Long distance towing

[On_plane]

I'm looking at having a 3100 lb boat towed on its OEM single axle trailer about 3,000 miles in a couple of weeks (likely over some somewhat snowy highways). Apart from having fresh grease in the bearings and air in the tires, anything else I should do? Any suggestions on inexpensive ways of protecting the hull from stone chips etc?

Thanks!

 

[smokeonthewater]

Having it towed like by a professional.... Have the boat and trailer loaded on a big trailer.

Towing it yourself.... Mudflaps on the towing vehicle should protect the hull.

 

[fhhuber]

You won't be going as fast as you are used to... especially with snow.

That trailer have brakes? If not, then you will have to work to maintain a LARGE gap between yourself and what is in front. Just light sprinkle on a road that had been dry for months had my 2700 lb boat (without brakes on the trailer) pushing my Ford Expedition down a slight grade, requiring more than 5X normal stopping distance. Ice will be even worse.

Mud flaps...A tarp strapped to the lower front of the boat. That's about all you can reasonably do to keep the rocks/sand/salt off the hull.

DO NOT load the boat up with stuff for the trip... You'll alter the load distribution on the trailer and that can get dangerous fast.

 

[Scott Danforth]

you may want to check into having it shipped vs towing it yourself. it will turn out less expensive. and if this is the regal your looking to buy, why would you buy a boat 3000 miles away.

if you are intent on towing it, have the boat shrinkwrapped, most marinas charge about $10/foot.

 

[BRICH1260]

Get a spare tire if you don't already. Also take the needed equipment to change a tire if necessary; jack, lug wrench, air compressor, ect....

 

[Dave-R]

I had to tow my new 23' Seaswirl from Chicago to the center of Utah during the winter a few years back. It snowed all the way over and all the way back . One good thing was that the boat was shrink wrapped, and when if finally got it home it had an inch of brown ice all over it. There was a huge ice storm in Iowa and a car off the road every mile. The power was out all over the state. That meant no gas stations could pump. The only smart thing I did on that trip was bring 5 gallons of gas. Police would not allow even the wreckers on the road to clear them out. In the middle of Wyoming I hit black ice and did a complete 180 deg on the I-80 freeway. I ended up in the side of the road in a foot of snow. I still remember the grins on all the diesel drivers as they went by. I did make it home okay, and thank God I did not have a flat, because I broke 3 lug nuts off that were rusted on the boat trailer when later lubing the bearings. If your in to adventure, knock yourself out.
Dave-R

 

[keith2k455]

If this is going to be a new to you boat/trailer, you should bring two sets of bearings, grease and all the tools to change the bearings. Bring, at minimum, a spare tire (preferably the whole spare wheel.) I also agree to have the boat shrink wrapped if it can be done.

Also make sure your tow rig maintenance is not ignored. Tires, fuel, cooling system up to snuff. If it starts to snow a little on you, fill the tank up, even if you have half a tank. If you have never towed in the snow before, give yourself enough distance to let the truck coast to a stop. That means go slow enough so that you can coast to a stop and give enough distance to allow the coasting to occur. Over cautious will keep you out of the ditch.

How many miles will be in potential snow? To/from where? If you're going from Maine to Idaho, that is like a 2 week trip in the snow with a trailer. I suspect your trip is not as I mentioned, but some people may be able to help with local winter conditions if you want to be a little more specific.

Not to scare you, but I'd be nervous as heck about this. The good thing is that with enough planning, it will not be too bad. I also think it would be worth rerouting the trip to avoid any storms.

 

[robert graham]

Check the age/date of manufacture on the sidewall of each tire(DOT code) and if they're more than 3 or 4 years old, replace them with new tires....Walmart has Carlisles that are pretty darn good. It may be easier to jack up your trailer, remove the tires and carry them to Walmart or wherever you decide....

 

[jspringator]

Check the age/date of manufacture on the sidewall of each tire(DOT code) and if they're more than 3 or 4 years old, replace them with new tires....Walmart has Carlisles that are pretty darn good. It may be easier to jack up your trailer, remove the tires and carry them to Walmart or wherever you decide....

This. Rule of thumb on travel trailers is 5-6 years. ST (special trailer) tires are limited to 65 mph. Towing that kind of distance, I would consider 2 LT (light truck) tires. Get them balanced. I'm not a fan of ST tires, and Carlisle has a bad rep on RV.net. Of the ST tires, Maxis have the best rep.

Get the bearings repacked, tires sorted, and touch the tires and hubs at every stop (pull and push the top of the tire to check for looseness) and you should be good to go.

I wonder if you could use wide blue masking tope to protect the hull.

 

[robert graham]

And when you jack each wheel up, spin the tire and listen/feel the hub for any roughness or sounds coming from warn/bad bearings...

 

[keith2k455]

I wonder if you could use wide blue masking tope to protect the hull.

I think this is a great idea. As long as the moisture doesn't peel it off, it should work great. If you get the blue or green stiff, it will peel off without damage as long as you follow the number of days on the roll.