Why do my wheels lock on a Trail Star tandem axle boat trailer?

[Mike K 105]

I bought a new Tracker V175 boat April 2023. I upgraded the trailer to the tandem axle with 4 wheels. The trailer works well in all aspects except one. When I remove it from my truck, and use a trailer dolly to back it into my garage, it moves freely straight backward. It just won't turn without locking the brakes.

When I attempt to move the tongue sideways to turn slightly, the wheels lock up so turning is impossible. Even a slight angle on the dolly direction can lock the wheels.

Here is what I do:
1. I install the override pin into the hole on the trailer hitch area to prevent the internal brake piston from being compressed.
2. The electrical plug is disconnected from the truck socket.
3. The swing away pin remains in the trailer so the wiring is not disrupted.
4. The clasp handle that locks the ball into the socket on the hitch is in the locked position after engaging the ball mounted on the two wheeled dolly.
5. I press the safety cable (after the hook is removed from the truck) into the trailer hitch hole to make sure it is not catching on anything and not engaging the piston.
6. We push on the boat, along with the handles on the dolly, to move it into the garage.
7. There is plenty of fluid in the reservoir.

Again, this setup is only a few months old. The folks I purchased this from are clueless with a viable response. I tried a live chat on the Tracker website and they tell me I cannot speak to anyone at the factory.

Anybody seen this before and can help?

Thank you in advance,
Mike

 

[DodgeBoy]

The brakes should not apply if the pin is in place so this is puzzling . Are you sure the pin is fully installed? It should be sticking out the other side. Just doesn't make sense the only way the brakes can apply is if the tongue pushes back.

 

[Andrebass]

safety cable not back in brake off position or one caliper is sticking. rotor might be warped catching pads

 

[Tim_C]

Are you sure you are using the correct lock out hole? Does it have a warning lable beside it?
You should be able to manualy pull the actuator forward by hand then insert the lockout pin.

Surge brakes are mechanical. When the trailer wiring is correct, the current from the back-up light of the truck locks out the solenoid so you can back up. Without electric current, the brake actuator is purely mechanical requiring an inserted lock-out pin or inserted magnetiic disk (depends on actuator) to prevent compression of the actuator when using the trailer tongue/ball to back up. In the photo I am using a bolt as the lockout pin. The front hole on the silver portion only locks the trail ball release, not the brakes.

 

[Mike K 105]

safety cable not back in brake off position or one caliper is sticking. rotor might be warped catching pads

This would not explain why I can roll it straight backwards and forward with ease, yet when attempting to introduce angle moving backward, the brakes lock. It is almost as if the left and right side wheels work against each other.

 

[Andrebass]

Maybe the binding of the four wheels are causing you to think brakes. Trying to help.

I use my truck to back my Z20 into an angle position to fit in garage. When I try to move it manually, one its hard to do, second, it tweaks the tongue jack and makes it loose.

I am considering those floor jack that cup the wheel and raises it, so then I basically have a single axle trailer.

 

[Starbanker]

I think the problem is that your turn is too sharp. A tandem axle trailer has four wheels all going in different turn radii. As I explained before on threads regarding trailer bucking sounds and vibration, the axle with the heaviest load is the only one that does the turn the other axle compensates by skipping sideways. When you are driving or even just pushing your trailer the same applies, too sharp and you are working against two angles of forces that make it seem that the brakes are locking up which they cannot do at all if there is no pressure pushing the ball portion of the tongue into the frame of the trailer. If you wish to make sharper turns like fitting the boat and trailer into a tighter area invest in four sets of caster wheel dollies one set for each wheel, you can get away with just two for each side of one axle but you cannot move the rig sideways, it will act more like a single axle. When you have dollies on all four wheels it is easy to move the rig sideways to nearby walls creating more space in a garage for other things or angling the trailer into a garage that isn't long enough for the rig lengthwise.

