Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

Darren Nemeth

Darren Nemeth

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Messages
561
The trailer I have for my boat is probably over 35 years old and I doubt that the axle bearings have ever been maintained. :facepalm:

I am going to move in the near future and my boat will be my Uhaul. This will put over 600 miles on the trailer in a short amount of time. I doubt the trailer has seen that much mileage in the past three decades.

The axle I have has the four bolt Carlisle tires, as shown in the attached photos.

Can you guys help me get my trailer safe for the road?

I want to order all the stuff from iBoats.com by next week and completely repack and replace anything that needs replacing. I am getting a new set of tires, also.

Can you guys tell me what I need to refurbish the trailer and also provide links to the right iBoats.com products?? Bearings, grease, bearing hubs, ..... ?

If there is anything you need to know, measurements and such, let me know. I am ready to get started ASAP.

Thank you in advance. :)
 

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Darren Nemeth

Darren Nemeth

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Messages
561
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

I see there arre ready to install assembled kits but if I can save a little money by replacing just a couple of things that will be better.
 
Silvertip

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,762
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

We have no idea what bearings you need. You need to disassemble the hubs and bearings, clean them and carefully inspect races and bearings for scoring, bluish coloring indicating overheating, and chipped rollers, and crazing of the rollers or races. There is no need to replace bearings if they look ok. You should however, replace the seal. The small wheel and tire indicates you probably have a 1 inch or 1-1/16 inch straight spindle. You need to measure that or take the number off the existing seal and have it cross referenced. Packing the bearing is covered in many places on the web so just Google "Packing Wheel Bearings". Make sure you adjust the bearing pre-load properly when you reassemble things. Bearings and races have numbers on them that can be cross referenced and while it is great to patronize iBoats, if you don't know what you need, you are best heading to your local NAPA or other auto parts store for a better chance at cross referencing things and thus getting the right parts. They can also push out the old races and press in the new ones if you are not capable of doing that yourself.
 
M

maproy99

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 14, 2011
Messages
266
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

Unless you are confident in repacking the bearings, or knowing what to look for in an inspection, I would just ask a mechanic to do it. Looking at the hubs, you do not have buddy bearings, so I guarantee that your bearings will have some rust and the grease is probably bad. If you have easy lub bearings, if the future re grease ever few trips to the launch (no need to repack your bearings as long as you keep cycling new grease through) Please remember that your trailer was only designed to hold your boat and not your boat + half your house.
My recommendation is to get a u-haul auto carrier or large utility trailer and haul the boat trailer on that. You can still fill the boat up with all your junk, plus extra space to place things (will be in the open). And cost isn't that expensive for not worrying about bending an axle, blowing a tire, being legal, or a bunch of other things.

Chances are if you have easy lube bearings, just cycle the geese through, and spin the tire by hand and if it spins with very very low resistance you are probably fine for the move. But please check your trailer's GCWR Gross Combination Weight Weight rating and do not exceed that towing down the highway. Remember we have to drive next to you too.
 
M

maproy99

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 14, 2011
Messages
266
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

Also, you could save your self the cost of new tires for now, they look like they still got some miles to go on them, and say maybe rent that trailer or have a mechanic do it, someone who knows what they are doing does not take long and you feel better about it.
 
U

UncleWillie

Captain
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
3,995
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

Darren Nemeth said:
... over 35 years old and I doubt that the axle bearings have ever been maintained. :facepalm:
...This will put over 600 miles on the trailer in a short amount of time.
Click to expand...

maproy99 said:
Also, you could save your self the cost of new tires for now, they look like they still got some miles to go on them ...
Click to expand...

Do you really want to find out the hard way, how may miles are left in those 35 year old tires?? :eek:
 
M

maproy99

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 14, 2011
Messages
266
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

UncleWillie said:
Do you really want to find out the hard way, how may miles are left in those 35 year old tires?? :eek:
Click to expand...

He said axle bearings. Not tires. They have no sign of dry rot (far as I can tell) and still have tread left. In my book I'm using the tires. I would estimate them to be between 5-10 years old. No way in hell could they be 35 years old, they just wouldn't be a tire anymore.
 
M

maproy99

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 14, 2011
Messages
266
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

Heck if I was looking for 2 spares, I would offer up some $ for them.
 
