I am have my first trailered boat; before now my boats were small enough to
just store upside down on the dock for the winter.

Someone told me it I should put the back up on blocks to take the load off
the tires, so I have done that. How about the front. Must that be propped
up also, or is the crank thing okay?

The guy I bought it from lubed everything last April. The trailer has only
been in the water twice since then. Does it need any maintenance?

Thanks much

"Toller" wrote in message
...
I am have my first trailered boat; before now my boats were small enough to
just store upside down on the dock for the winter.

Someone told me it I should put the back up on blocks to take the load off
the tires, so I have done that. How about the front. Must that be
propped up also, or is the crank thing okay?

The guy I bought it from lubed everything last April. The trailer has
only been in the water twice since then. Does it need any maintenance?

Thanks much


- Did the previous owner tell you anything about the wheel bearings? Do you
see something like this in the centers of your wheels?
http://www.bearingbuddy.com/ Or, do you just see a metal cap?

- Before it's too cold to work outdoors without gloves, take a good look at
all wire junctions. Make sure all splices look clean, not corroded. If
they're made with electrical tape over soldered wire joints, that's sloppy
and they should be replaced with crimped connections covered with heat
shrink tubing.

- Spare ti Got one? Is it secured to the trailer with a cable lock or
some other method?

- Check all trailer hardware for tightness. Make a list of the tools you
need to tighten these things, and buy a dedicated set of tools that will
live in the tow vehicle. Boats & trailers only have problems when you're
away from home. Don't buy cheap tools, figuring that you're not likely to
need them. When you're on the side of a highway in the pouring rain, cheap
tools won't make you happy.

- Check all the boat wiring (lights, etc.) now, same as you did for the
trailer. Tape & solder joints are for slobs. Only crimps & heat shrink
tubing are allowed in this universe, for boats & other toys that live
outdoors.

- Did the previous owner tell you anything about the wheel bearings? Do
you see something like this in the centers of your wheels?
http://www.bearingbuddy.com/ Or, do you just see a metal cap?

There is a plastic cover over them. Is that adequate since it is exposed to
water so little?

- Before it's too cold to work outdoors without gloves, take a good look
at all wire junctions. Make sure all splices look clean, not corroded. If
they're made with electrical tape over soldered wire joints, that's sloppy
and they should be replaced with crimped connections covered with heat
shrink tubing.

Yeah, they are all covered with electrical tape that is falling off; expect
the connections are pretty bad underneath also. Wouldn't soldered joints
covered with shrink be okay? I did that for my invisible fence 15 years ago
and they are still okay. But it is probably easier to crimp them anyhow if
that is better.

- Spare ti Got one? Is it secured to the trailer with a cable lock or
some other method?

That's funny actually. Before pulling the boat out I checked and found the
spare was flat. Fortunately it held pressure okay; but the bigger problem
was that it was locked on and I didn't have the key! When I put the boat in
I didn't have the key either, and the tire was probably flat then also; good
thing I didn't need it. Came off in 2 seconds with an angle grinder.

What about propping the front up?!

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
Spare ti Got one? Is it secured to the trailer with a cable lock or
some other method?

One of the things I look for when shopping for a trailer are trailer
wheels with the same bolt pattern as my tow vehicle. I don't always
find one but a prospective trailer gets extra points when I do,

Rick

Prop up the front too. Be sure to remove the transom drain plug and that the
boat is tilted enough to drain any water that gets into it.

wrote in message
...
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
Spare ti Got one? Is it secured to the trailer with a cable lock or
some other method?

One of the things I look for when shopping for a trailer are trailer
wheels with the same bolt pattern as my tow vehicle. I don't always
find one but a prospective trailer gets extra points when I do,

Rick

"Toller" wrote in message
...


- Did the previous owner tell you anything about the wheel bearings? Do
you see something like this in the centers of your wheels?
http://www.bearingbuddy.com/ Or, do you just see a metal cap?

There is a plastic cover over them. Is that adequate since it is exposed
to water so little?