 

[Andrebass]

Starbanker

 

[Mike K 105]

I think the problem is that your turn is too sharp. A tandem axle trailer has four wheels all going in different turn radii. As I explained before on threads regarding trailer bucking sounds and vibration, the axle with the heaviest load is the only one that does the turn the other axle compensates by skipping sideways. When you are driving or even just pushing your trailer the same applies, too sharp and you are working against two angles of forces that make it seem that the brakes are locking up which they cannot do at all if there is no pressure pushing the ball portion of the tongue into the frame of the trailer. If you wish to make sharper turns like fitting the boat and trailer into a tighter area invest in four sets of caster wheel dollies one set for each wheel, you can get away with just two for each side of one axle but you cannot move the rig sideways, it will act more like a single axle. When you have dollies on all four wheels it is easy to move the rig sideways to nearby walls creating more space in a garage for other things or angling the trailer into a garage that isn't long enough for the rig lengthwise.

You may be on to something, thanks. I thought this might be like the torque steer on my 4WD truck and needed a second set of eyes to confirm it.

 

[Andrebass]

Do let us know what you find out. This forum is for educating all of us. Every little bit of info is good info for someone.

Thanks

 

[Mike K 105]

I bought two dollies to remove the rear trailer wheels and it helped tremendously maneuvering it in the garage. This was a test to see how the dollies handled the load and they seem more than capable. Now, I'll watch them on-line to monitor the pricing and buy when they go on sale and use them for winter storage.

Currently I have to take my Tracker (new 4 months ago) to the dealership for a factory recall. Downer for sure, but I still love the boat.

 

[DONAOL]

I bought two dollies to remove the rear trailer wheels and it helped tremendously maneuvering it in the garage. This was a test to see how the dollies handled the load and they seem more than capable. Now, I'll watch them on-line to monitor the pricing and buy when they go on sale and use them for winter storage.

Currently I have to take my Tracker (new 4 months ago) to the dealership for a factory recall. Downer for sure, but I still love the boat.

What is the recall for?

 

[92 Nitro 190dc Owner]

I tried car wheel dollies. The dollies slip around each tire and there is a foot-operated jack that squeezes the dolly around the tire, effectively raising the wheel. I tried them on my trailer, but the weight of the boat and trailer were just way too heavy and I couldn't move the trailer at all. So now I have 4 dollies that are useless to me. I abandoned that idea and use a motorized trailer dolly to move my trailer. The dollies are in principle similar to the photo. If anyone has had success with this type of dolly or any type of dolly, I would like to know what dolly model you are using.

 

[Starbanker]

Similar dollies are rated at 1500lbs. each. If these are the ones you bought, I'd be hard pressed to say those wheels are adequate for that load. Normally these wheels are solid and very hard, with ball bearing hubs. The better choice for storing are the cradle type that you put under each wheel after you lift with a trailer jack. This style is best for just temporary parking purposes, once your trailer is moved (get a large friend) let down the trailer as the rollers will flat spot tires in two spots if left on too long. Most garages have at least two feet on one side that if the boat is moved against you can use that space saved for other uses. Up here in MN we store our boats for 6 months then will drill holes in the hardened water to fish through.

 

[Pat Dilling]

My buddy, with a tandem trailer, got some heavy duty contractor trash bags. He cut the bottom 1/2 inch off of 4 bags. He lays them on the garage floor and backs his trailer onto them. Then he can push the front of the boat sideways and the plastic slides on itself and he can get the boat positioned where he wants it.

 

[Mike K 105]

What is the recall for?

They installed the wrong screws in the seat post mounts on the deck of the boat. There are seven of them. I am taking it in this Friday. I have to take a valuable vacation day to get this done. That really sucks.

I still love my boat but I am wondering about their Quality procedures to miss something like this.

 

[DONAOL]

Quality Control or lack of, seems to be a larger issue for newer boat owners today.

