Road Trailers Worry Me - AA no help.

[mark_turner]

My trailer has a Al kober Euro axle on it. Obviously designed for a caravan as:

(i) wrong grease packed (not Keenol).
(ii) not designed to allow you to take out bearings to regrease them.
(iii) no grease nipples.
(iv) hub nut is 'one shot' so needs replacing every time you take off the drum to do anything with brakes or bearings
(v) brake shoes bonded not rivetted so rust makes them fall apart after one season.
(vi) brakes are bowden cable type so rust up solid and can't do anything except replace them regularaly at exhorbitant cost.

With all this I struggle on BUT have always beleived that I was able to rest assured that, if there was major problem somewhere on the motorway, I could always call the AA.

I now understand that this is NOT the case. My boat & trailer is over 18' therefore NOT covered. (is this a new rule?)

Anyone have
a) any ideas how to modify axle to make it more easy to maintain with its salt water dunkings (I have put tappings into the backplate so that I am able to fresh water flush the drums. I have also gently prised out bearing seals and cleaned and repacked with Keenol).

b) whether any other breakdown service will recover a trailer & boat of about 21' overall

Thanks

Mark

 

[Bergman]

In the far off awful days when I had a trailer sailer I once lost a wheel from the trailer.

It was about 1am somewhere nth of Newcastle.

I had the bright idea of of using the car's spare wheel. It didn't fit.

In a fit of picque I threw it back into the boot. Shortly after the car engine stopped and refused to start. At about that point the first breakdown truck appeared, loaded the trailer on the back and called in for a second truck, who appeared shortly afterwards and loaded the car on the back.

We returned home in convoy. Embarassing but all part of the service.

Not AA but National Breakdown.

It may be worth giving them a call, I think they are called Green Flag nowadays.

 

[cynthia]

We've used Green Flag, provided you have the right level of cover there should be no problem. They came out to our trailer when the brakes jammed on whilst in France four years ago. Of course they might have changed the rules since!

 

[Guest]

Threw a wheel bearing on the M27 about 2 1/2 years ago - the AA carried spare bearings, but couldn't match mine, so at 10pm on a Friday, they ran me into a trailer place in Southampton, where the proprietor opened up, pressed out the old bearing, pressed in a new one, greased it and charged me thiry five quid!

 

[peterg]

Green Flag can now be accessed via www.directline.com, been using them for years and never had a problem with their service

 

[Dipper]

Boat trailer rescue

Marine Support Services (linked with the RAC) recover boat trailers plus boats up to 25' and boats afloat up to 65' (also horses and horse trailers if you are rich enough to own both - but not horses afloat). They have a web site at www.marinesupport.co.uk.

 

[mark_turner]

AA&Green Flag no good, RAC/Marine Support costly

Thanks for all the repsonses which I have checked out. Unfortunately not all that inspiring though.

AA

18ft max INCLUDING tow hitch therefore no good


Green Flag

Max weight 2.5tonne OK
Max length 7m OK
Max height 3m OK
Max width 2.25 NO GOOD!

RAC/Marine Support Services

Cost £105
Cover £400 maximum.

VERY expensive unless you beleive chances of a problem are getting anywhere near towards once every four years.

May be OK if you don't have sails to get you home if your engnie breaks down but not for a sailing boat surely!

 

[David2452]

Mark,
You might like to look at Trailer Boats Magazine's site, they have loads of ads for stuff like stainless braking systems both drum and disk, pressurised bearings to keep out water etc. you will need to get the stuff from U.S. but it still seems less expensive and more reliable than constantly replacing corroded parts and gives peace of mind.

David

 

[nealeb]

Mark

Sea Start have entered the trailer recovery market, I believe they have teamed up with one of the existing recoverey firms. The annual fee is £49.50 (ontop of your motoring membership) and if I remember correctly they will recover trailers up to and larger than yours.. The cover can also be extended to europe. Give them a call 0800 885500. Let us know how you get on.

Neale

 

[peterg]

Re: Road Trailers - breakdown cover

just noticed at the Boat Show that the RYA have setup a scheme to specifically cover trailers larger than 5.5 metres, I suggest you talk to them as they might have what you want!