Unless you're talking about the soft plastic cover that can cover Bearing
Buddies, I honestly don't know. Are you sure there's not a metal cover under
the plastic thing? Plastic seems like a weak option in a place that could
brush against a curb.

If the original owner didn't mention when he last repacked or replaced the
bearings, it's probably worthwhile to get it done so you've got a starting
point for a maintenance schedule.



- Before it's too cold to work outdoors without gloves, take a good look
at all wire junctions. Make sure all splices look clean, not corroded. If
they're made with electrical tape over soldered wire joints, that's
sloppy and they should be replaced with crimped connections covered with
heat shrink tubing.

Yeah, they are all covered with electrical tape that is falling off;
expect the connections are pretty bad underneath also. Wouldn't soldered
joints covered with shrink be okay? I did that for my invisible fence 15
years ago and they are still okay. But it is probably easier to crimp
them anyhow if that is better.

Solder + shrink tubing isn't too bad, as long as you check the joint for
sharp edges that might puncture the shrink tubing, and file or clip them.
Crimps are easier, but you should use a properly designed tool, and they not
so easy to find. The jaws on most tools don't shape the crimp correctly as
it squeezes them, because the jaws are almost flat, with slight curves
carved into them. That's useless. At this links below, check out the tool,
and click on the picture for a closer look at what the jaws should look
like:

http://www.panduit.com/search/produc...2D1570&Ntk=All

or:

http://tinyurl.com/3dmk8f



- Spare ti Got one? Is it secured to the trailer with a cable lock or
some other method?

That's funny actually. Before pulling the boat out I checked and found
the spare was flat. Fortunately it held pressure okay; but the bigger
problem was that it was locked on and I didn't have the key! When I put
the boat in I didn't have the key either, and the tire was probably flat
then also; good thing I didn't need it. Came off in 2 seconds with an
angle grinder.

What about propping the front up?!

Someone else chimed in on that last question.

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
"Toller" wrote in message
...
- Did the previous owner tell you anything about the wheel bearings? Do
you see something like this in the centers of your wheels?
http://www.bearingbuddy.com/ Or, do you just see a metal cap?

There is a plastic cover over them. Is that adequate since it is exposed
to water so little?

Unless you're talking about the soft plastic cover that can cover Bearing
Buddies, I honestly don't know. Are you sure there's not a metal cover under
the plastic thing? Plastic seems like a weak option in a place that could
brush against a curb.

If the original owner didn't mention when he last repacked or replaced the
bearings, it's probably worthwhile to get it done so you've got a starting
point for a maintenance schedule.



- Before it's too cold to work outdoors without gloves, take a good look
at all wire junctions. Make sure all splices look clean, not corroded. If
they're made with electrical tape over soldered wire joints, that's
sloppy and they should be replaced with crimped connections covered with
heat shrink tubing.

Yeah, they are all covered with electrical tape that is falling off;
expect the connections are pretty bad underneath also. Wouldn't soldered
joints covered with shrink be okay? I did that for my invisible fence 15
years ago and they are still okay. But it is probably easier to crimp
them anyhow if that is better.

Solder + shrink tubing isn't too bad, as long as you check the joint for
sharp edges that might puncture the shrink tubing, and file or clip them.
Crimps are easier, but you should use a properly designed tool, and they not
so easy to find. The jaws on most tools don't shape the crimp correctly as
it squeezes them, because the jaws are almost flat, with slight curves
carved into them. That's useless. At this links below, check out the tool,
and click on the picture for a closer look at what the jaws should look
like:

http://www.panduit.com/search/produc...2D1570&Ntk=All

or:

http://tinyurl.com/3dmk8f



- Spare ti Got one? Is it secured to the trailer with a cable lock or
some other method?

That's funny actually. Before pulling the boat out I checked and found
the spare was flat. Fortunately it held pressure okay; but the bigger
problem was that it was locked on and I didn't have the key! When I put
the boat in I didn't have the key either, and the tire was probably flat
then also; good thing I didn't need it. Came off in 2 seconds with an
angle grinder.

