Trailer launching - new advice needed

J

johnny_h

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Joined
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Location
Fowey
www.reservoir.biz
Building on my previous post concerning my seized trailer brake issue. Could someone confirm with me the correct technique for launching my 5.5m powerboat?

Since my brake/wheels on my trailer have both seized someone has just told me that the wheel/hub should never go in the water and that this is the only way to prevent the seizing happening time and time again. Is this correct? Is there no other solution?
I'm not even sure my boat will drop into the water if the wheels are only in at 6-8 inches - but I'm happy to be proved wrong.

What do other people do? Should I disconnect the breaks on the trailer (don't like the sound of doing that)?

I have previously submerged pretty much the entire wheel in order to float the boat on the trailer - was I doing it wrong?

I appreciate that the salt water won't have done the wheels any good but I think I thought they might be more robust than they actually are.

Anyway, I'd appreciate some advice on this as it's a real pain and I'd rather get it right than have to deal with locked up wheels just cause I'm not launching correctly.
 
In the perfect world all slipwayd will be at the perfect slope so that by stopping with the tyres just in the water you would be able to drive the boat off and onto the trailer. That situation almost never exists so yes the trailer gets dunked and the brakes get wet.

You can help by leaving the hubs to cool before launching, 10 minutes at least. Dunking hot bearings will cause the cold water to be sucked in.

Trailer buddies will help (replacement bearing caps with a spring loaded plunger that keeps the grease under pressure).

As far as brakes are concerned all you can do is give them a very thorough flush with fresh water (after they've cooled) and expect to strip and clean them a couple of times a year, and certainly before the winter layup.

trailers are basically a steel structure designed to rust away.
 
brakes/bearings

No sure fire way of launching/recovering, and keeping the wheels out the water, there used to be a brake back trailer which would alow this, but not sure if they are still available. We had three sets of bearings for ours, and after each immersion and drive home we jacked the trailer and removed the drums, wash and dry, replace bearings (just the cones) with fresh White grease, then we were ready for the next time. The wet bearing we boiled in motor cycle chain lube, and wrapped in grease proof paper. No matter what you are told it's the only way, those grease injectors and suchlike are as good as a chocolate teapot. And when you park up use chocks do not set the brake.
 
That was my worry and my thought - that not getting the hubs wet was really only in a perfect world and that my trailer is basically rusting away . . .
I can see that I need to be able to service the wheels a little myself although I'm not sure I know how to do this properly.
 
johnny_h said:
Building on my previous post concerning my seized trailer brake issue. Could someone confirm with me the correct technique for launching my 5.5m powerboat?

Since my brake/wheels on my trailer have both seized someone has just told me that the wheel/hub should never go in the water and that this is the only way to prevent the seizing happening time and time again. Is this correct? Is there no other solution?
I'm not even sure my boat will drop into the water if the wheels are only in at 6-8 inches - but I'm happy to be proved wrong.

What do other people do? Should I disconnect the breaks on the trailer (don't like the sound of doing that)?

I have previously submerged pretty much the entire wheel in order to float the boat on the trailer - was I doing it wrong?

I appreciate that the salt water won't have done the wheels any good but I think I thought they might be more robust than they actually are.

Anyway, I'd appreciate some advice on this as it's a real pain and I'd rather get it right than have to deal with locked up wheels just cause I'm not launching correctly.
Click to expand...

Dont ever put the brakes or hubs in the water. I have never dunked the wheels since we got it

But to do this you need a roller-coaster style trailer. If you have bunks you'll have to wet the brakes. Also some slipway angles are better than others (steep = better) so choose your slipways carefully, if possible

So imho the rules of thumb are (a) never have any type of trailer other than roller coaster; and (b) never wet the brakes/hubs
 
there's also a bit of kit that enables you to hook the trailer hubs up to a hose pipe and flush them internally rather than trying to get fresh water in to them from outside the hub
 
Mine has flushing connectors on the hubs to run water through them.

I have yet to find the miracle slipway that means you do not dunk the wheels into the water.

Mine is a roller-coaster trailer and if you do not dunk the trailer wheels into the water then it places a strain on the winch (and you!) to wind it out of the water. In addition the weight off the boat on the tail of the trailer tries to lift the front of the trailer/back of your car. Therefore I happliy dunk the trailer wheels and just ensure I rinse it all out. The worse situation is where your boat is stored next to the slipway, the brakes get put away wet. Where there is a long drive home they dry out nicely on the way back.

Traile maintenance is pretty straight forward and not something that takes up all your time and stops you boating.

The best modification I did to my trailer was to stop using the detachable trailer board supplied with the trailer. It continually failed due to water entering the "detaching" connectors and the fixed side lights(despite the cables being clipped out of the way). I just hang an Halfords trailer baord from the rear of the boat, far more reliable.
 
"maintenance is pretty straight forward and not something that takes up all your time and stops you boating."

What are the basics then - apart from hosing down the wheels which I did everytime I used the boat (once last year, three times the year before, four times before that - so not many times in total). So not much usage (or experience!) here.

Wheels/hubs look totally corroded now and as I've said were seized completely.

What would be regular maintenance which would prevent this kind of issue in the future? I will attempt launching without dipping the wheels in but this may not be possible.
 
I presume you're not storing the trailer once home with the handbrake on? presume not and you're chocking the wheels instead

I resigned myself to the fact they'd cease every now and then and used a tow rope to give the trailer a tug until they popped free before setting off down the road.. probably not the best method but seemed to get by all the same
 
johnny_h said:
I will attempt launching without dipping the wheels in but this may not be possible.
Click to expand...

I see your location is Fowey. The slipway in Fowey (next to the Bodinnick ferry) is quite steep, and I have launched there keeping the wheels dry, when the tide is high. It levels out at low water.
 
