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supposed to hit 95 degrees here tomorrow, i was gonna tow the boat to the lake about an hour away, but i'm concerned, not so much for the truck, it's equipped with a towing package, but the wheel bearings getting too hot. what do you think?
How old is the trailer? Raise the wheels off of the ground with a jack, grab the wheel firmly with both hands and give it a good shaking, if you have any movement then have the bearings checked. Make sure they are greased up well and you will be fine...
It's supposed to be 95 here for the next 4 months!!! LOTS of boats get towed around here.
When is the last time oil has been changed in the truck, it looses it viscositty<<:redface:you know what I mean. all your fluids in the truck. Just grease you bearing real good you should be ok, This is regular maintainance I do every time I go out,(check the fluids) radiator with a fluid gauge to make sure its still good. Definitly bring a spare tire.
I'm heading out on a 500 mile trip in 95 degree weather as I often do and the hubs on my trailer get barely above ambient temperature. Bearings do need to be lubed, in good shape, and end play properly set. In your case, one hour of travel should heat them up very little -- unless they've been neglected. Then 5 miles can kill them and make you wish you'd serviced them as you stare at the point on the axle where the spindle and wheel used to be. And the guy behind you is ready to rip your arms off because he ran over the missing items. Yes -- I'm funnin' with you but I've seen it happen and it isn't a pretty picture.
Another concern in this situation is tires . . . I tow in 115 degree ambient often. And like Silvertip we're doing a 500 mile tow starting today across the Desert. I run my tires at their max rated pressure to keep the heat down in them. I've also been in 105 degree ambient changing a tire cause a friend ran them at 35 "just like my truck". They're different . . .
One more vote for geting your tire pressure up to whatever it says on the sidewall. The standard is "cold" meaning before you've driven any distance. Don't try to raise or lower the psi according to some voodoo hocus pocus. Just do it cold and check it (cold)!
95* isnt anythign to worry about. the trailer bearings get hotter than that just by the rolling motion. I usually just throw a little grease in the bearing zerks everytime I go on a trip.
I have bearing buddies and I fill them till the little buttons pop all the way full
Rob
