Big Bart
Tow&Slow
I wanted to give back to this community and share some valuable lessons I have learned over several trailers and tens of thousands of miles of towing.
Watercraft trailers unlike cars and trucks never seem to make it till 30,000 miles before needing brakes or 50,000 miles plus before needing wheel bearing service. In general, all trailers need yearly or a every two year service. It's often hard to source the parts for your trailer and there is not as much knowledge at the parts store about trailers. Trailer wiring is often exposed and gets pinched, cut, corroded, or fails due to UV light. So here are some things I do to make my trailers more reliable and need less maintenance.
One of the hardest trailers to keep going are saltwater boat/watercraft trailers. But even freshwater boaters suffer the same plight just over a longer period of time. Water, salt, vibration, sun, heat, weight, bad roads, etc. all take a toll on your trailer.
Upgrades you should consider!
1) Stainless steel disk brakes, calipers, and brake lines. (Lose those drum brakes!) Salt water will kill a great brake system in under 3 years. (Even ones with special coatings!) I made the switch 5 years ago to stainless and my brakes are still looking and working great! No more rusty discs, no more rusty calipers, etc. each spring. I have switched my snowmobile trailer to stainless too for the same reasons. Wet and salted roads! These have greatly improved the reliability and braking of my trailers that get wet and salty. I still wash everything off before putting my trailers away, but it has taken me from doing brakes every 2 or 3 years to my 6th season and likely a 7th!
2) Oil bath bearing kits by Liqu-lube. https://www.liqualube.com/
After several tows while in Baja Mexico pulled over in 115-degree weather to fix a smoking hot wheel bearing that failed, I looked and went with this option. These kits do multiple things to improve bearing reliability and life.
a) They use a counter rotating inner seal. So, they do not rely on your axle spindle for the sealing surface. They attach (Press onto/into) to both the spindle and the inside of the hub. The two pieces then counter rotate and create the seal between them. They last a long time and rusty spindles no longer kill your seals. They are oil lubricated, so they keep the water out, stay lubricated, and don't wear out as quickly.
b) They deal with the boaters/water crafters worst dilema! Your trailer hubs heat up the air inside the hub when towing. Then you get to the boat ramp and dunk the trailer the sudden cool down creates a vacuum inside of the hub that often the grease seal cannot overcome and lets water get sucked in. Now that water starts to ruin your bearings and grease. Their oil caps (Go on front of hub.) have a rubber membrane that moves left or right depending on hub air pressure. So, when the hub cools the vacuum can simply pull the rubber membrane over and prevents the buildup of vacuum. Simple as heck and even more effective.
I will point out two concerns. Not really cons but something to note - You have to do some work to get the caps on. You will have to drill 3 little holes into the hub for self-threading screws that keep the hub cap from ever coming off. The lube these use is water based, but if you do not move your trailer every 60 days or so, it seems the bearings can get a little surface rust. (The lube is not like motor oil, does not coat the bearings and repel moisture.) It’s not the kind of rust that will kill the bearings, but who wants any rust on a bearing or race. I am going to look at a similar viscosity lube that is oil based to prevent this upon next change. But these are far better than the normal grease seals and greased bearings.
3) Electric over hydraulic disk brakes.
My boat all in with trailer is pushing 8,000lbs. The braking force I get from electric over hydraulic disk brakes is amazing. The braking curve (faster stopping) is also amazing. If you can afford this upgrade or just unhappy with your current brakes, I would highly suggest these.
Other benefits -
a) It is much easier to flush/wash off disc brakes as you can get to both sides. It is hard to flush drum brakes because they are mostly enclosed. Also, a disc brake system is a closed loop system, so they are water tight by nature.
b) No drum brake adjusting.
c) In my experience the disc brake pads last longer so less maintenance.
d) No wiring past the nose of the trailer. No more wiring issues from submerging you brake wiring.
4) If electric over hydraulic is out of your budget I would still suggest surge brakes with disc VS surge with drum. My snowmobile trailer by Triton has this set up. It works very well, is low maintenance, and slows evenly and fast. The surge hitch/master cylinders are made for either disc or drum. So, you will have to upgrade both the surge hitch and the brakes. Most of the time you can find the same surge hitch you already have in the disc version so little to no work needs to be done to replace. Get the stainless calipers, rotors, and if you need them replaced the brake lines. Unless your trailer is very rusty, generally the same bolts or holes used for the drum backing plate can be used for the caliper mounting plate. If rusted badly or different you would have to replace the axle. (But not likely.)