Bleeding heck, when launching my boat at our marina slip, the trailer is just a mass of bubbles rising to the surface, almost followed by a mass of bubbles from the exhaust pipe of the tow car.

If I was on PBO I would say that to ensure the water does not get sucked up the pipe if the engine stalls, I have drilled and tapped my exhaust manifold and fitted a special valve I can open to prevent it. :D

I'm not on PBO, im on mobo, so all I do is make sure the car does not stall.
 
jfm said:
never have any type of trailer other than roller coaster
Click to expand...
Don't dare suggesting that on any performance boat forum, some folk who spent time and money to get his boat bottom blueprinted would start screaming for good... :)
 
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tinkicker0 said:
Bleeding heck, when launching my boat at our marina slip, the trailer is just a mass of bubbles rising to the surface, almost followed by a mass of bubbles from the exhaust pipe of the tow car.

If I was on PBO I would say that to ensure the water does not get sucked up the pipe if the engine stalls, I have drilled and tapped my exhaust manifold and fitted a special valve I can open to prevent it. :D

I'm not on PBO, im on mobo, so all I do is make sure the car does not stall.
Click to expand...

Maybe time for a draw bar extension TK ;-)

If OP is running drum and shoe brakes in salt water, it's a doomed arrangement imo.

Open discs and galv. calipers, with fresh water rinse (each time) and a yearly dismantle for re-grease, will allow as much full immersion as you wish, for many years, with full braking ability.
Caliper activation by either electric/hydraulic or mechanical, via adjustable wire cable.

The fully submersable trailer lights (globe or led) also help make launching a breeze, I'm still running the original 20 year old (globe) set-up. A great system for night time retrieval, just like landing a plane on a lighted runway.
 
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my trailer and wheels always go under , there is no way i not having enough water under the boat when she comes of the trailer . when i get home always power wash the trailer . the boat and trailer are reversed and once reversed i then move it forward again to ensure the brakes are fully released . chock the wheels , then once a fortnight just push the trailer bar left and right to move the wheels , seems to work for me , the important thing seems to be the pulling of it forward still on the car , after the reverse and obviously leaving the brake off .
 
tinkicker0 said:
Bleeding heck, when launching my boat at our marina slip, the trailer is just a mass of bubbles rising to the surface, almost followed by a mass of bubbles from the exhaust pipe of the tow car.

If I was on PBO I would say that to ensure the water does not get sucked up the pipe if the engine stalls, I have drilled and tapped my exhaust manifold and fitted a special valve I can open to prevent it. :D

I'm not on PBO, im on mobo, so all I do is make sure the car does not stall.
Click to expand...

Been there, seen it, bought the T-shirt...apart from the anti siphon valve.

I've nearly had water coming in through the boot door and that's on a Discovery...Did I mention the slips out here are a bit ****!!

Thankfully I now have a man with a big tractor...I feel a bit like the RNLI with the old beach launch :D :D
 
"If OP is running drum and shoe brakes in salt water, it's a doomed arrangement imo.

Open discs and galv. calipers, with fresh water rinse (each time) and a yearly dismantle for re-grease, will allow as much full immersion as you wish, for many years, with full braking ability.
Caliper activation by either electric/hydraulic or mechanical, via adjustable wire cable."

Could I change the drums to open discs? Would that be easy?
 
johnny_h said:
"If OP is running drum and shoe brakes in salt water, it's a doomed arrangement imo.

Open discs and galv. calipers, with fresh water rinse (each time) and a yearly dismantle for re-grease, will allow as much full immersion as you wish, for many years, with full braking ability.
Caliper activation by either electric/hydraulic or mechanical, via adjustable wire cable."

Could I change the drums to open discs? Would that be easy?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure of the availability to purchase the marine style rotor/disc
assembly in Britain, as most (from what I have read on YBW) seem to still use the drum set-up, which I have not seen used on a boat trailer (for salt water) here since the early 1980's.

I would suggest using the services of a clever engineer/welder/fabricator to set up and weld the brackets on the axel to bolt the calipers to. I guess you are only running a single axel?

A simple and effective caliper system in these arrangements (which I prefer) is the mechanical
operation, coming off a compression coupling (tow hitch), along adjustable (rigging screws) galvanised or stainless steel wire to a spring loaded lever on the caliper.

There is also compression coupling to hydraulic, but that is a matter of personal choice.

This system does need annual maintenance, at the same time the wheel bearings are stripped, cleaned and repacked, because the rotor is off anyway,
re-grease thebushes that the main bolts go through to allow free
movement
of the calipers, if left for too long they can dry out and start to bind, grabbing the rotor and running hot.
Get a tin of liquid lanolin, a small paint brush and go over all the outer sections of the calipers.

You dont need the expensive bronze/stainless/gold-plated versions sold in the US.......the galvanised ones work and last fine.
We use the TRIGG (South Australia) brand of calipers and rotors.
 
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Launching and recovery almost always means putting the trailer into the water; its certainly alot easier if you do. Dont do so when the bearings are still hot is about the best you can do.I never found rinsing etc made any difference at all.
After that, accept the brakes are disposable. Thats not too bad if they are taper bearings as they are cheap and DIY. Its a bit less amusing if they are ALCO style.
The other thing is the bowden cables. Its often these that rust, and then dont release the brakes, causing more problems.
So, even though its a road trailer, just accept you are using it as a launching trailer, and that means the brakes will rust up and need replacing.
Thats a hell of alot easier than pi**ing about trying to keep the trailer dry. No need to make launch and recover a pain for that.
Oh, and dont store the trailer with the handbrake on, or you will rust those shoes onto the drum pretty fast!
 
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