What about propping the front up?!

Someone else chimed in on that last question.




I've never propped up any of my boat trailers so the tires are off the
ground. The trailer is designed so that the weight is borne by the the
suspension and tires, and I doubt whether the tires "know" whether they
have been sitting for two weeks or three months. I make sure the
bearings are properly packed before storage, and that the tires are
properly inflated, and that's it for the trailer.

Once the boat and engine are winterized and the batteries are removed, I
have the boat shrinkwrapped.

I do check on the boat every month. With the rig on its own wheels, if I
have to move it for some reason, it's no big deal to do so.

HK wrote:
JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
"Toller" wrote in message
...
- Did the previous owner tell you anything about the wheel bearings?
Do you see something like this in the centers of your wheels?
http://www.bearingbuddy.com/ Or, do you just see a metal cap?

There is a plastic cover over them. Is that adequate since it is
exposed to water so little?

Unless you're talking about the soft plastic cover that can cover
Bearing Buddies, I honestly don't know. Are you sure there's not a
metal cover under the plastic thing? Plastic seems like a weak option
in a place that could brush against a curb.

If the original owner didn't mention when he last repacked or replaced
the bearings, it's probably worthwhile to get it done so you've got a
starting point for a maintenance schedule.



- Before it's too cold to work outdoors without gloves, take a good
look at all wire junctions. Make sure all splices look clean, not
corroded. If they're made with electrical tape over soldered wire
joints, that's sloppy and they should be replaced with crimped
connections covered with heat shrink tubing.

Yeah, they are all covered with electrical tape that is falling off;
expect the connections are pretty bad underneath also. Wouldn't
soldered joints covered with shrink be okay? I did that for my
invisible fence 15 years ago and they are still okay. But it is
probably easier to crimp them anyhow if that is better.

Solder + shrink tubing isn't too bad, as long as you check the joint
for sharp edges that might puncture the shrink tubing, and file or
clip them. Crimps are easier, but you should use a properly designed
tool, and they not so easy to find. The jaws on most tools don't shape
the crimp correctly as it squeezes them, because the jaws are almost
flat, with slight curves carved into them. That's useless. At this
links below, check out the tool, and click on the picture for a closer
look at what the jaws should look like:

http://www.panduit.com/search/produc...2D1570&Ntk=All


or:

http://tinyurl.com/3dmk8f



- Spare ti Got one? Is it secured to the trailer with a cable
lock or some other method?

That's funny actually. Before pulling the boat out I checked and
found the spare was flat. Fortunately it held pressure okay; but the
bigger problem was that it was locked on and I didn't have the key!
When I put the boat in I didn't have the key either, and the tire was
probably flat then also; good thing I didn't need it. Came off in 2
seconds with an angle grinder.

What about propping the front up?!

Someone else chimed in on that last question.



I've never propped up any of my boat trailers so the tires are off the
ground. The trailer is designed so that the weight is borne by the the
suspension and tires, and I doubt whether the tires "know" whether they
have been sitting for two weeks or three months. I make sure the
bearings are properly packed before storage, and that the tires are
properly inflated, and that's it for the trailer.

Once the boat and engine are winterized and the batteries are removed, I
have the boat shrinkwrapped.

I do check on the boat every month. With the rig on its own wheels, if I
have to move it for some reason, it's no big deal to do so.

Harry,

When I had a runabout, and kept the boat stored on the trailer, I ALWAYS
kept the trailer propped up using trailer jacks. The reason I did, was
my father (a mechanic engineer) told me to do it. He was emphatic that
the weight of the tires sitting on one section of the tire over the
winter, would cause the tire to become permanently unbalanced (I think
he said a "flat spot". He also said the tires would crack prematurely,
where they sat on the ground. I also (based upon his recommendations)
made sure the tires were covered with a tarp to make sure they did not
dry rot from UV degradation. Both were very easy to do and took less
than 5 minutes.