Other benefits -
a) It is much easier to flush/wash off disc brakes after driving salted roads as you can get to both sides. It is hard to flush drum brakes because they are mostly enclosed. Also, a disc brake system is a closed loop system, so they are water tight by nature.
b) No drum brake adjusting.
c) In my experience the disc brake pads last longer so less maintenance.
5) Be prepared, bring spare trailer parts, bring tools, and know how to do some repair work.
a) Keep spare trailer parts in a box with you while trailering. Spare - Hub (Two if front and rear axle are different.), brake rotor if not part of hub, 2 sets of bearings, 2 sets of seals, 2 hub caps, cotter pins, spare tire (Make sure it is inflated, I take two.), brake fluid, taillights, trailer wiring pig tail, and such. If you break down in the middle of nowhere likely you, someone who comes along, the tow company, or a service station can help you do an emergency repair. If you do not have the part, you will be stuck paying for a tow, a hotel room, and perhaps a delay of a couple of days waiting on parts.
b) Keep an electrical kit in a tool bag or with your tools. Test light, voltmeter, strippers, crimpers, spare wire, fuses, connectors, electrical tape, long wire with alligator clips (To extend the reach of your test light or volt meter) and anything else you foresee needing to fix. It’s dangerous to tow at night without lights. It’s even more dangerous to tow something heaving without trailer brakes.
c) A tool kit so you can do most any repair to the trailer. Pliers, *****, wrenches, screw drivers, socket set, hammer, punch, brass punch (You will likely have to change a bearing race with a bad bearing.), seal puller, bearing greaser, grease gun, grease for that trailer bearing system, oil for oil bath bearing, and whatever else you need to work on your trailer.
d) A way to change a tire. Small hydraulic jack (Likely the one in your vehicle will not work.), tire, mini tire compressor, chocks, lug nut wrench, breaker bar, extension, and sockets that fit your lug nuts.
If all you do is tow from your house to the dump 20 minutes away, this may be all overkill. But if you’re like me and you’re going to tow your snowmobiles 1,000 miles or your boat 1,500 miles through Mexico being prepared will make the trip much more relaxing having piece of mind you should not get stuck and when something breaks knowing you can get back on the road in an hour or two.
Watercraft trailers unlike cars and trucks never seem to make it till 30,000 miles before needing brakes or 50,000 miles plus before needing wheel bearing service. In general, all trailers need yearly or a every two year service. It's often hard to source the parts for your trailer and there is not as much knowledge at the parts store about trailers. Trailer wiring is often exposed and gets pinched, cut, corroded, or fails due to UV light. So here are some things I do to make my trailers more reliable and need less maintenance.
One of the hardest trailers to keep going are saltwater boat/watercraft trailers. But even freshwater boaters suffer the same plight just over a longer period of time. Water, salt, vibration, sun, heat, weight, bad roads, etc. all take a toll on your trailer.
Upgrades you should consider!
1) Stainless steel disk brakes, calipers, and brake lines. (Lose those drum brakes!) Salt water will kill a great brake system in under 3 years. (Even ones with special coatings!) I made the switch 5 years ago to stainless and my brakes are still looking and working great! No more rusty discs, no more rusty calipers, etc. each spring. I have switched my snowmobile trailer to stainless too for the same reasons. Wet and salted roads! These have greatly improved the reliability and braking of my trailers that get wet and salty. I still wash everything off before putting my trailers away, but it has taken me from doing brakes every 2 or 3 years to my 6th season and likely a 7th!
2) Oil bath bearing kits by Liqu-lube. https://www.liqualube.com/
After several tows while in Baja Mexico pulled over in 115-degree weather to fix a smoking hot wheel bearing that failed, I looked and went with this option. These kits do multiple things to improve bearing reliability and life.
a) They use a counter rotating inner seal. So, they do not rely on your axle spindle for the sealing surface. They attach (Press onto/into) to both the spindle and the inside of the hub. The two pieces then counter rotate and create the seal between them. They last a long time and rusty spindles no longer kill your seals. They are oil lubricated, so they keep the water out, stay lubricated, and don't wear out as quickly.
b) They deal with the boaters/water crafters worst dilema! Your trailer hubs heat up the air inside the hub when towing. Then you get to the boat ramp and dunk the trailer the sudden cool down creates a vacuum inside of the hub that often the grease seal cannot overcome and lets water get sucked in. Now that water starts to ruin your bearings and grease. Their oil caps (Go on front of hub.) have a rubber membrane that moves left or right depending on hub air pressure. So, when the hub cools the vacuum can simply pull the rubber membrane over and prevents the buildup of vacuum. Simple as heck and even more effective.
