Trailer maintenance

[dominator]

Hey folks, need some advice on how to maintain my trailer. My boat is stored indoors on the rack and I have valet launch. The only time I used the trailer was when I bought the boat and towed it to marina (3 years ago). The poor trailer is just sitting in the field year around. I have been trying to maintain it to keep it alive, but now wondering if I am doing enough. I give it a wash, spray with anti corrosion spray, and inflate tires twice a year, and bled the brakes this spring. I do have some questions:

• If trailer is not used, how important is it to grease the bearings every year? Can this be done right before I actually tow my boat again?
• I took bearing buddy caps off (see the picture), but not sure what to do next. Do I just connect the grease gun to that "nipple" thing in the middle and add grease?
• I noticed flat spots on two of my tires (see the picture), is the tire still good to use or should I replace it?
• What else can I do to extend the life of my trailer?

[bturner]

Everyone will have their own take on this so theses would be my thoughts....

Bearings
Grease will break down over years but if all you're doing is very short trips a year I would just hit the bearings with a few pumps of grease to purge any crusty grease or grease that is breaking down out. Then clean up and call it a day. If you decide to take a long trip I would break them down, replace the rear seals with high quality double lip seals and pack the bearing with marine rated grease.

Brakes
This is where people screw up IMO. Brake fluid will absorb moisture which in turn will corrode the internals of the brake system. I flush mine every 2 years using a Motive Bleeder (https://www.motiveproducts.com/colle...and-extractors). This makes doing this job a one man project. With the boat off the trailer I can do the trailer in about 30 minutes.

Every 4 years or before taking a long trip I'll pull the calipers off and grease the slides. This again is an easy job with the boat off the trailer and will take about 45 minutes to do if you're new or taking your time with this project.

I also check all the brake line runs to ensure all the clamps are still in place and the lines are not chaffing. The last couple trailers I had used pop riveted, cheap plastic wire clamps to hold the break line runs between the hubs on the axles. After about 4 years these all started to break leaving the lines rattling against the axles. Once I saw these starting to fail I replaced them with stainless steel cushion clamps and used self tapping stainless steel screws to replace the garbage that was on there. these are not the right size but you'll get the picture as to what they look like.....

https://www.amazon.com/Ancor-Marine-.../dp/B000PM1FUW

Frame/fenders
I wash and wax the trailer once a year with a Collinite Insulator Wax (https://www.collinite.com/product/no-845-insulator-wax/). I use this because it's liquid which makes it easy to quickly apply, it doesn't turn white which makes it look better if you miss removing a sport or the wax gets caught in a crevasse. It's also very durable and lasts a long time. I'll also take this time to touch up and significant chips or scratches. I purposelessly bought a black trailer after owning blue, red, white and cream trailer that were a PITA to try and match.This is another job that is best done with the boat off the trailer.

General lubrication
At the end of the season I'll walk the trailer looking for rust or any moving parts that look dry or in need of lubrication. The dolly wheel is a place that tends to get neglected so that's where I start. I'll use fogging oil on the winch and any ratchets like the boat buckles. I stay away from oils like WD40 as I'm not trying to break anything free and these oils tend to dissipate quickly.

Tires
4 seasons on tires regardless of appearance. I do a 2 hour pull twice a year to store/retrieve the boat. I'm not getting stuck on the side of the highway for a couple hundred bucks.

Wiring
Wiring is pretty solid these days unless something self inflected occurs. The new LED lights are near bullet proof and a good trailer is going to come will any splices either sealed with heat shrink butt connectors or tubing. If yours isn't you may want to consider tuning up any questionable connections and switching over to LEDs to avoid problems.

That's pretty much my whole program.

[dominator]

Thank you for detailed write up. I also use Motive Bleeder, it's an awesome device with lots of adapters available. Just to confirm, you think tires should be changed every 4 seasons regardless of use and appearance?

[azeus17]

If the boat on the rack year round, I'd just keep what you are doing. Shoot a little grease in the hubs every now and then. I would not touch the tires unless you plan to use the trailer...the new ones will go bad just sitting there. If you can cover the tires to block the UV, that would be good. If you could block up the trailer to get all the weight off the tires, that would be great too.

[bturner]

Fro me and my use I replace every 4 years. If I were just pulling down the block or a couple miles to the launch ramp..... probably not. I know a guy with 12 YO tires with no plans to change them but then again he's 3 miles to a ramp twice a year. Never goes anywhere with it.

[biacs]

So tires rot from the inside as well as separation from aging. Covering them and lifting them off the ground may help a little bit but overall the material just dries out for trailer tires. Expected lifespan is five years.

But the others are spot on, if you travel anywhere with it -the cost/ risk of a flat tire on the expressway is higher than just replacing the tires on a regular basis.

No harm no foul but certainly do a sanity check is 500 bucks a good investment if you plan to take it anywhere beyond maybe your local town.

I noticed mine were wobbling from separating- oops 10 yr old date code on some of them!


2006 SANTE - Bull in a China Shop - Central IL