Now was he correct, heck, I don't know, but the tires were over 20 yrs
old when I sold the boat and trailer.

Reginald P. Smithers III wrote:
HK wrote:
JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
"Toller" wrote in message
...
- Did the previous owner tell you anything about the wheel
bearings? Do you see something like this in the centers of your
wheels?
http://www.bearingbuddy.com/ Or, do you just see a metal cap?

There is a plastic cover over them. Is that adequate since it is
exposed to water so little?

Unless you're talking about the soft plastic cover that can cover
Bearing Buddies, I honestly don't know. Are you sure there's not a
metal cover under the plastic thing? Plastic seems like a weak option
in a place that could brush against a curb.

If the original owner didn't mention when he last repacked or
replaced the bearings, it's probably worthwhile to get it done so
you've got a starting point for a maintenance schedule.



- Before it's too cold to work outdoors without gloves, take a good
look at all wire junctions. Make sure all splices look clean, not
corroded. If they're made with electrical tape over soldered wire
joints, that's sloppy and they should be replaced with crimped
connections covered with heat shrink tubing.

Yeah, they are all covered with electrical tape that is falling off;
expect the connections are pretty bad underneath also. Wouldn't
soldered joints covered with shrink be okay? I did that for my
invisible fence 15 years ago and they are still okay. But it is
probably easier to crimp them anyhow if that is better.

Solder + shrink tubing isn't too bad, as long as you check the joint
for sharp edges that might puncture the shrink tubing, and file or
clip them. Crimps are easier, but you should use a properly designed
tool, and they not so easy to find. The jaws on most tools don't
shape the crimp correctly as it squeezes them, because the jaws are
almost flat, with slight curves carved into them. That's useless. At
this links below, check out the tool, and click on the picture for a
closer look at what the jaws should look like:

http://www.panduit.com/search/produc...2D1570&Ntk=All


or:

http://tinyurl.com/3dmk8f



- Spare ti Got one? Is it secured to the trailer with a cable
lock or some other method?

That's funny actually. Before pulling the boat out I checked and
found the spare was flat. Fortunately it held pressure okay; but
the bigger problem was that it was locked on and I didn't have the
key! When I put the boat in I didn't have the key either, and the
tire was probably flat then also; good thing I didn't need it. Came
off in 2 seconds with an angle grinder.

What about propping the front up?!

Someone else chimed in on that last question.



I've never propped up any of my boat trailers so the tires are off the
ground. The trailer is designed so that the weight is borne by the the
suspension and tires, and I doubt whether the tires "know" whether
they have been sitting for two weeks or three months. I make sure the
bearings are properly packed before storage, and that the tires are
properly inflated, and that's it for the trailer.

Once the boat and engine are winterized and the batteries are removed,
I have the boat shrinkwrapped.

I do check on the boat every month. With the rig on its own wheels, if
I have to move it for some reason, it's no big deal to do so.

Harry,

When I had a runabout, and kept the boat stored on the trailer, I ALWAYS
kept the trailer propped up using trailer jacks. The reason I did, was
my father (a mechanic engineer) told me to do it. He was emphatic that
the weight of the tires sitting on one section of the tire over the
winter, would cause the tire to become permanently unbalanced (I think
he said a "flat spot". He also said the tires would crack prematurely,
where they sat on the ground. I also (based upon his recommendations)
made sure the tires were covered with a tarp to make sure they did not
dry rot from UV degradation. Both were very easy to do and took less
than 5 minutes.

Now was he correct, heck, I don't know, but the tires were over 20 yrs
old when I sold the boat and trailer.


Yes, I'm sure that all the cars sitting in dealer storage lots for three
or four months are propped up on frame jacks so their tires don't
develop flat spots. So are all the new RVs and travel trailers at the
distribution centers. And of course, the 150 boats that my dealer stores
on trailers over the winter, they're all stored on blocks and jacks, too.

