Post by white fish on Feb 6, 2008 4:35:25 GMT -1
Yep, I read the warning from the master mechanic's/5 BASS LIMIT's post on the "BOAT TRAILER MAINTENANCE" ( allatoonabass.proboards76.com/index.cgi?board=mechanic&action=display&thread=1199221437 ). And I totally agreed with the PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE approach. But, being mechanically challenged I didn't do anything thinking that my trailer is relatively new and it should be OK. Plus I didn’t have a clue when his article said “…repack bearings and hubs install new seals…”. Well, the wheel almost came off the other day. Luckily it didn't come off by the time I got home. I didn't see it till the boat got home. Anthony Hampton came to the rescue and it's now back in business again. Thanks Anthony. And I just want to share some info especially to those who might be mechanically challenged like me.
Fig. 1 is what it looked like when it almost came off. The bearing was totally broken and I could smell the burn all over the basement.
Fig. 2 is the picture of the other wheel which could easily be broken anytime. Look at the color of the lube; it has a dirty coffee color to it. And I had no clue that it was not a good thing! "That color indicated that the water got into it and eventually it got very hot and the bearing broke", said 5 BASS LIMIT (well, he said something to that effect anyway).
Fig. 3 is what it looks like after a brand new one is put in. I ended up replacing hubs and bearing on both side to be safe.
Fig. 4 is what it should look like after a trip or two to the lake after the new lube got put in. And it should then stay somewhat at this color for as long as there's no water leak!
Another good tip from Anthony is to touch the lube cover each trip to make sure it's not over heated (which will indicates that something is wrong).
I didn't want a tandem trailer 'cause I put the boat in my basement garage and I was told it would make tire marks when turn. Also that I would not be able to turn the trailer once unhooked. So I never bought a tandem one. All my previous boats/trailers also got single axel. This incident made me think twice about it if/when I buy the next one. Luckily this time the wheel didn’t come off and thus the damages were limited. If the wheel did come off it would have been a disaster (the trailer, the bottom of the boat, the engine, etc.). Something to think about (especially for those of us who are not mechanically inclined).
Fig. 1 is what it looked like when it almost came off. The bearing was totally broken and I could smell the burn all over the basement.
Fig. 2 is the picture of the other wheel which could easily be broken anytime. Look at the color of the lube; it has a dirty coffee color to it. And I had no clue that it was not a good thing! "That color indicated that the water got into it and eventually it got very hot and the bearing broke", said 5 BASS LIMIT (well, he said something to that effect anyway).
Fig. 3 is what it looks like after a brand new one is put in. I ended up replacing hubs and bearing on both side to be safe.
Fig. 4 is what it should look like after a trip or two to the lake after the new lube got put in. And it should then stay somewhat at this color for as long as there's no water leak!
Another good tip from Anthony is to touch the lube cover each trip to make sure it's not over heated (which will indicates that something is wrong).
I didn't want a tandem trailer 'cause I put the boat in my basement garage and I was told it would make tire marks when turn. Also that I would not be able to turn the trailer once unhooked. So I never bought a tandem one. All my previous boats/trailers also got single axel. This incident made me think twice about it if/when I buy the next one. Luckily this time the wheel didn’t come off and thus the damages were limited. If the wheel did come off it would have been a disaster (the trailer, the bottom of the boat, the engine, etc.). Something to think about (especially for those of us who are not mechanically inclined).