 

[ph411tx]

I bought a new Tracker V175 boat April 2023. I upgraded the trailer to the tandem axle with 4 wheels. The trailer works well in all aspects except one. When I remove it from my truck, and use a trailer dolly to back it into my garage, it moves freely straight backward. It just won't turn without locking the brakes.

When I attempt to move the tongue sideways to turn slightly, the wheels lock up so turning is impossible. Even a slight angle on the dolly direction can lock the wheels.

Here is what I do:
1. I install the override pin into the hole on the trailer hitch area to prevent the internal brake piston from being compressed.
2. The electrical plug is disconnected from the truck socket.
3. The swing away pin remains in the trailer so the wiring is not disrupted.
4. The clasp handle that locks the ball into the socket on the hitch is in the locked position after engaging the ball mounted on the two wheeled dolly.
5. I press the safety cable (after the hook is removed from the truck) into the trailer hitch hole to make sure it is not catching on anything and not engaging the piston.
6. We push on the boat, along with the handles on the dolly, to move it into the garage.
7. There is plenty of fluid in the reservoir.

Again, this setup is only a few months old. The folks I purchased this from are clueless with a viable response. I tried a live chat on the Tracker website and they tell me I cannot speak to anyone at the factory.

Anybody seen this before and can help?

Thank you in advance,
Mike

Mike,
I had a similar problem with my Z19 with tandem axle trailer. Are you sure that the brakes are locking? I had a devil of a time moving the tongue sideways although with a friend we could budge it. One problem is that there is so much weight on the trailer jack that the wheel doesn't want to turn so it remains lined up front to back making a sideways move very difficult. My solution was to purchase two wheel dollies from Harbor Freight. I install them on the front axle of the trailer and jack them up when parking the boat in my garage. The trailer then acts like a single axle trailer and is EASILY moved side to side. There are some YouTube videos on the subject. It also makes it easy to align the trailer when pulling out of the garage. Just make sure you remove them before heading down the road.
I'm just guessing that this is your problem and hope this helps.
Peter

 

[Jimnitrozv]

I bought a new Tracker V175 boat April 2023. I upgraded the trailer to the tandem axle with 4 wheels. The trailer works well in all aspects except one. When I remove it from my truck, and use a trailer dolly to back it into my garage, it moves freely straight backward. It just won't turn without locking the brakes.

When I attempt to move the tongue sideways to turn slightly, the wheels lock up so turning is impossible. Even a slight angle on the dolly direction can lock the wheels.

Here is what I do:
1. I install the override pin into the hole on the trailer hitch area to prevent the internal brake piston from being compressed.
2. The electrical plug is disconnected from the truck socket.
3. The swing away pin remains in the trailer so the wiring is not disrupted.
4. The clasp handle that locks the ball into the socket on the hitch is in the locked position after engaging the ball mounted on the two wheeled dolly.
5. I press the safety cable (after the hook is removed from the truck) into the trailer hitch hole to make sure it is not catching on anything and not engaging the piston.
6. We push on the boat, along with the handles on the dolly, to move it into the garage.
7. There is plenty of fluid in the reservoir.

Again, this setup is only a few months old. The folks I purchased this from are clueless with a viable response. I tried a live chat on the Tracker website and they tell me I cannot speak to anyone at the factory.

Anybody seen this before and can help?

Thank you in advance,
Mike

 

[Jimnitrozv]

Mike: I have a Nitro ZV18, super heavy boat with tandem axles. If you want to invest on a jack that works great (but expensive) buy a Trailer Valet. This jack has made my life so much easier. $399.00 Here is there link and they have videos and such to show you how it works. I've had it since I bought the boat in 2018. There was a heavy duty Fulton on it with dual wheels and it just was not cutting it. This jack allows one person to maneuver the boat so easy. It has a low gear and high gear. You have to keep it lubricated as per their directions and keep the tires inflated to the recommended PSI. https://trailervalet.com/shop/trailer-valet-5x/