prevent this.
Also, bearing supply houses can be helpful in locating bearings and
seals and may be more economical. Finally, his comment on bearings
made in China is right on. There is some decent stuff coming out of
China but there is a lot of junk. None of it is on a par with Bower or
Timken so is it worth the risk? It makes me sick to walk into a
trailer supply house and see a barrel of bearings piled in with no
protective packaging. Talk about junk - bearings are most likely
brinelled before you ever install them.

Submerge the Trailer When We Launch a Boat?
 

Point well made, Tom.

especially about wheel bearing replacement.

And you're both right about using cheap "generic" bearings. It's hard
to go wrong with Timken, Lufkin, Bower, or NDH. national makes a great
seal too!

You notice that the trailer mfj.s don't use "no-name" bearings and
seals from the beginning. there's a reason for that. No one else should
either.

From what I've seen,t he "imported" bearings don't have the right steel
hardness in the bearing or race core, and the chromium plating
sometimes isn't as good either.

Also the cost difference betweden the good stuff and the cheap stuff is
pennies to small dollars.

no need to short change yourself.