Trailers and a bolt from the blue......

[stan_deezy]

Just a word of caution really. This one caught me by surprise as I've never seen anything quite like it:
Working on a trailer for a friend and checked over everything. The boat is predominantly launched in salt water and when recovered is left nose down (very naughty and he has been told not to do it but who listens to advice from older people?)
The job was to strip trailer to the "nuts and bolts" and clean and grease everything.
Trailer is ten years old, make unkown, mild steel box construction, epoxy coated.

Here is what was found when the hitch bolts were removed.............

[bogib]

I have never seen anything like that and I have been in salty seas for 33 years launching trailers.

Better having a look on my old trailer to see if I have similar problem.

Bogi

[stan_deezy]

must admit it shook me a bit!

One bolt had sheared, the other one sheared with minimal pressure applied.

Hidden inside the box section there was only way to check them and that was to undo them: outwardly the trailer showed little signs of corrosion.......

[Roy Smith]

Just had a snipe trailer serviced just 2 years old and washed in and out of the water all the sealed for life bearing had gone the brake linings had come away from the shoes and cables shot to pices result £650
it seams that sealed for life means nothing.
I wonder how many people are towing trailers that they think are safe ?
I have a new 8.1mts boat on order and need a trailer but after seeing the snipe i wonder are all trailers much the same?

[Jackwabbit]

Yes I know what you mean!
We are currently looking at a new trailer & were thinking of going back to Snipe, because our old Snipe trailer is now over 8 years old & still on the same bearings & brakes. BUT after looking at their web site only yesterday I noticed they have also gone down the route of using those so called sealed for life bearings, now I wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole!
You have been lucky to have kept it on the road for 2 years, our Bramber trailer had to have all new brake shoes & cables after only 9 months & now at 18months old the bearings have collapsed.
When we first started to have problems with this trailer someone on this forum pointed me in the direction of De Graaff trailers. I spoke to someone there (I think his name was Arthur but I’m not sure)
He reassured me that they do NOT use the sealed for life bearings, & in fact laughed when this was my first question (he knew exactly where I was coming from, if you know what I mean) & as soon as I can get our committee of their asses to make a decision I’ll be popping down to see him to find out more.

[Big surf]

Anyone have any feedback on the new style oil-filled bearings?. They seem to be the newest and greatest.

[Roy Smith]

Spoke to R & M trailers to day they asure me that if you use there flushing kit that the brakes should be ok what they said was its the brake linings that swell away from the shoes and heat up the drum which causes the grease in the bearings to leak or the sealed for life seals crack result collaped bearings
but R & M say there bearings cost £25 each which sounds cheep as i got charged £49.50 + vat each and yes they dont last for ever, which at least is honest of them, i am going to see them so i will pm you if i get a good deal.