A lesson for new trai boaters

Seastoke

Seastoke

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a mate got a fletcher 19 with 60 yam snipe trailer BUT he when without any idea about trailers so he paid £700 for the outfit , bargain but on the way home 20 miles to go a wheel bearing packs up so he phones the rac great he thought but the rac told him they do not take trailers then it cost him near £400 to get it home , ouch
 
I had my car fail when towing home my Fletcher 17 and the AA came and took both my car trailer and boat. They were very good indeed
 
I now always carry a spare wheel bearing and even practice changing them. Only because when one goes it will probably be on a motorway and be the "outside" one.
The reason I practice changing them is that I can get the time down to under 10 minutes.
Also Wheel Bearings are as cheap as chips so every winter when I practice changing a wheel bearing I am actually fitting a new bearing in a different hub each year.
Some people dont realise that when you want to change a wheel bearing the quick way is to take the grease cap off, pull out the split pin (with your pliers) undo the Castle Nut (with your dedicated socket) and pull the hub off with the wheel still attached. (why undo the wheel nuts) obviously you may not be able to pull out the outer casing of the wheel bearing which is in the hub but you can remove the new outer casing off the new bearing, and slide the new bearing on the shaft, then everything back on.
I have bought 2 boats on trailers. Both had dodgy wheel hubs.
Trailer 1 (Snipe) the bearing collapsed after 50 miles. I had to ring up a Snipe dealer, buy a bearing over the phone, pay a courier to bring the bearing 30 miles and have it fitted.
Trailer 2. (indespension) I thought I was being clever, I hacked the trailer up and checked for wheel bearing play. There was none. I should have taken the hubs off as salt water had dissolved the glue holding the brake linings to the brake shoes and one lining was loose, and on the way home it jammed under the other one and the wheel locked.
 
Jim@sea said:
I now always carry a spare wheel bearing and even practice changing them. Only because when one goes it will probably be on a motorway and be the "outside" one.
The reason I practice changing them is that I can get the time down to under 10 minutes.
Also Wheel Bearings are as cheap as chips so every winter when I practice changing a wheel bearing I am actually fitting a new bearing in a different hub each year.
Some people dont realise that when you want to change a wheel bearing the quick way is to take the grease cap off, pull out the split pin (with your pliers) undo the Castle Nut (with your dedicated socket) and pull the hub off with the wheel still attached. (why undo the wheel nuts) obviously you may not be able to pull out the outer casing of the wheel bearing which is in the hub but you can remove the new outer casing off the new bearing, and slide the new bearing on the shaft, then everything back on.
I have bought 2 boats on trailers. Both had dodgy wheel hubs.
Trailer 1 (Snipe) the bearing collapsed after 50 miles. I had to ring up a Snipe dealer, buy a bearing over the phone, pay a courier to bring the bearing 30 miles and have it fitted.
Trailer 2. (indespension) I thought I was being clever, I hacked the trailer up and checked for wheel bearing play. There was none. I should have taken the hubs off as salt water had dissolved the glue holding the brake linings to the brake shoes and one lining was loose, and on the way home it jammed under the other one and the wheel locked.
Click to expand...

I always carry plenty of spare bearings in case, they are not difficult to change on the roadside, I would only call on AA if I really had to. For my smaller trailers I carry a spare hub with bearings ready to fit.
 
Jim@sea said:
I now always carry a spare wheel bearing and even practice changing them. Only because when one goes it will probably be on a motorway and be the "outside" one.
The reason I practice changing them is that I can get the time down to under 10 minutes.
Also Wheel Bearings are as cheap as chips so every winter when I practice changing a wheel bearing I am actually fitting a new bearing in a different hub each year.
Some people dont realise that when you want to change a wheel bearing the quick way is to take the grease cap off, pull out the split pin (with your pliers) undo the Castle Nut (with your dedicated socket) and pull the hub off with the wheel still attached. (why undo the wheel nuts) obviously you may not be able to pull out the outer casing of the wheel bearing which is in the hub but you can remove the new outer casing off the new bearing, and slide the new bearing on the shaft, then everything back on.
I have bought 2 boats on trailers. Both had dodgy wheel hubs.
Trailer 1 (Snipe) the bearing collapsed after 50 miles. I had to ring up a Snipe dealer, buy a bearing over the phone, pay a courier to bring the bearing 30 miles and have it fitted.
Trailer 2. (indespension) I thought I was being clever, I hacked the trailer up and checked for wheel bearing play. There was none. I should have taken the hubs off as salt water had dissolved the glue holding the brake linings to the brake shoes and one lining was loose, and on the way home it jammed under the other one and the wheel locked.
Click to expand...

A little you tube video of you changing a bearing the way you describe would be very useful if you feel like making such a thing
 
seastoke said:
a mate got a fletcher 19 with 60 yam snipe trailer BUT he when without any idea about trailers so he paid £700 for the outfit , bargain but on the way home 20 miles to go a wheel bearing packs up so he phones the rac great he thought but the rac told him they do not take trailers then it cost him near £400 to get it home , ouch
Click to expand...

The lesson with this story is don't assume boat trailer wheel bearings, or really any of the running and stopping gear is fine, especially on the word of a seller. If you have no idea, find somebody to assess and give advice.
 
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