U

UncleWillie

Captain
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
3,995
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

Fair enough! :redface:

He already has plans to get new tires.
Everything always looks better in pictures than in real life.

Do you really want to find out the hard way, how may miles are left in those 5-10 year old tires?? :eek:

Just one of many reports concerning perfectly good "Old Tires."
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/aged-tires-driving-hazard-4826897
 
etracer68

etracer68

Ensign
Joined
Oct 11, 2009
Messages
906
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

Tires are 20+ years old. I would do as Silvertip suggested.
Beer, works better then Pop, when it comes to lure some help.:)
 
tpenfield

tpenfield

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 18, 2011
Messages
17,711
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

Darren Nemeth said:
The trailer I have for my boat is probably over 35 years old and I doubt that the axle bearings have ever been maintained. :facepalm:

I am going to move in the near future and my boat will be my Uhaul. This will put over 600 miles on the trailer in a short amount of time. I doubt the trailer has seen that much mileage in the past three decades.

The axle I have has the four bolt Carlisle tires, as shown in the attached photos.

Can you guys help me get my trailer safe for the road?

I want to order all the stuff from iBoats.com by next week and completely repack and replace anything that needs replacing. I am getting a new set of tires, also.

Can you guys tell me what I need to refurbish the trailer and also provide links to the right iBoats.com products?? Bearings, grease, bearing hubs, ..... ?

If there is anything you need to know, measurements and such, let me know. I am ready to get started ASAP.

Thank you in advance. :)
Click to expand...

I see from the pictures in your post that you have plenty of orange soda to complete the prep work on the trailer. I usually stock up on beer when I work on the boat/trailer, but that is just my preference.

One major thing you need to consider is the loading on the trailer, since it is going to be your "U-Haul". Chances are that a boat full of household items is going to exceed the load capacity of the trailer. You may have to consider heavier duty springs, tires, wheels, etc. into your prep work.

This may not be a good plan from the get-go, so maybe re-think it a bit.
 
Silvertip

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,762
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

i have a really funny story about using a boat as a utility trailer but it is far too long to tell here. Oh shucks -- here goes (but with a shortened conversation)

1) Friend: What makes a trailer squeal?
2) Me: What trailer?
3) Friend: Boat trailer!
4) Me: What were you doing?
5) Friend: Headed to the dump!
6) Me - jokingly: Why? Getting rid of your boat?
7) Friend: No -- getting rid of stuff!
8) Me: What kind of stuff?
9) Friend: Bricks
10) Me: Ahhhh. How many bricks? (now I know what the problem is and about to have fun)
11) Me: Check the tires to see if there is a groove in them that looks different than the tread groove.

Next Day

12) Friend: Yes - there was a strange groove in the middle of both tires.
13) Me: How many bricks were in the boat?
14) Friend: It was pretty full!
15) Me: Do you suppose the trailer was way overloaded and the fenders or mounting bolts were rubbing on the tires?
16) Friend: I'll bet that was it!

This is but one story about this fellow. Unconcerned about most of the stupid stuff he did.
 
M

maproy99

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 14, 2011
Messages
266
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

UncleWillie said:
Fair enough! :redface:

He already has plans to get new tires.
Everything always looks better in pictures than in real life.

Do you really want to find out the hard way, how may miles are left in those 5-10 year old tires?? :eek:

Just one of many reports concerning perfectly good "Old Tires."
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/aged-tires-driving-hazard-4826897
Click to expand...

YEA I DO WANT TO FIND OUT HOW MANY MILES ARE LEFT IN THE TIRES! It's called having spares and knowing how to change a tire on a road. LOL
 
U

UncleWillie

Captain
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
3,995
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

maproy99 said:
YEA I DO WANT TO FIND OUT HOW MANY MILES ARE LEFT IN THE TIRES! It's called having spares and knowing how to change a tire on a road. LOL
Click to expand...

Joking aside, actually, it was a valid question cast in a rhetorical light. :)

Some people have a low tolerance for risk and will replace tires (and Impellers) after two years.
Other folks will try to roll every last inch out of the tread.

