Tips To Tow Or Trailer A Boat

If you are passionate about boat and love dragging out your boat to the waters every weekend, you would agree with the fact that the trip from garage to the sea can be challenging at times. With a little preparation and practice, however, that challenge can easily be done away with. There are some essentials that you will need to take care of for making the task smooth and simple. Have a look at the useful tips given below:

Prepare A Checklist : 

Making a proper checklist of all the things that can ruin your experience of towing a boat would help you a lot to avoid them. For example, you might forget to replace the drain plug or fail to strap the vessel properly to the trailer. But if there is a checklist for you to go through before embarking on the journey, it will instantly remind you whatever that you forgot to address, such as tightening the lug nuts on trailer wheels, inflating all tires properly, securing the motor or outdrive, and so on.

Don’t Forget To Turn Wide :

Suppose you have a 4 car hauler and your boat is just as big. Towing with such a wide load is not at all an easy task, and you are bound to forget essentials such as turning wide. But you need to prevent that from happening. Therefore, always remember that turning radius of your hauler is tighter than of your vehicle. Failing to clear that curb can be an open invitation to trouble.

Avoid Over-speeding : 

Before setting out towards the waters, calculate how much time it will take for the vehicle and trailer to stop once you have got them up to speed. You have the physics as well as a lot of extra weight acting against you. So be careful and do not overspeed even if your trailer has got its own pair brakes. It will ensure the safety of your boat, the entire towing equipment, you and other vehicles on the road.

So next time you are preparing to bring out your boat on a hot summer day for relaxing in the waters, make sure you follow the above mentioned guidelines. In addition to that, keep in mind maintaining your hauler trailer is also essential. Otherwise, you would not be able to use it for pulling your boat. The aim is to have fun, without experiencing any problem.

Maintaining a Hauler Trailer

If you have a vehicle towing business or own a private trailer at home, it is imperative that you make use of proper techniques for maintaining the hauler and keeping it in good condition. The task of trailer upkeep may not be too overwhelming, but it will definitely need some elbow grease to be done properly.

First of all, you must recognize the fact that bearings and brakes of a trailer undergo a lot of wear and tear. Therefore, these are the parts which require the most amount of maintenance. Dust particles can cause the brakes as well as drums to wear out prematurely. To prevent that from happening, rinse thoroughly with water for removing any dust particles that might be present on the brakes. When it is time to get them replaced, make sure that you change everything else as well, including hardware, shoes and wheel cylinders.

While greasing the bearings of your trailer, check whether the outer spring is fully compressed or not. Continue to grease if the spring appears or seems to be extended. You will have to do this by taking out the bearings from the wheel and pulling them apart to perform a meticulous inspection.

Be it a 4 or 5 car trailer, its electrical components need to function properly as well to prevent unwanted accidents or mishaps. Inspect the lights of your trailer carefully before taking it out on the road. If they are not working properly, check the connection of the plug. If you find nothing wrong with the plug, have a look at the bulb. If the bulb seems to be intact, there can be some problem with the wiring. Sometimes, wiring can corrode or become loose due to heavy vibration from regular usage.

The coupler of your trailer would not require extensive maintenance. But you will have to inspect it from time to time for ensuring that it is working fine. Check for wear and tear and grease occasionally to prevent the latch from becoming jarred or stiff. You may also need to apply lubricants to the locking mechanisms and tongue jack.

Just like every machine needs regular upkeep to last longer and perform well, a trailer is the same. By investing a few hours in maintaining the different components of your hauling equipment, you can easily ensure the safety of yourself, the goods you would be hauling and the other drivers on the road.