Long distance tow

[chris.j.marshall]

Hopefully I'm not beating a dead horse here. I checked prior threads and didn't see anything. I'm preparing for an out of state move for my family back to our home state of Ohio. I'll be towing the boat about 950 miles and just wanted to make sure I'm not missing anything and see if anyone out there had any tips. The tires and rims on the trailer are about a year old and have approx 1200 miles on them. I repacked the bearings at the beginning of the season, and they're two years old. Spare tire isn't in the greatest shape, but I'm hoping I won't need it. I plan on having a tire change tool, grease gun, and spare jack at close reach. The truck has new tires and has always been dealer serviced. I've also driven the route before with an enclosed cargo trailer. Am I missing anything?

 

[lrak]

Re: Long distance tow

About the only other things you could do to prepare is order a new spare tire, order a spare hub, and join the Boat US trailer club that gets you something like 100 miles of free emergency towing.

 

[woosterken]

Re: Long distance tow

check the tires for dry rot/heat cracks? and make sure they are at the P.S.I. on the side of tire.
go to harbor freight , get one of those point and shoot thermometers to keep track of the heat in the bearings at each stop?
have a safe trip and keep the speed down?

 

[mrmamiller]

Re: Long distance tow

Ditto on the infrared heat gun from Harbor Freight. I use one and it gives me great peace of mind, knowing that everything is OK. I find that even in warm (84 DegF) weather, my hubs run about 108 DegF +/- 2F, and the difference between hubs is only ever 1 DegF. If I see a difference between hubs, I know I have an issue. I carry a spare hub, grease and bearings, jack, board for under jack, etc. You never know.....

 

[bigdee]

Re: Long distance tow

It sounds like you have all bases covered. The only thing I might do is break all lug nuts loose and re-tighten just to make sure that they are not frozen. A couple cans of fix-a-flat and a battery operated air compressor might buy some redundancy for that old spare.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Long distance tow

Buy two new tire & rim assemblies and use the current ones as spares.

 

[Lyle29464]

Re: Long distance tow

I might sleep all day and drive it at night.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Long distance tow

Spare spare.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Long distance tow

Buy two new tire & rim assemblies and use the current ones as spares.

He said they are only a year old. If he has not ever towed them under-inflated he should be fine.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Long distance tow

He said they are only a year old. If he has not ever towed them under-inflated he should be fine.

Here is my logic: He should have more than one spare anyway, so he might as well put the new ones on under controlled conditions rather than risking having to do it on the highway.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Long distance tow

He said they are only a year old. If he has not ever towed them under-inflated he should be fine.

+1 ^^^

This isn't an off road Safari across the outback!
It is a every Long One day trip that as the wise man he is, is going to take two days.
Everything will be as hot as it is going to get in the first hour.
Once he hits the OK border, the rest of the trip will just be boring.

Good Luck, Keep 'em Rollin'!
And, Welcome Back!

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: Long distance tow

Check bearings and seals and go. with spare tire. Have towed horse trailers at Max from MI. to Arizona. Although a set of new set of bearings and seals are not a bad idea on to have on hand.???

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Long distance tow

Great advice so far and I agree with it, especially the two spares idea(from Experience) I will add that if you are going to pull with covers on I would put some blue masking tape on the areas where the cover rubs the gelcoat.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Long distance tow

I have done 1500 miles with having to change a tire on each trip. once was a 3" piece of rhibar that I picked up, the other was where the tread separated from the carcase.

Have a set of bearings and seals and the tools to change them. the extra hub is nice, however if you have a hub, it will be the brake hub that goes, or visa versa.

The only other advise I have is to pull with the cover off.

 

[rallyart]

Re: Long distance tow

950 miles is really not all that far. Year old tires should be great. Your fuel economy and bearings are all more comfortable at the speed limit or slightly slower than if you speed. I always thought red liquorice ropes were a great snack while driving but chips are good too.
The only real advice I can give you is to check your load after about 20 miles and look for problems, then check everything quickly whenever you stop. The early check is to spot a problem when everything is settled for your trip and you are still close to easy repairs or to spot something before it's a problem.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Long distance tow

Here is my logic: He should have more than one spare anyway, so he might as well put the new ones on under controlled conditions rather than risking having to do it on the highway.

Got 2 spares for your truck?

 

[emilsr]

Re: Long distance tow

The last time we moved I towed the boat 1200 miles from Lake of the Ozarks, MO to El Paso, TX. Guess what happened? Nothing.

Relax, you'll be fine. Just take your time and keep the speeds down. Take 2 days to make the drive so you stay awake and alert. If you really want to do something, replace the spare.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Long distance tow

Got 2 spares for your truck?

No, but since I'm able to detect a tire problem in the vehicle I'm driving better one on than the vehicle I'm towing, I think I'm good. :redface:

How about a revised suggestion: Replace the spare and also keep the old one in case Mr. Murphy strikes twice.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Long distance tow

You forgot to tell us what kind of tow vehicle you have so we can tell you it's not big enough.:boink:

 

[chris.j.marshall]

Re: Long distance tow

Wow. Thanks everyone. I'm thinking get a better spare and a can of fix a flat. Between paying for the moving truck and closing costs on the new place, I'd like to keep as much cash in my pocket as possible. I think I'll compromise two whole new tire and wheel assemblies. I saw the comment about gelcoat rub and another suggestion to take the cover off for towing. Is gelcoat rub the reasoning for towing topless, or is there some other advantage?