Distance Towing - What to check & take with on the trip ?

[rdoubledog]

Distance as in 5 hours to get a new/used rig.

Heading up to Greensboro, NC next weekend to pick up a lightweight barebone tiller steer Carolina Skiff J16 with 20 Merc and trolling motor. Basically a shoebox lid with an outboard. The whole rig is extremely clean and the galvanized trailer is pristine, tires are a few years old, with no dry rot. I'm nervous about the drive back to Savannah.

What would you pack on the trip and offer any advice? ---- what would you do first? Pop the hubs off and check for grease?

My plans are:

Look the seals over real good, and maybe even pop a hub off to check and maybe even repack the grease.

-Stop at the first Wally & buy a spare tire
-Fill the 6 gallon air compressor up before leaving.
-Tools: T-Lug wrench with cheater pipe, screwdriver, wrenches etc.
-Ballpeen hammer, brass punches, extra bearings, races and seals (though I don't know the size, I've got a few that may fit)
Floor Jack, Blocks of wood (4x4, 2x4's)
Grease gun, packing grease, WD40/BP Blaster
Flattened cardboard & grease rags
Ratchet straps (not the cheap ones)
Extra hitch and ball

The return drive has me taking 74 South to Hwy 38, then 95 South. I'd like to avoid interstate as much as possible, and if I do it will be at 60'ish MPH and stop every 20 minutes to check the temp on the hubs.

Nervous.... yeah to say the least. Would appreciate a lifeline for anyone in the area.

Thanks,
Jr.

[Ed R]

Infrared Laser Thermometer/sensor

https://www.harborfreight.com/121-in...ter-63985.html

I keep one in the truck. Good for checking rotor/bearing temps. Both on the truck and trailer.

350 - 400 miles. If the trailer is in good shape, biggest worry would be trailer couplings, tires, bearings, tail, stop, and directional lights.

Floor jack. jack it up check for bearing play. Spin the tires see if there is any wobble. Check the grease, tail, stop and directionals. Make sure the coupling is secure. Head on down the road. Keep an eye on rotor and bearing temps.

[motobuffy]

Small diameter tires means slower speeds. Tires may look OK,but that's no guarantee. Speed adds heat and heat causes problems. Just spent 4.5 hours on the side of 95 with a friend's 5th wheel after a blow out. He just couldn't keep his lead foot off the floor. Your checklist looks complete to me.

[Coach185]

I am getting ready tow my son in laws boat cross country. My list is pretty close to yours. I would add zip ties, duct tape and a cheap 6x8 poly tarp.

[Coke]

I would also add some reflective triangles or flares to your list, just in case.

[rdoubledog]

Good points-!

Tarp - will add
Electrical tape-check
Duct tape - will add
Zip ties, in the tool bag
Triangle I'll need to check into, I do have roadside assistance insurance (very last case),

I'll bring two big 18 gallon Totes with gear.

[Islands]

You may consider putting your boat/trailer on a rental trailer like a U-haul car trailer. You can check for fit measurements at a local rental and possibly setup a one way rental from where the boat is currently located.

[Transom]

As others have stated tires, bearings and coupler. On a small trailer without brakes dealing with a bearing problem is not really that hard as long as it does not seize or scar the spindle. I would find out what size the tire/wheel is and go ahead and get a spare.

[Slicefixer]

A TPMS that can monitor your trailer tires. Mine monitors up to 8 tires simultaneously for both pressure and temperature.

Also, do yourself a favor and buy one of these kits. I can, if I put the hammer down, change an F150/250 truck tire in 20 minutes or less. I have 4 of them so that both my kids and my wife have one in their vehicles. I use mine all the time in my business.....INvaluable! Get the 4 year extended protection plan as I've had one impact wrench go bad and one compressor.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TT6C89G...M0JKGXT1TGP6M8ooo

Btw, I wouldn't think twice about hauling my boat across the country. My dual axle trailer that I'm renovating has a set of compact truck tires on it vs cheap trailer tires.

