Trailer Maintenance

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Lundman said:
Last year early in the season on the way to the Gorge, I saw 5 boats in one day that were off the side of the road with some sort of trailer problem.
One thing to check is how dirty the bottom of your brake fluid reservoir is on your surge brakes. I had always checked my fliud but never noticed the slug in the bottom. This slug will clog the surge blakes and will cause braking problems down the road.
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Thats what I have done every year is just check the fluid levels. I didnt know there could be a sludge problem. What do you reccomend? Should I just drain and add new fluid or take it in and have the mecinics flush it?
 
Never take this for granted. all the boats I've ever owned and snowmobile trailers first thing I've done is pull the hubs and repack my bearings well this one i didn't i relied on the last guy and only took it out twice probably less then 50 miles since i had it home. well the other day on my way fishing just for giggles i grabbed ahold of my wheel and felt play, long story short the seal surface was hammered and the outer race had spun in the hub and that's where my play came from went and got new hubs just to get it by. got everything packed and went to put on and wrong hubs, went back and found that the hubs that i had where obsolete, so after getting a new axle and everything im waiting for the paint to dry on the axle so i can mount it up and hopefully take it fishing next weekendcrymearivercrymearivercrymeariver
 
Bummer about the axle, but a good thing to catch, would hate to see that new boat upside down in the ditch!!
 
At least you now its going to be good. Sometimes having trust & faith can cost you. I see it as a good cost because it could have been alot worse. I'm glad everything is alright.
 
Jason
You should take some of these web sights that have been offfered and archive them somewhere on the board. Great info from everyone. Sorry to hear about the hard knock experiences however.
 
E-Z Lube

Took the boat and trailer in for new axle and hubs... going away from bearing buddies and upgrading to the E-Z lube system. Been useing the bearing buddies and was having issues with over greasing and blowing out the inner seals. With this new system the grease comes back at you to let you know when it's full. This is off their website:

The E-Z Lube system allows grease to flow with ease to both the outer and inner bearings for a complete repack. Axles equipped with this system can be periodically lubricated without removing the hubs from the axle. This features consists of axle spindles that have been specially drilled and assembled with grease fittings in their ends. When grease is pumped into the fitting, it is channeled to the inner bearing, then flows to the outer bearing, and eventually back out the grease cap hole. The E-Z Lube end cap allows for easy access, extra protection, and virtually no mess. The protection and maintenance features of Dexter's E-Z Lube system make it ideal for towable axles that get immersed in water. Regular inspection is still recommended.
 
Trailer Lights

For the past couple of years I was having trouble with my trailer lights. Would have to tap them to get them to work. Noticed sometimes while following wife towing boat that they would flicker on/off at times. When braking, one light would work and the other didn't and visa-versa. Connections were OK but the lights themselve showed signs of breaking down. They are a sealed light so going into them wasn't a good option. So, I replaced them with LED submersibles. Soldered the connections and what a difference. The lights are much brighter than the standard submersibles. I found the LED's at Harbor Freight Tools on sale for $40.00. I was leary at first of picking them up because of substandard merchandise but these are the same style that was my trailer. Right now I'm glad I bought them & hope there are no regrets later. But anything is better than what I had on the trailer before. The lights come complete with a wire kit. thumbsup
 
Bduck said:
I found the LED's at Harbor Freight Tools on sale for $40.00. I was leary at first of picking them up because of substandard merchandise but these are the same style that was my trailer. Right now I'm glad I bought them & hope there are no regrets later. But anything is better than what I had on the trailer before. The lights come complete with a wire kit. thumbsup
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I fully understand your concerns about Harbor Freight merchandise, I have good luck and bad luck there, mostly bad......
 
dlm said:
I fully understand your concerns about Harbor Freight merchandise, I have good luck and bad luck there, mostly bad......
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As a mechanic, I know what to look for in a place like this. I've some bad things from there with it being bought as a one time use only. Thats only because it available, cheap in price, and didn't have to run all over town looking for something that might work. Sometimes I got surprised. For quality tools, I'll go to Sears, Mac Tools, or Snap-on Tools. One thing I did find was a neat little 2pk LED flaslights just right for the tackle box or even the boat. Regular $9.99 for $3.99 or $2.99 w/coupon. They are bright. But the batteries they come with won't last very long. Easy enough to change them.
 

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Yep, you have to be cautious buying stuff from Harbor Freight. I made the mistake of buying some zip ties there...they either break or won't tighten up. The heat gun I got there a couple years back just went in the garbage. I guess you get what you pay for...
 
Just finished up purchasing replacement marker LED lights for the boat trailer. I went around town looking specifically for submersible type but didn't find them. After talking to several sales reps, these lights are a sealed weather proof light so I'll take a chance to see if they hold up after being in water. When I launch I always unplug the trailers lights at the truck anyways. :D
 
Bduck said:
As a mechanic, I know what to look for in a place like this. I've some bad things from there with it being bought as a one time use only. Thats only because it available, cheap in price, and didn't have to run all over town looking for something that might work. Sometimes I got surprised. For quality tools, I'll go to Sears, Mac Tools, or Snap-on Tools. One thing I did find was a neat little 2pk LED flaslights just right for the tackle box or even the boat. Regular $9.99 for $3.99 or $2.99 w/coupon. They are bright. But the batteries they come with won't last very long. Easy enough to change them.
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bduck i bought a set of those flashlights 6 months ago and use them daily. as a mechanic i have to have reliable flashlights. they have done just as good as the $50 flashlights, im still on my first set of batteries in both lights, but will proply have to change them soon or buy another set that might be cheaper then new batteries. LOLlaugh hyst
 
Petty4life said:
bduck i bought a set of those flashlights 6 months ago and use them daily. as a mechanic i have to have reliable flashlights. they have done just as good as the $50 flashlights, im still on my first set of batteries in both lights, but will proply have to change them soon or buy another set that might be cheaper then new batteries. LOLlaugh hyst
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Petty, My set of batteries didn't last a weekend at the Gorge but when I refreshed them, they are still going today, and thats been 6 months now. Un fortunately we don't know how old those batteries are. But you are right about the flashlight, its better than spending $50.00 on a quality light.
 
I did a full trailer conversion, tail, side marker, fender, rear light bar to LED 2 years ago and have never regretted it. I was tired of dealing with the old standard bulbs in "sealed" units still flooding on the tail lights and dealing with side marker lights etc. The LED's are 5 times more visible and worth the extra money to help protect your investment, particularly when hauling in the dark. The rear tail lights I went with are from Peterson and can be found discounted on Amazon with this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Peterson-Mfg-..._1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1259639890&sr=8-1

Kevin
 
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id like to upgrade to led lights this year, i have ti back down a narrow alley to my garage and can use all the light i can get so i dont hit the house againlaugh hyst
 

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