I took my trailer to be serviced this week. I got some bad news that could have been much worse. I need two new spindles, a rotor/hub, and at least 2 new bearing sets. My other two spindles are not in great shape, but would be good for a year or so. I always knew my trailer was the weak link of my setup, but I only pull my boat about 4 miles each time I use it, so I put-off the work until this season. Bad mistake! The previous owner probably never repacked the hubs or probably had a lift and never used them. The brake reservoir was empty and the damage to the spindles show a "long term" problem. When I bought the boat, I asked the dealer to check the trailer and ensure that the bearings were repacked and everything was good-to-go. My guess is another re-grease and out the door. Anyway, I have decided to buy two new axles and sort of start from scratch (only about $100 diff from new spindles and labor). Total cost of new hub kits, axles, brake job, and rotor replacement will be around $600! If you need a reason to do seasonal maintenance on your boat trailer, here are some other reasons you should.
1. Our trailer parts are becoming more difficult to find and are not "standard" sizes. In fact, Ameritrail told me they are no longer buying parts for their trailers from the same company they used with ours.
2. The trailers are very good quality, but replacement parts are therefore more expensive.
3. If you don't keep your trailers lubed regularly it can really cost you later!
Hopefully no one else has this problem, but I thought I would share my experience.