[lmoore]

Are there any TPMS systems available that the senders can be submersed, or do you remove them before dunking the boat?

[Slicefixer]

I take mine off, but, I'd imagine I could seal to the valve stem with silicone and they'd still function. In fact, I'd better do just that because it's inevitable that I'll forget to remove them at some point.....like trimming the motor up when loaded on the ramp....😉

[lmoore]

I take mine off, but, I'd imagine I could seal to the valve stem with silicone and they'd still function. In fact, I'd better do just that because it's inevitable that I'll forget to remove them at some point.....like trimming the motor up when loaded on the ramp....

Exactly why I was wondering, there is no way I would remember to swap them every time. My previous boat wore the scars from leaving the motor trimmed down a few times also!

[Williep99]

I have the Pressure Pro TPMS, awesome to date. Shows pressure as soon as I plug it in and the phone app makes it simple to program and use. Sensors are waterproof. Most blowouts probably start as a low tire that overheats and grenades.

I carry 2 jacks, one bottle and one axle thingamajig.

Tools to accomplish changing a hub over. Having all spare bearings doesn’t do much if you can’t remove the hub and a disc brake if you have those. I carry a full spare hub ready to go with all my tools in a large big box store bag. Something to lay on if you have to do any work. I always have a moving blanket with me. A strap or bungee to hold stuff up if you are working on a hub. Some folks carry a 4x4 to secure the axle on a tandem if you have to run without a tire.

Infrared temp checker and tire pressure gauge. Flashlight since trailer problems always carry over to night. I use a magnetic one that also works like a lantern. And a spare cotter key. I seem to break every other one when pulling a hub. Oh, grease gun too. And I’m done (for now)

[Bassman Ia.]

A month ago Did a 2077 mile trip in 2.5 days to pick up a boat.

I took a brand new mounted spare with.
spare hub
I have a large tote with tools, floor jack, triangles, ect in the bed.
Trailer tires needed some air, fixed—— didn’t have any problems——- and at times we were hauling the mail to keep from being ran over ( 80 MPH)

[ecoast]

spare loaded hub

[NoZero]

good list - If you know specs to take a spare hub ^^, that would be good.

crawl under and look at the leaf springs - and/or take some orange triangles. hahaha!! Mine was only 2.5hrs away, but I got to spend a LOT of time alone in the beautiful countryside in the middle of the night. ;) Check those leaf springs.

[jb882]

I would also add a flat file and some emery tape to your box of tools. Just in case you need to work on a spindle....

[AML Survivor]

Bring an old board or two to put under your jack in case the ground is soft.

[rdoubledog]

Update

Well, after 15 hours round trip its home. My new to me FRESHWATER 1998 CS J16, 2003 Merc 20 and brand new Minn Kota SW bow mount (still in box with tags). This thing is clean beyond belief and the trailer only has slight rust on a bolt or two.

The 400+ mile drive back took almost eight hours due to traffic and my keeping the speed down.

Hit the hubs with the grease gun a few good pumps and all was good. I believe the seller said he replaced the tires less than a year ago and upon inspection showed minimal wear. Only minor issue was replacing a bulb. Left with the rig, picked up two new tires at the nearest Wally (as spares) and hit the interstate. Fortunately it was a 60mph zone for the first hour, so no rush. Pulled over, checked the hub temps (feel) and she's good. Did it again after another hour and no issues.

Increased the speed to 73 for the most part on cruise and thank goodness it was a pretty painless trip than the length.

I'm stoked to say the least. Just need to do a little wiring to get it situated to my liking, may as well do a gear oil & water pump change while at it.

Thanks for the reassurance, and I want so say that the Tiguan dropped from 28 mpg to 19 due to the extra 250 pounds of tools and not because of the boat(n) For what its worth, the VW did great with it other than the mileage.

[DewRonInc]

Great buy