Rick Sergeant
Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2001
- Messages
- 5
- Reaction score
- 0
My son-in-law and I had an educational experience trailering (bunks, single axle, no brakes) our boat last week. After loading the boat (Targa 17) and pulling off the ramp to prepare for departure we realized the boat was not level (down a couple of inches on the port side). We considered refloating the boat but since there was so much activity at the launch ramp it was decided to just secure it for travel (snug to the bow roller, buckle buddies, etc.) and head home. Near home we encountered a panic stop situation during which we heard a relatively loud thunk from behind. Soon thereafter my son-in-law noticed the trailer "did not feel right" and the boat was now sitting level. We babied the rig home where we discovered the starboard side tire at an irregular angle and wobbling on the spindle. When we removed the wheel and hub assembly it was obvious the rear bearing had come apart. Since the hubs had been recently serviced and the bearings had not seized we think the torque generated by the boat settling in the bunks during the panic stop broke the rear bearing. We have learned a number of lessons from this experience:
1. make sure the boat is level before hitting the road.
2. we did not have enough equipment in our emergency trailer bag
things we had -
grease gun
extra grease
pliers
hammer
extra set of bearings
paper towels
duct tape
bungee cords
additional things we now have -
spare pre greased hub and bearing assembly
chisel
hand file (fine) and/or Emory cloth
channel lock pliers
extra lug nuts
extra cotter pins
extra dust cap
short (5") piece of PVC
hand cleaner (ie. gojo)
3. be prepared to do anything in your power to get the wheel back on the trailer
because if you can't drive into the repair shop it is next to impossible (at least
in Lexington, Kentucky) to get road service
sarge
1. make sure the boat is level before hitting the road.
2. we did not have enough equipment in our emergency trailer bag
things we had -
grease gun
extra grease
pliers
hammer
extra set of bearings
paper towels
duct tape
bungee cords
additional things we now have -
spare pre greased hub and bearing assembly
chisel
hand file (fine) and/or Emory cloth
channel lock pliers
extra lug nuts
extra cotter pins
extra dust cap
short (5") piece of PVC
hand cleaner (ie. gojo)
3. be prepared to do anything in your power to get the wheel back on the trailer
because if you can't drive into the repair shop it is next to impossible (at least
in Lexington, Kentucky) to get road service
sarge