Trailering - Winter 2012

Ted Sensenbrenner, of the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water, has been pulling, fixing, and studying boat trailers for years. Dustin Hoover, of Legendary Trailer Repairs ( www.legendarytrailers.com), is a service provider for BoatU.S. Trailer Assist in the Annapolis, Maryland, area. Between them, they’re familiar with almost everything that can go wrong with a boat trailer and are ready to answer your questions. E-mail trailering@BoatUS.com; or go to www.myBoatUS.com/askexperts.

TED

will have some sort of free-backing mechanism on them: either a reverse-lock-out pin, a reverse solenoid built in, or a reverse solenoid installed before the brake line. A new actuator should have a sticker on it saying what it’s for, or some will be stamped into the metal identifying it. Most all brake lines are universal. I like the hard metal lines best because they don’t flex, but the rubber lines last so much longer — they just don’t make the brakes activate as fast because there is a small amount of expansion in the rubber lines when braking.

TWO STUD
AND LUG NUT
QUESTIONS

QI snapped a stud off my trailer wheel and am wondering if I have to buy a complete new hub assembly, or can I just replace the stud? I’m not sure I’d trust the integrity of a new one, but I trust your judgment a lot more.

B. Hellers, Helena, MT

TED: With the right tools and a little patience, replacing a damaged stud is possible so that it can be as good as new. However, these jobs can take longer than anticipated because extracting broken bits can be extremely frustrating and time consuming. Many in the industry claim you should replace all studs at the same time while you’re at it. Couple that with trying to find the right replacement parts of the right diameter at your local store, and you might be just as well off by purchasing a new hub assembly. I’d buy the pair and do both sides at once.

DUSTIN: Studs are normally very easy to replace depending on

TIP: Use a torque wrench to tighten trailer lug nuts to the correct foot/pound measurement.

what kind of hub, drum, or rotor you have. You can use a sturdy metal punch to knock them out the backside of the hub, rotor, or drum. You should first take the system apart internally so that you have the hub, rotor, or drum still mounted to the tire and rim but removed from the axle. Lay the wheel down and, using the punch, drive the broken stud out of the mounting hole. Then go to the next stud and do the same thing. Now you have a broken stud and a good stud to match up. Make sure you replace it with the exact same stud. The length, width, collar size, and thread size must all match. You can then turn the wheel over and drive the new studs in through the open holes. When they are all the way

TWO OR THREE?

QI’m buying a Crownline 270CR and need a trailer. I’m looking at a Venture aluminum model; the question is, tandem or tri-axle? The boat is about 28 feet and weighs 8,500 pounds full of fuel and water.

S. Messer, Fairport, NY

TED: I’d go with the triple-axle version. Many boat manufacturers include trailers that barely have the required capacity in order to keep the overall package price down, and I see owners that are disappointed time and again with the trailer that was included — so don’t make the mistake of going small. A bigger trailer will allow for far better weight distribution and will be more stable going down the road. If you plan on pulling real distances, I’d for sure go with the largest practical.

will give you more stability and weight centered over your three axles than extended over the tongue of the trailer. When you go into a new rig, always think big, because it is not easy or cheap to change after you start towing on a trailer that’s too small. The sales guy might say, yes, this dual-axle will hold it just fine, but remember who is going to be pulling it all the time. My personal rule of thumb is at least 1,000 pounds over the maximum weight of the boat and trailer. For a bigger rig like yours, I might go 2,000 pounds.