HK wrote:
Reginald P. Smithers III wrote:
HK wrote:
JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
"Toller" wrote in message
...
- Did the previous owner tell you anything about the wheel
bearings? Do you see something like this in the centers of your
wheels?
http://www.bearingbuddy.com/ Or, do you just see a metal cap?

There is a plastic cover over them. Is that adequate since it is
exposed to water so little?

Unless you're talking about the soft plastic cover that can cover
Bearing Buddies, I honestly don't know. Are you sure there's not a
metal cover under the plastic thing? Plastic seems like a weak
option in a place that could brush against a curb.

If the original owner didn't mention when he last repacked or
replaced the bearings, it's probably worthwhile to get it done so
you've got a starting point for a maintenance schedule.



- Before it's too cold to work outdoors without gloves, take a
good look at all wire junctions. Make sure all splices look clean,
not corroded. If they're made with electrical tape over soldered
wire joints, that's sloppy and they should be replaced with
crimped connections covered with heat shrink tubing.

Yeah, they are all covered with electrical tape that is falling
off; expect the connections are pretty bad underneath also.
Wouldn't soldered joints covered with shrink be okay? I did that
for my invisible fence 15 years ago and they are still okay. But
it is probably easier to crimp them anyhow if that is better.

Solder + shrink tubing isn't too bad, as long as you check the joint
for sharp edges that might puncture the shrink tubing, and file or
clip them. Crimps are easier, but you should use a properly designed
tool, and they not so easy to find. The jaws on most tools don't
shape the crimp correctly as it squeezes them, because the jaws are
almost flat, with slight curves carved into them. That's useless. At
this links below, check out the tool, and click on the picture for a
closer look at what the jaws should look like:

http://www.panduit.com/search/produc...2D1570&Ntk=All


or:

http://tinyurl.com/3dmk8f



- Spare ti Got one? Is it secured to the trailer with a cable
lock or some other method?

That's funny actually. Before pulling the boat out I checked and
found the spare was flat. Fortunately it held pressure okay; but
the bigger problem was that it was locked on and I didn't have the
key! When I put the boat in I didn't have the key either, and the
tire was probably flat then also; good thing I didn't need it.
Came off in 2 seconds with an angle grinder.

What about propping the front up?!

Someone else chimed in on that last question.



I've never propped up any of my boat trailers so the tires are off
the ground. The trailer is designed so that the weight is borne by
the the suspension and tires, and I doubt whether the tires "know"
whether they have been sitting for two weeks or three months. I make
sure the bearings are properly packed before storage, and that the
tires are properly inflated, and that's it for the trailer.

Once the boat and engine are winterized and the batteries are
removed, I have the boat shrinkwrapped.

I do check on the boat every month. With the rig on its own wheels,
if I have to move it for some reason, it's no big deal to do so.

Harry,

When I had a runabout, and kept the boat stored on the trailer, I
ALWAYS kept the trailer propped up using trailer jacks. The reason I
did, was my father (a mechanic engineer) told me to do it. He was
emphatic that the weight of the tires sitting on one section of the
tire over the winter, would cause the tire to become permanently
unbalanced (I think he said a "flat spot". He also said the tires
would crack prematurely, where they sat on the ground. I also (based
upon his recommendations) made sure the tires were covered with a tarp
to make sure they did not dry rot from UV degradation. Both were very
easy to do and took less than 5 minutes.

Now was he correct, heck, I don't know, but the tires were over 20 yrs
old when I sold the boat and trailer.


Yes, I'm sure that all the cars sitting in dealer storage lots for three
or four months are propped up on frame jacks so their tires don't
develop flat spots. So are all the new RVs and travel trailers at the
distribution centers. And of course, the 150 boats that my dealer stores
on trailers over the winter, they're all stored on blocks and jacks, too.

Harry,

As I said, he could be wrong, but I was purchasing his boat and it was
in perfect condition so I followed his maintenance recommendations and
procedure. I not only jacked the tires off the ground, but also put a
jack under the tongue so the adjustable trailer jack was not supporting
the weight.