Not bothering with trailer brakes - Page 2

swginn · 05 December 2005, 23:59

Snipe Trailer, crap slipway always have dunk her to above the mudguards. Always leave the brakes cool before I dunk it and then plenty of fresh water (as in 5 mins at least per hub). Service it annually (Don't forget to grease the brake lines!!), and the only time the brakes have ever bound together was when somebody

left the handbrake on for 4 weeks!!

Anyways, they still work perfectly and have to, all of the routes to the slipways we use are closer to rally stages than roads (the joys of Irish motoring

). Tow car is a Merc E200 Kompressor.

Hugh Jardon · 06 December 2005, 12:37

oh and a good point just made, never leave the trailer with the brakes on, that is a sure way to cause probs i have found

Peter J · 06 December 2005, 13:18

Thanks for all the replies, I guess I'd better get the brakes mended then.

However I am still confused about how the problem can be avoided.

My typical trip is 20 min drive, 20 mins preparing while brakes cool. 1 min dip up to the mudguards to launch the boat. Leave by slipway for 4 to 8 hours. Dip up to the mudguards for 2 to 10 mins depending on how well the recovery goes. Secure boat, 20 mins drive home. Wash down boat and trailer with hose, park up.

So after a short dip it sits there for a few hours and after a longer dip it is about an hour later when I can wash it off. Is this too late? Has the salt been eating away at the brakes all that time and washing them off is locking the stable door after the horse has bolted?

Peter.

Hugh Jardon · 06 December 2005, 13:55

i would wash off straight after it has been in the water so the salt has not had time to dry on if that is possible

LURCHER · 06 December 2005, 18:10

Please dont do it ! I had an accident which involved a fatality. with a 4wheel trailer which had defective brakes and unequal tyre pressures neither of which was the cause of the accident .The end result was a huge fine £4.5k in total and the nagging feeling that if the trailer was all ok maybe the accident would not of happened ( the police confirmed that it would not have made any differnce) but you still have to live with that feeling . If it is all uptogether you have one less thing to worry about when things do go wrong .

Poly · 06 December 2005, 18:42

I have a wee boat and so an unbraked trailer... ...but my trailer manufacturer (EZLoader) supply a brake flushing kit for their braked trailers.

It looks like its just a couple of hose pipes that get to the important bits. I presume its possible to create something similar yourself. It may also be possible to connect this to a large bottle of water to flush through with fresh water which must be better than nothing if there is no hose available.

I also have "oil bath" bearings, rather than greesed bearings - and would be interested in anyones feelings/thoughts/experience of these.

NEIL

marknj · 06 December 2005, 20:12

I tow from Penryn to Falmouth, about 3 miles tops, as i am lazy i dunk the trailer both on launch and recovery. Most times i jet wash the boat and trailer on the way back although often not.

Sometimes the brakes have seized a little and only once have i needed to jack it up and give the drums a tap. Normally a push pull with the car is enough to sort it quickly.

I always launch and recover with cold bearings.
I never park the trailer with the brake on.
I always pull forward a few inches after reversing.

Now when checking the boat and always the day after use, I move it an inch or to each way- just enough to move the wheels i don't even have to remove the clamp. Since doing this there is never any sign of seize at all.

I always try the brakes gently every time i use it, and all seams fine.

The trailer is a Hallmark Roller Coaster 1.

The above works for me, i know i should do a lot more but thats life.

roycruse · 06 December 2005, 20:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by marknj

I tow from Penryn to Falmouth

What I want to know mark, if you tow from penryn to falmouth - is why you havnt been at any of our SW get togethers. either on or off the water...

marknj · 16 December 2005, 18:09

Hi, I'm sure we'll meet up soon, I've been very busy with work and everything is always last minute. I have been watching the xmas scilly run with interest but will again decide last min depending on weather and all the other stuff.

See you all soon,
Mark.

codprawn · 16 December 2005, 19:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by LURCHER

Please dont do it ! I had an accident which involved a fatality. with a 4wheel trailer which had defective brakes and unequal tyre pressures neither of which was the cause of the accident .The end result was a huge fine £4.5k in total and the nagging feeling that if the trailer was all ok maybe the accident would not of happened ( the police confirmed that it would not have made any differnce) but you still have to live with that feeling . If it is all uptogether you have one less thing to worry about when things do go wrong .

As to unequal tyre pressure I wonder how many people bother checking theirs on their cars???

When I was hiring cars constantly it was amazing how different the pressures were - and they were brand new cars. Had a Vectra and the ABS kept kicking in when the roads were dry - checked the pressures - one front tyre was at 44psi - the rest were 30!!!

Have a halfrods digital guage on my keyring now - check every week.

CAH · 16 December 2005, 20:38

Check out disc brake conversion kits for boat trailers, Tie-Down Engineering (http://www.tiedown.com/) is a good place to start researching. Drum brakes have too many parts that corrode and fail in the marine environment. Washing your trailer and boat with fresh water after every use will also extend the life of your investment.

CAH

Mollers · 16 December 2005, 21:04

I also like to wash my "investment" with fresh water every time after use. I then like to rub in a little oil, stand back and admire it.

Mollers · 16 December 2005, 21:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by marknj

I tow from Penryn to Falmouth, about 3 miles tops, as i am lazy i dunk the trailer both on launch and recovery. Most times i jet wash the boat and trailer on the way back although often not.

Sometimes the brakes have seized a little and only once have i needed to jack it up and give the drums a tap. Normally a push pull with the car is enough to sort it quickly.

I always launch and recover with cold bearings.
I never park the trailer with the brake on.
I always pull forward a few inches after reversing.

Now when checking the boat and always the day after use, I move it an inch or to each way- just enough to move the wheels i don't even have to remove the clamp. Since doing this there is never any sign of seize at all.

I always try the brakes gently every time i use it, and all seams fine.

The trailer is a Hallmark Roller Coaster 1.

The above works for me, i know i should do a lot more but thats life.

How come you live in PZ and tow the boat from Penryn to Fal. Where do you practice the black art of marine electronics? Do you know the infamous Greener?

marknj · 17 December 2005, 23:11

Hi, I I've only got a running mooring in Pz but can keep the rib on the trailer at penryn. Launching at falmouth is easy with no tide or weather to worry about and can always find somewhere calm to fish. You can get far more days in from falmouth than in mounts bay.

At the mo I'm working for a company called Marine Electronics who have a shop in Waterside House, next to the BMW garage, they also have a shop in Fowey and yes of course I know Kevin

Hopefully the boat will be coded in the spring and as i'm self employed i'll try to juggle the two.