Small Boat Restoration: Trailer Tips

Friday, May 12, 2023

Trailer Tips

12 May 23:

Small boat trailers are hard to find and many times a trailer gets repurposed for use under many different boats. It is important to check a few things each year and before each trip to ensure a pleasant outing. Most importantly, we need to make sure that we don't overload a trailer and there are a few ways to check that.

We start with axles, the load capacity for the axle should be on the VIN tag or registration paperwork. If axle capacity is unknown, a good trailer shop can figure it out. If any large rust spots are seen on box or tube axles, that should be checked out by a trailer expert, as most rust starts inside the frame and by the time we see it, there could be problems.

Next we look at trailer tires, which need to be load rated to carry at least the weight of axle or more. It is not uncommon to look at a used trailer that has new tires, but the seller inadvertently (or knowingly) put underrated tires on the trailer. Trailer tires have important information on the sidewalls, including load range, inflation pressure and a manufacture date. One thing we do with our tires is run Load Range C or higher, because as Load Range increases, the number of sidewalls increase. With more sidewalls there is less sidewall flex, which means less heat as a tire bounces down the road. Higher load range tires can also be towed at higher speeds, many Load Range B tires are not rated for highway speeds.

Tires should be run at the indicated pressure, because underinflated tires heat up more due to sidewall flex, and heat causes premature failure. There is also a 4 digit manufacture date on the side of the tire that indicates week and year (WWYY) that the tire was manufactured. This tire is marked 4217, it was made the 42nd week of 2017. Trailer tires should be replaced NLT 6 years, because microfissures begin to form between the lugs that can't be seen. The tire above should be replaced in the late Fall. One more thing about tires is the wheel, wheels also have a weight limit, our trailer Pro Eddie showed us a wheel once that was fractured from carrying too much weight and air pressure.

Moving forward we check the hitch ball coupler, it must be rated for the total load (trailer + cargo). The receiver on the tow vehicle must also be rated to tow the load, as well as the draw bar, hitch ball and even the receiver draw bar pin and safety chains.