I will point out two concerns. Not really cons but something to note - You have to do some work to get the caps on. You will have to drill 3 little holes into the hub for self-threading screws that keep the hub cap from ever coming off. The lube these use is water based, but if you do not move your trailer every 60 days or so, it seems the bearings can get a little surface rust. (The lube is not like motor oil, does not coat the bearings and repel moisture.) It’s not the kind of rust that will kill the bearings, but who wants any rust on a bearing or race. I am going to look at a similar viscosity lube that is oil based to prevent this upon next change. But these are far better than the normal grease seals and greased bearings.
3) Electric over hydraulic disk brakes.
My boat all in with trailer is pushing 8,000lbs. The braking force I get from electric over hydraulic disk brakes is amazing. The braking curve (faster stopping) is also amazing. If you can afford this upgrade or just unhappy with your current brakes, I would highly suggest these.
Other benefits -
a) It is much easier to flush/wash off disc brakes as you can get to both sides. It is hard to flush drum brakes because they are mostly enclosed. Also, a disc brake system is a closed loop system, so they are water tight by nature.
b) No drum brake adjusting.
c) In my experience the disc brake pads last longer so less maintenance.
d) No wiring past the nose of the trailer. No more wiring issues from submerging you brake wiring.
4) If electric over hydraulic is out of your budget I would still suggest surge brakes with disc VS surge with drum. My snowmobile trailer by Triton has this set up. It works very well, is low maintenance, and slows evenly and fast. The surge hitch/master cylinders are made for either disc or drum. So, you will have to upgrade both the surge hitch and the brakes. Most of the time you can find the same surge hitch you already have in the disc version so little to no work needs to be done to replace. Get the stainless calipers, rotors, and if you need them replaced the brake lines. Unless your trailer is very rusty, generally the same bolts or holes used for the drum backing plate can be used for the caliper mounting plate. If rusted badly or different you would have to replace the axle. (But not likely.)
Other benefits -
a) It is much easier to flush/wash off disc brakes after driving salted roads as you can get to both sides. It is hard to flush drum brakes because they are mostly enclosed. Also, a disc brake system is a closed loop system, so they are water tight by nature.
b) No drum brake adjusting.
c) In my experience the disc brake pads last longer so less maintenance.
5) Be prepared, bring spare trailer parts, bring tools, and know how to do some repair work.
a) Keep spare trailer parts in a box with you while trailering. Spare - Hub (Two if front and rear axle are different.), brake rotor if not part of hub, 2 sets of bearings, 2 sets of seals, 2 hub caps, cotter pins, spare tire (Make sure it is inflated, I take two.), brake fluid, taillights, trailer wiring pig tail, and such. If you break down in the middle of nowhere likely you, someone who comes along, the tow company, or a service station can help you do an emergency repair. If you do not have the part, you will be stuck paying for a tow, a hotel room, and perhaps a delay of a couple of days waiting on parts.
b) Keep an electrical kit in a tool bag or with your tools. Test light, voltmeter, strippers, crimpers, spare wire, fuses, connectors, electrical tape, long wire with alligator clips (To extend the reach of your test light or volt meter) and anything else you foresee needing to fix. It’s dangerous to tow at night without lights. It’s even more dangerous to tow something heaving without trailer brakes.
c) A tool kit so you can do most any repair to the trailer. Pliers, *****, wrenches, screw drivers, socket set, hammer, punch, brass punch (You will likely have to change a bearing race with a bad bearing.), seal puller, bearing greaser, grease gun, grease for that trailer bearing system, oil for oil bath bearing, and whatever else you need to work on your trailer.
d) A way to change a tire. Small hydraulic jack (Likely the one in your vehicle will not work.), tire, mini tire compressor, chocks, lug nut wrench, breaker bar, extension, and sockets that fit your lug nuts.
If all you do is tow from your house to the dump 20 minutes away, this may be all overkill. But if you’re like me and you’re going to tow your snowmobiles 1,000 miles or your boat 1,500 miles through Mexico being prepared will make the trip much more relaxing having piece of mind you should not get stuck and when something breaks knowing you can get back on the road in an hour or two.
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