I have been known (In my younger years) to take the attitude, that if the tire still held air, it was still serviceable!
Sure, the wire core was showing in a few spots, and the ride was bumpy, but every mile I got out of the old tire was a mile I was not putting on the new one. ;)

The OP has decided he doesn't trust the current ones and will get new tires.

You are willing to run his old tires and find out the hard way. :D

Keeping in mind that the risk is not only to me and my property, but also to the people and property around me.
I would be willing to have a closer look at them and then decide. :confused:

It is a matter of each person?s individual opinion.
Each person needs to ask themselves ...
"Do I really want to find out the hard way, how may miles are left in those old tires?
Am I willing to take the risk? And, am I willing to pay the consequences?

All your choices in life take this same logical path.
You make your choices, and you take your chances. :cool:
 
LippCJ7

LippCJ7

Vice Admiral
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
5,431
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

Silvertip said:
i have a really funny story about using a boat as a utility trailer but it is far too long to tell here. Oh shucks -- here goes (but with a shortened conversation)

1) Friend: What makes a trailer squeal?
2) Me: What trailer?
3) Friend: Boat trailer!
4) Me: What were you doing?
5) Friend: Headed to the dump!
6) Me - jokingly: Why? Getting rid of your boat?
7) Friend: No -- getting rid of stuff!
8) Me: What kind of stuff?
9) Friend: Bricks
10) Me: Ahhhh. How many bricks? (now I know what the problem is and about to have fun)
11) Me: Check the tires to see if there is a groove in them that looks different than the tread groove.

Next Day

12) Friend: Yes - there was a strange groove in the middle of both tires.
13) Me: How many bricks were in the boat?
14) Friend: It was pretty full!
15) Me: Do you suppose the trailer was way overloaded and the fenders or mounting bolts were rubbing on the tires?
16) Friend: I'll bet that was it!

This is but one story about this fellow. Unconcerned about most of the stupid stuff he did.
Click to expand...

Does he live in Colorado and his name is Ryan D.? Just wondering if we knew the same guy with the same "Short Cut" Problem....
 
M

M9.9

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Dec 4, 2011
Messages
152
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

Hi OP and everyone,

There should be low-tread warning stubs somewhere in the groove of the tire rubber. If you locate the stubs they should be below the tread surface. From the pictures, I'd guess the treads are fine actually very-fine.
As others have mentioned, you might get the bearings serviced. There should be a name and number stamped on the bearing, with that it's quite easy to match or x reference with same size if replacement is necessary. Then there's lighting...
 
smokeonthewater

smokeonthewater

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
9,838
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

He isn't concerned with the tread... the tires are WAY past their normal service life and he doesn't want blowouts on his 600 mile trip with the trailer overloaded with all of his prized possessions.
 
M

M9.9

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Dec 4, 2011
Messages
152
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

Silvertip said:
i have a really funny story about using a boat as a utility trailer but it is far too long to tell here. Oh shucks -- here goes (but with a shortened conversation)

1) Friend: What makes a trailer squeal?
2) Me: What trailer?
3) Friend: Boat trailer!
4) Me: What were you doing?
5) Friend: Headed to the dump!
6) Me - jokingly: Why? Getting rid of your boat?
7) Friend: No -- getting rid of stuff!
8) Me: What kind of stuff?
9) Friend: Bricks
10) Me: Ahhhh. How many bricks? (now I know what the problem is and about to have fun)
11) Me: Check the tires to see if there is a groove in them that looks different than the tread groove.

Next Day

12) Friend: Yes - there was a strange groove in the middle of both tires.
13) Me: How many bricks were in the boat?
14) Friend: It was pretty full!
15) Me: Do you suppose the trailer was way overloaded and the fenders or mounting bolts were rubbing on the tires?
16) Friend: I'll bet that was it!

This is but one story about this fellow. Unconcerned about most of the stupid stuff he did.
Click to expand...

LOL !! That's pretty-good.
 
U

UncleWillie

Captain
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
3,995
Re: Please help me get the axel on my trailer road worthy.

smokeonthewater said:
He isn't concerned with the tread... the tires are WAY past their normal service life and he doesn't want blowouts on his 600 mile trip with the trailer overloaded with all of his prized possessions.
Click to expand...

At least someone gets it! :rolleyes:
 
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