Long distance trailering advice

Dwight Harley

Dwight Harley

Well-known member
-I've never hauled a boat more than 100 miles in one direction but I am looking at an 850 mile trip one way from Montana to Minnesota. The trailer has 4.80x12 wheels with Bearing Buddys. I have a spare. The trailer will be carrying a 150lb boat with maybe 200 lbs of stuff in it. I am going to have a local shop check the bearings before I take off. Any tips for the road?
 
I think the speed you travel with it will be a concern, If your pounding it down I -90 at 80mph they are going to get hot. I would pull for an hour or so and check them. If you have trailered it 100 miles before whatever you did then is how I wold pull it now. Wish I was closer that st up for 700 was a great deal.
 
I've been towing my boat down to Long Island and back each duck season (~300 miles one way). I grease the bearing buddies, check the tire pressures, minimize the gear in the boat (put it in the vehicle if possible), and I drive around 60 mph (slower on some of the bumpier NYC roads). I'll make one or two quick stops each way. When you do stop, feel the hubs to make sure they aren't hot.
 
I towed my sneakbox from Virginia to Washington State when I moved and I would just suggest checking to make sure all your straps, etc. are tight each time you stop to get gas. Additionally, for what it's worth, check the connections between your fenders and the trailer itself. They tend to be thin metal and all the flexing and jarring of heading down the road at high speed can cause a failure. I lost one in Kansas but thankfully it popped off as I was pulling into a rest stop with no one behind me and I was able to retrieve it.

Oh, and get someone to go with you, it makes the trip a lot more enjoyable and safer since you'll have someone to talk to when you get tired.
 
Dwight,
I will trailer my 16 footer to Manitoba and Ohio every season. I make sure to repack my bearing each year at the beginning of the season. its got similar sized tires/ bearing to you and its a lot more weight. If your bearing are in good shape and the grease is good you will be fine. I trailer at highway speeds for long portions of both of those trips. Like the others said get in the habit of touching the hubs at each stop though. We don't stop on those trips at all except for gas so its 400 miles before a stop. Your going to be just fine, just do like you said and have the bearings went through by a local shop if your not comfortable doing so.


All that said I am upgrading my trailer this year. Its just to light for my heavy boat and its long overdue.
 
I'm in the process of of redoing my bearings. Pull the wheels and check the color of the grease. If it is discolored, redo the seals and repack the bearings. Check the lugs and and have a good jack handy. Also make sure the spare is good.
I trailer alot. You shouldn't have any problems with a little planning and the suggestions for the other guys. Have fun.
 
I carry spare bearings and a seal in the tool box. Even if you don't know how to fix them yourself, any mechanic, farmer or local gearhead could help you fix them in a pinch...but depending on the degree of podunk town and what time or day of week you may or may not be able to get the parts right away.

Chuck
 
Be sure that your jack will compress low enough to get under the trailer axle and that you have a tire iron that fits the lug nuts on the trailer tires. Sometimes the jack and lug nut wrench that comes with your car will not work on the trailer. Also be sure the tire iron will loosen the nuts on the spare carrier...sometimes those studs are too long and the socket on the tire iron is too shallow. I've even experienced different sized nuts on the carrier than on the trailer wheels.

Hope you have a nice trip.
 
My average hunt trip is 50 miles each way. The longest tow i ever did with my duck boat was 2200 miles. I put new bearings in the hubs, fresh tires, made sure the lights work, and carried my trailer emergency box in the back of my truck. The kit consists of a hydraulic jack, 4-way lug wrench, spare loaded hubs { with bearings and grease} spare tire, miscelaneous tools, extra bearing grease, rags and hand cleaner, and of course a couple of big yellow ratchet straps. The ratchet straps will hold almost anything together in a pinch, kind of a poor mans welder. I have two setups for my two traillers which each have different size tires and bearings. I also cary one of those infra red heat senser guns so when I am drowsy from driving I know exactly how hot my tires and hubs are, not just guessing. On that long trip I started out real easy, a I gained confidence and saw that my tires and bearings were not going to go up in smoke I eventually ran with traffic at 75 or so for the rest of the trip. My road kit sounds like a bit of an over Kill but I have seen lo many broke down trailers on the interstate that I promised mself I would never be helplessly stranded like so many of those poor souls. Rich
 
I also cary one of those infra red heat senser guns so when I am drowsy from driving I know exactly how hot my tires and hubs are, not just guessing.
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Just curious, what sort of temps are you reading off of your tires and hubs on long trips?
 
