What causes a boat trailer tires to lock up?
Rosemaw asked:
When traveling back from a fishing trip carrying my boat on it’s trailer, the trailer’s tires locked up. What a hassel. I had to find a Marina nearby and rent a slip for my boat!! If you can help to let me know what caused the tires on the trailer to lock up. Thank you. Rosemaw
When traveling back from a fishing trip carrying my boat on it’s trailer, the trailer’s tires locked up. What a hassel. I had to find a Marina nearby and rent a slip for my boat!! If you can help to let me know what caused the tires on the trailer to lock up. Thank you. Rosemaw
Bad wheel bearings for one thing.
And i’m not sure, but I think some larger trailers may have there own brakes that are engaged by the vehicle towing it.
If it has brakes maybe they locked. If not then it’s most likely wheel bearings that seized from lack of grease.
the water you back into washed the grease from the wheel bearing, You can buy a grease cap with a fitting and lube after every dunking.
This is so common (here in Michigan)
There are WHEEL BEARINGS in the trailer’s wheels
THEY NEED TO BE GREASED!!
Once a year should do it, but if you buy the gease gun and a cartridge, DO IT EVERY TRIP
SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE!!
End this horrible abandoned boat epidemic!
Heat. The bearings locked up. Water on the wheel bearings, not enough grease on the bearings. There is such a thing as a bearing buddy and a bearing bra that protect the bearing from water and keep the grease in better.
Some newer trailer have dics brakes that can lock up.
You may have a bearing that has siezed to the spindel.
Install a Bearing Buddy kit in your axle bearings. This will retain the grease in the bearing and prevent the grease from being washed out. It also has a Zerk fitting to enable frequent greasing.
If your traile has brakes and both or all four wheels locked up chances are it is not a wheel bearing problem rather a brake problem. Your surge brake actuator (The master cyl. on the trailer tongue) is stuck on. Try loosten one of the brake lines, and if fluid comes out under pressure and the wheels unlock that’s your problem
not putting new grease in the buddy bearings on a regular basis will cause them to have salt mixed in old grease ,salt and grease become paste,not a very good lubricant,then they will get hot,and failure will occur when the bearings weld to the race,or spindle or just freeze what ever you want to call it, TRY PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE
The tires on a trailer will only lock up for two reasons. Neither of them are good. The first is the axle bearings are heating up and seizing. The second is if the trailer has breaks the pads are staying in contact with the inside of the drum with to much pressure.
Have your trailer serviced or you just might see your tire passing you at the intersection.