Picture this, the fish are biting, there’s no wind, the tides right and you have gotten up early to seize the day, all you want to do is get your boat in the water right?
Well before you rush out the door, take a moment to ask yourself, “when did I last check over my trailer?”
Have you considered that you could be one step away from trailer DANGER?
It doesn’t matter if you live 5 min or 5 hours from the boat ramp, if something happens with your trailer on the way there it’s not only going to be embarrassing, it could well be dangerous for you and other road users.
Trailers are often one of the most neglected parts of the whole boating experience but one of the most necessary and important parts.
Over the years iv’e worked on heaps of trailers for all sorts of boats big and small and iv’e lost count of the number of them that have rolled into the shop and have had destroyed wheel bearings, frames rusted through, broken springs, bald tyres etc…
I had one boat and trailer arrive, where when I went to jack up the trailer to inspect the wheel bearings, the wheels just fell off!
Now the owner either did not know how bad the trailer was or decided to ignore the issue, making them a hazard not only to themselves but other road users.
This was of course an extreme example but what i’m trying to get at here is that most trailer issues can be picked up early by a quick inspection at home with minimal tools, by checking some key components.
1 – General all over visual check.
2 – Wheel and tyre check.
3 – Checking tow connections.
4 – Lights check.
5 – Brake check.
6 – Proactive towing.
One thing to keep in mind before I get into the check list is that the marine environment is a harsh one when it comes to mechanical components made from metals like bearings and brakes, even the wires for your electric lights will corrode over time.
Whether its saltwater or freshwater, corrosion is still a real problem and regular checks are a must to keep your trailer in good shape.
There are two main things that iv’e found destroy trailers the most and they are Corrosion and Heat.
Corrosion
Corrosion is basically the chemical reaction between water and a metal and can lock up brakes, destroy wheel bearings, eat through a trailers frame, wick through electrical cabling stopping any electrics from working.
Heat
Heat is the kind of extreme heat caused by too much friction like tight bearings or dragging brakes and can cause bearing failure, brake fade and/or failure, blown tyres.
Now its not all doom and gloom when it comes to trailers there are things you can do to improve their longevity.
Iv’e found in my experience that the guys that use their boats (and trailers) regularly seem to have less dramas and the reason for this I believe is that, one they are washing them more often preventing the corrosion from taking hold and two the moving components on the trailer aren’t sitting long enough for corrosion to cause an issue.
I know not everyone can be so lucky to have the time to go boating every day or even every weekend so this is why I put together this check list to give you the opportunity to inspect the health of your own trailer and be able to identify any possible issues before they become a problem.
Hopefully saving you time and money in the long run.
1 – General all over visual check.
Have walk around your trailer paying close attention to cross members, skids/rollers, nuts/bolts and springs.
you are looking for any excessive rust, loose nuts/bolts, bent components, broken parts etc…
You want to be keeping an eye out for anything that looks unsafe.
2 – Wheel and tyre check.
Check your tyre pressures, tread depth and tyre side walls for cracking.
Old tyres that have been sitting for a long time can start cracking and once they do its only a mater of time before they pop.
Another good check is to give your wheels a good wiggle, I mean really get into it, you want to see how much play (wiggle) you have in your wheel bearings.
A small amount is perfect, ideally you don’t want no play and like wise a massive amount of play is a sign of something wrong with the bearings.
3 – Checking tow connections.
Check your hitch and chains, is your coupling adjusted properly?
Do you have rated shackles on your chains?
Are the chains or coupling rusty or seized?
4 – Lights check.
Check your lights, back your tow vehicle up to the trailer plug in and try all the lights, you may need a helper for this.
5 – Brake check.
Now that you have the trailer connected to the vehicle activate your brakes.
If you have electric brakes can you hear the motor load up at the trailer?
If you have mechanical brakes move the car back and forth a few times, you should be able to feel if the brakes are working properly.
6 – Proactive towing.
OK so by now you should have a good over view of how healthy your trailer is and if you are happy with all your checks there should be nothing stopping you from hitting the road and getting down to the ramp.
Now this is great but a word of advice expect the unexpected, even though everything checked out good with the above tests at home it is good practice to keep an eye and ear out while travelling to your destination, what I mean by this is check your mirrors from time to time can you see any smoke? or hear any funny noises?
Wrapping up
By doing these pre checks and being proactive while towing you are going to keep yourself ahead of the game and will know if something needs to be fixed well before it becomes a problem.
This checklist is what I consider a very basic bare minimum list of checks, I would strongly recommend jacking up your wheels and having a more thorough check of your bearings and brakes from time to time.
If you travel long distances or don’t use your trailer very often, I highly recommend jacking up your trailer and have a more thorough inspection.
Keeping your vessel in top shape doesn’t have to be difficult. Explore The Everyday Captain for more, actionable advice, step-by-step guides, and helpful resources designed to keep you safe, save you money, and make boating more enjoyable. Whether you’re tackling a repair, improving maintenance, or just learning the basics, The Everyday Captain has you covered.
