Boat trailer emergancy items

[ThomasL]

Just wondered how many of you take along spare parts for your boat trailer?

I need to buy a spare tire,rim assy and thought of buying a hub assembly

just in case something bad happens.Also plan on buying new bearings,races,seal but i guess i have to take my old ones out

to know what i have.Already got a scissor jack in the back! :-?

[Skwerl]

IMO it isn't worth the hassle to carry around a bunch of spare parts all the time, especially if your trailer is in good shape and properly maintained. If the bearings or hubs are marginal and you're going to buy new parts anyway, you might as well put the new parts on the trailer so you don't have to worry about it any more.

Another thing I've discovered after about 20 years of saving old parts "as a spare, just in case". If a part is bad enough to pull off and replace, then it isn't good enough to put back on. Throw it away. By the time the new part wears out, your used 'spare' will be rusted, corroded or lost and you will end up buying another new part instead of using the POS you've been carrying around for 5 years.

I carry a spare tire (sometimes) and whenever I buy tail light bulbs they come in packages of two so I throw the second one in the glovebox 'as a spare', but that's about it. When I take the boat out I am not worried about the reliability of my trailer because I already handled that. Preventative maintenance goes a long way.

[Team_Dougherty]

I agree with Skwerl, if you maintain your trailer you should not have any issues with bearings etc... The only items I carry are a spare wheel and tire assembly, Grease gun and light bulbs. Come to think of it, I do not even need the bulbs any more since I converted to LED lights.  In all of my 22 years of towing a boat I only have one bearing issue (as I knock on wood) and it was bad enough that it ruined the spindle making road side repair impossible. That whole issue wasn't because of bad maintenance. I bumped a curb and, unknowingly, knocked a bearing buddy off losing all my grease. I now know to look when I do that.

[Guest JoshKeller]

I carry a spare tire that fits both the truck and the trailer. I have a spare hub since I got a package deal on two, and already had one new one. I carry a file, hydraulic jack since the jack taht came with my truck was stolen, A 4 way, and a tube of marine grease, and I hit the road. I keep all of this in a small plastic waterproof rubbermaid container in the extended cab.

[Muddpuppy]

Even though this might be considered more for the vehicle then the trailer I like to have plenty of spare fuses and electrical tape. I also carry a small votage meter, but I guess those would be more of a tool then a part.  A 12v tire pump has come in handy a lot of times.

[cart7t]

Never leave home without a spare tire for your boat and check the spares inflation regularily.  As for a hub, most guys who are running longer distances carry one (ie: trips more than 500 miles).  Anything, even new can fail and the last thing you want is to be in the middle of nowhere hundreds of miles from home trying to scrounge up a hub assembly.  BTW, make sure you stock extra bulbs and a grease gun.

[Tucson]

I carry a brand new spare hub ready to go on, a spare set of bearings (pre-greased), a hydraulic jack, grease gun and of course a spare tire and the tools needed for repair.  Doesn't take up much space and the only thing I've ever needed is the grease gun so far.  Seems like the better prepared you are, the lower the chances of needing this stuff.  I do an annual tow of 4000 miles so I'm a little on the cautious side.  Oh yeah, some wood blocks in case you need to jack it up in soft ground.

[Cajun1977]

i carry  jack  and  torque wrench  also  key for my spare tire  ive got the lug nuts that require a special socket  to prevent theft        i need to get some bulbs and fuses to carry around with my truck

[Skwerl]

After reading the other replies on this thread I realize that different situations call for different tactics. I'm in a suburban area and my launch ramp is about 1.5 miles away on a busy 6 lane road with no less than 4 tire stores between my house and the ramp. If I were in a more remote area and had many miles to drive then I'm sure I would feel the need to be more prepared for any possible breakdown. Lots of good advice here.

[Flatfish]

I always carry a spare and a simple solution to the spare parts for the trailer axle for me was to get the spare hub, and a stub axle/spindle. Mount it to the spare tire and lay a straight edge across the back of the tire, mark and cut to length, then have it welded to the trailer tongue, now you have a spare tire mount When you mount the hub/spare tire to the spindle all the spare parts are there, wheel/tire, hub/bearings, washer, nut, cotter keys, lug nut's, and spare bearing buddy, all greased up.

[Way2slow]

Boils down to how much you are willing to leave on side of the road if you have to leave it to go get assistance, and how much you're willing to pay to get if going if very far from home.

As a minimum a spare tire, a way to jack it up and tools to change the tire.

If you tow long distances I would strongly recommend a complete spare spindle, hub with bearings and cover.   Too many times a bearing goes out, and ruins the hub and spindle, forcing you to leave it to go for help or call a towing service roll back (rather expensive).  Then you can be stuck leaving it there for a couple of days while a shop is ordering the spindle, hub and parts.   With the spare parts on hand, anybody with a portable welder can make the repairs right there on side of the road or most any shop.

A convenient way to carry these parts is make a spare tire support that fastens to the frame, and a couple of small muffler clamps to hold the spindle with the hub and all mounted on the spindle and the spare tire mounted on the hub.

[IneedAnewScreenName9886691]

I love this tire jack - cheap and easy!  

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=9071&hvarDept=200&hvarEvent=&hvarClassCode=4&hvarSubCode=4&hvarTarget=browse

[RobDar]

if you are worried about bearings and such, replace them, it is real cheap and easy...

put new ones in now and use bearing buddy caps and you will likely NEVER have a problem.

I blew a bearing on my old trailer on the way to Canada...nothing too bad happened other than being in the upper penninsula of Michigan on a Saturday, off season, and everything closes at noon. We started at one place and each place kept sending us to someone else...most of whom were closed...and finally ended up finding the bearing AFTER 3 HOURS of driving....at a place IN SIGHT OF where we had started. my wife cried she was so upset...I never laughed so hard in my life.

[Guest JoshKeller]

The only reason I carry spares is because I tow 1600 miles each way annually. And if you've ever driven through mississippi at 3 am, that is NOT someplace I want to be stranded, because there is literally nothing but swamps and forest for 200 miles.

I also carry a battery powered lantern in my truck, because if all this happens at night, what good is it if you cant see?