You Ask They Answer

Is it practical to add trailer brakes to a boat trailer?

May 20, 5433 by Cmundley | Posted in Boats & Boating

Or are you better off just buying a new trailer that already has them? Also, how do they work? Are they electric? How effective are surge brakes compared to regular brakes?
The boat/trailer combo weighs 2250lb


If you're not going to be doing much towing with it, just go with surge brakes. The electric brakes require a brake controller be installed on the inside of your tow vehicle. Electric brakes use magnets to force the shoes against the brake drums. They'll

chris2EM | May 20, 6482





Rusted Boat Trailer Brake Shoes

Trailer sailing is an odd concept - After all your trailer doesn't sail. However rusted brake shoes can ruin your day as we find in Broken ...

UsedBoatTrailers.com Releases List Of Trailer Safety Tips

31.12.69

After reading reports of a New Zealand automobile accident caused by a boat being dislodged from its trailer, the staff at UsedBoatTrailers.com released a list of trailer safety tips.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 04, 2013

Otago Daily News reported a boat fell from a trailer that was being used to transport it on Saturday, which caused the vehicle towing it to fishtail out of control. Reports of this accident reached the staff at UsedBoatTrailers.com, and inspired them to make a list of trailer safety tips, in the hopes of curtailing any preventable accidents in the future.

UBT states using trailer safely is of the utmost importance, as improper use can put not only the drivers at risk, but any people around them, as well. UBT states taking a few minutes and going over these easy steps before getting on the road, and the chances of something going wrong will be diminished significantly.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle (press release)

2013 Ram 1500 Express Rocky Mountain Review

31.12.69


By Dan Poler
Rocky Mountain Bureau
The Auto Channel

Ram has a good thing in their 1500 pickup – last redesigned for the 2009 model year, it’s been a go-to standard in the American truck market. When it came time to make changes for the 2013 model year, rather than dramatic exterior changes, they went with more of a minor refresh. It fits, given that the Ram 1500 was already a great-looking truck. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been other drastic changes, however. On the inside, the Ram 1500 received a ton of convenience and cosmetic updates which greatly enhance the comfort and usability of this full-size pickup.

Our Ram 1500 came to us in a Crew Cab 4x4 configuration – four real doors, 6’4” bed – in the Express trim. There’s no doubt that this is a work-truck configuration – no cushy leather, no slathering of infrequently-used options, but rather, a preferred work-truck configuration. The Express trim dresses it up a bit with some attractive upgrades – body-color fascia and bumper, carpeting, fog lamps, and 20” wheels. Put another way, the Express package takes the work-ready Ram 1500 and adds some style the family will appreciate, creating a truck equally at home at the boat launch as at the job site. Our tester included some thoughtful options such as a tailgate which locks with the key fob along with the doors – a nice time-saving touch – and an integrated trailer-brake controller.

Source: Autochannel (press release)

Transition Areas Crucual To Top Finishers' Results

31.12.69

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

While last week’s FLW Tour season opener wasn’t the classic Lake Okeechobee slugfest BassFans have come to expect there in February, it gave us a glimpse of how pros, from the unknowns to the household names, put things together when the expected patterns don't produce as anticipated.

Many fish seemed to be in their post-spawn transition while there was still some heading in to start their annual ritual. Finding an area that fish in both phases funneled through seemed to be a crucial element to those who finished in Top 5. Finding multiple areas was a bonus and almost a necessity as the ever-changing winds in central Florida blew out portions of the lake once the weekend rolled around.

Source: BassFan.com

What you need to know about grease

I shot a bunch of expensive marine-style grease into the bearing buddies on my bass-boat trailer last fall. It was recommended to me by a marine mechanic as the best product for my trailer, because the wheels get dunked regularly, and this particular type of grease is supposed to be more water-resistant. I finally got a chance to go fishing last weekend and noticed that the grease cups had all leaked oily snot all over my brakes. So instead, I spent the afternoon cleaning and repacking all six wheel bearings and replacing all of the greasy, oily brake shoes. Can you suggest a brand of grease that won’t do this?

A: You mentioned the brand of grease in your letter, which I removed, because it’s a perfectly good product, and the correct one for your application. Specifically, i t ‘ s an aluminum-complex grease, and this type of grease has excellent performance when there’s a chance of water contamination, like on your trailer.

A primer about grease: It’s basically nothing more than a heavy oil mixed with enough soap to make it stringy and clingy enough to remain in place as the bearing spins. This will ensure the bearing’s rollers or balls are constantly covered in the oil. The soap is based on a variety of compounds, notably lithium or aluminum complexes for most of the greases used in cars, trucks and boats.

Problem: Not all the soaps are compatible with each other. This causes the soap and the oil to separate, letting the latter settle to the bottom of the cavity the bearing is in. No surprise—a lot of grease caps have a poor metal-to-metal seal and will let the oil leak out after some weeks. Like yours did.

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Boat Trailer Brakes - News


Some Sask residents finding creative ways to haul recreational vehicles
650 CKOM News Talk Radio - Dec 31, 1969
To use trailers that weigh over 10,000 pounds you have to have a class one license with a heavy trailer endorsement. That's meant to ensure that the driver has had sufficient testing to operate it. Trailers over 3,000 pounds must also have their own

2013 Ram 2500 / 3500 HD
Car and Driver - Dec 31, 1969
Sissies with lighter loads like, say, a pallet of anvils or a boat constructed entirely of lead will have nothing to worry about. A new The trailer brakes are easily configurable from the helm, and we found a balanced setting in no time. Of course

Ram 1500 Vs. Ram HD: When Do You Need Heavy Duty?
The Car Connection - Dec 31, 1969
So likewise, if you just plan to tow a 6,000-pound pleasure boat (a big craft, even when you figure in the weight of the trailer) a few times a year, the Ram 1500 should be fine—and you'll save some gas money and add to your own comfort. Just make

Family fun for Free- at the Launch Ramp
SunHerald.com - Dec 31, 1969
His launch strategy entailed backing his boat trailer down the ramp at a high rate of speed and then slamming on the brakes, such that the momentum of the boat would cause it to self-launch. Though he was smart enough to have a bow line tied to the

Will I-95 always be a rush-hour highway to hell?
Philly.com - Dec 31, 1969
Will I-95 always be a rush-hour highway to hell? Six hours earlier, a tractor-trailer had crashed and burned on the interstate in South Philly, littering the highway with pineapples, melons and bananas. I-95 North was still a parking lot. . the absurd extends to shoulder cowboys. "I laugh at