Trailer Safety

[NYGiants]

I'm sure all of you are quite safe when towing but i thought that i would share my experiences. I tow with a 00 honda oddesey and tow a 19762500lb swing keel sailboat.
Story 1- Driving to CT from Trenton area NJ. Didn't lubricate bearings much and as i was driving about halfway there we smelt something burning. Pulling over we saw the axle was hanging on by a thread. Had to buy a whole new axle.
Lubricating Bearings mighta been a good idea heh.
Story 2. Towing the boat home from the finger lake region in NY didnt have the hitch properly pinned (my neighbor pinned it as we towed it home) the trailer popped off and the boat fell off on its side. Luckily no damage expect cosmetic.

Story 3. Driving to Keuka Lake from Trenton Area we didnt pin the hitch again and the boat popped off on the PA turnpike went across a lane of traffic and slammed into the center divider making a gash in the sailboat and messing up the trailer pretty bad. Took it to a machine shop and got it fixed up.

Story 4- not towing related but thought youd find this interesting
Had my boat at its mooring (btw its a 21') during a lightning storm it was struck by lightning (the boat next to it was 30' sailboat wtf?) the lightning ran down the mast fried the marine radio causing the homemade teak box to catch on fire. Luckily friends were returning from boating saw the fire went into the boat club got a fire extinguisher and put it out. Saved it from the firemen who wanted to chop with their axes and all. VERY VERRY sooty everything was black inside minus the cushions (previously white)
guess you could say this boat is cursed lol
PIN YOUR HITCH WHEN TOWING

 

[redone4x4]

Re: Trailer Safety

umm...where were the safety chains in story 2 and 3? My chains arent anywhere near long enough to let the boat jump over a lane or anything. Isn't it the law to tow with safety chains?

 

[NYGiants]

Re: Trailer Safety

the boat had chains on but was swinging erractically
and broke off the chains
the have since been replaced with welded safety cables
and the trailer had no brakes just big enough for a single axle no brake trailer

 

[redone4x4]

Re: Trailer Safety

thats just it. chains were too small then. if they had been appropriate for the application, would have saved alot of headache im sure. I think in some states its illegal to have "cables", I thought it had to be chains. I could be wrong on that though. I wanted to switch to cables but decided not to. all in all glad no one was hurt or anything.

I hear ya on the no brakes thing, my trailer is in the same situation but i dont want to make the huge jump up to surge brakes for such a small trailer.

 

[NYGiants]

Re: Trailer Safety

im honestly not sure because it was the fabrication shop that put them on for us i dont really tow the boat anymore since we have upgraded to a 33' boat

Its been 3 years since its last major trip and any maintnence. Im traveling to Lake Champlain this summer with it. What maintnence should i do?
3 years ago i
replaced the wheels and tires
repacked the bearings
and just had the trailer checked out in general at a trailer place

 

[redone4x4]

Re: Trailer Safety

pull the bearings and degrease and inspect for sure. has the trailer moved at all in 3 years? if the tires were sitting in the sun, check for dryrot and cracks on those too. are the leaf springs/hangers okay? You used to tow with it on a regular basis it sounds like, so its probably okay other than bearings and possibly cracked tires.

 

[NYGiants]

Re: Trailer Safety

the tires look fine
even though they have been sitting
and ill have to check on the springs