Trailer tires list a max pressure (4.8x12 its like 60#) but I can never find a "normal" pressure for trailers. I've asked at boat shops before and have never gotten a straight answer.
So, if you have a 1500# capacity trailer with 4.8x12 tires, loaded with a boat that has a max load of 850#'s, what pressure would you run your tires at?
I normally put in 45#.
 
Thanks all for your comments and suggestions. I do have a jack and a lug wrench that will fit the nuts on the trailer wheels. That one should seem obvious but I heard about a guy whose vehicle wrench didn't fit his trailer lug nuts when he went to change a trailer tire on the interstate. I checked mine and it didn't fit either so I bought another wrench.
 
Carl I dont remember exact temperatures, but I can say very definitely that there was quite a differecce between night and mid day temperatures in the tires. the wheel bearings remained relatively the same day and night. What I was looking for was a sudden change in temperature which would hopefully reveal a problem before it turned into one! Rich
 
A really good tool to carry is one of the trailer jacks that you wedge under the trailer axle and then back up to raise the trailer. I have one and only used it once but made me a serious believer. A bit spendy until you need it. All other tips are great especially checking the hubs every gas stop. Good luck on your move to God's country. (couldn't resist)
 
I trailer my and 3 or 4 buddies hunting gear from Ohio to ND each fall. 1200 miles one way. And another 1000 or so miles there hunting and then the 1200 back home. Done this for 9 years now. My first set of tires lasted three trips and they were wore out. When I purchased new ones, I have the mechanic check and repack my bearings. He said all was well. Seals were good. I have grease thru bearings and pump new grease into them each fall. And a few pumps in before I head home each trip. Not too many pumps, just enough so you see old grease come out. Don't want to damage the seals. My new tires I had balanced. Just like a car. They have over 15000 miles on them and they still look new. Just an FYI about balancing your tires. Sure helped me. Best of luck.
 
Dwight,
You should be just fine...as long as you've checked through everything.
I've got a trailer with those same wheels on it and hauled 2 boats (Brant II & Whistler) on that trailer from Michigan to Massachusetts one year with no trouble. Another time I ran the same trailer with 2 scullers on it to Maine for Lobsterfest. No problems............until I hit Toledo, though Toledo was not the cause of the problems thought the roads there might have added to the problem.
The leaf springs were old and I snapped the rear leaf on the left side of the trailer. I made it back home (1.5 hr drive) with no trouble. Fortunately, it was the leaf behind the axle that snapped instead of the leaf in front of the axle.
So...check your springs and shackles also. ;)
Lou
 
I know a trailer shop where the guy said he would give it a look over and make sure everything was good to go. I guess for every trailer you see broken down on the interstate with burnt bearings there are hundreds of trailers that passed that guy with no problems
 
I know a trailer shop where the guy said he would give it a look over and make sure everything was good to go. I guess for every trailer you see broken down on the interstate with burnt bearings there are hundreds of trailers that passed that guy with no problems
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You got it. A buddy and I were heading down to the Pte. Mouillee Show and had to stop for my buddy to make a phone call (before cell phones). While he was talking, I was watching traffic on Telegraph (large road) and saw a fella driving a red pickup truck and he looked to his left as his trailer came up alongside of him. It was a great "double take" when he realized it was HIS trailer that caught up to him. ;)
Lou
 
I hauled my MLB Chuck Huff with a Grumman Sport Boat on top from Upstate NY to Western Wisconsin near the MN boarder at I-94. My trailer was only a year old however I still made sure the cold tire pressure was correct, verified the lug nuts were tight, and jacked the wheels off the ground and gave a spin while adding grease. I will caution you...if you have a rubber cap like those found on E-Z lube hubs, use something other than your finger to wipe the excess grease away....razor sharp and will cut you good. I checked the hubs at every gas stop....warm,..... but not egg frying hot. I had a spare set of bearings, the grease gun and a can of wheel bearing grease should I have had to pac a new set of bearings. Made it with no issues.

Are you moving to MN? Selling the boat there? If you're moving there, hit me up, we can sneak box hunt the rivers.

Good luck and Safe Travels,
Ron
 
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