Long haul.

[nimmor]

I have a 1979 16ft tracker with the original trailer with 13" tires. Looks like we will be relocating 600 miles away. I was wondering if anybody has ever pulled a small trailer that distance? I am trying to decide if I should try it or just sell the boat and buy another one once relocated. I would of course put new bearings before making that kind of trip but was wondering about speed and other factors. I would love to hear from anybody with experience doing this, good or bad.

 

[109jb]

Re: Long haul.

Ever seen a car with 13" wheels make a 600 mile trip? Take a spare and go for it.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Long haul.

it the bearing are packed and in good condition and the tires arnt dry rotted and in the right load range, and the lights work , it should be no problem at all , and a spair is allways a good thing to have , its what traillers are for

 

[roscoe]

Re: Long haul.

Drive man drive.

If the tires and bearings are good, no reason you couldn't drive coast to coast and back again.

I do 1200-1600 miles in a week every year, sometimes twice.

Just did 590 miles in a day.

Have done 3000 miles in a month.


All with a trailer that had 12 inch tires.

 

[Titanium48]

Re: Long haul.

^Agreed. I take my boat on a 2000 km (1300 mi) round trip at least once a year. With good, well greased bearings and good, fully inflated tires you should be fine. As for speed, the maximum load @ specifiedpressure rating on trailer tires applies to a maximum speed of 65 MPH, but you can increase the pressure by 10 psi to increase the speed rating to 75 MPH.

 

[U.S.S. Too Tall]

Re: Long haul.

When I got my boat, we were on vacation. 300 miles from home. I would say that while we were still "up north" we put a good 100 miles on the trailer. Then the 300 mile trip home. One reason that I was a little nervous, i did not have a spare for it. We did check the bearings out before going home. The fist thing that I bought when we got home, a spare with new rubber all around!!! The trailer can handle the boat plus some, I had the cooler and some gear in it. It worked great! The only thing you heed to look at would be the speed you travel. You will need to figure out what speed you get the best MPG. But you should have no problem with the trailer!

 

[woodytwo]

Re: Long haul.

I agree with all of the advice on bearings, tires and the spare. I personally tow about 8 to
10,000 miles a year. Best to keep your speed down to 6o. More trailering accidents that I have knowledge of were caused by excessive speed. If you have to stop or swerve quickly you have 2000 # or so of weight behind you. And it doesn't want to go where you are going.

 

[mwmike270]

Re: Long haul.

if everything is in shape, there would be no problem with this. good tires , lubed and ready, spare just in case. id watch the speed as the faster you go its hard to recover from a flat. no doubt people can drag the trailers at 70mph but if you have ever seen them blow....

do not over inflate tires

 

[Gun Dog]

Re: Long haul.

Most important. What is the load weight? Boat + trailer + anything you load in it (many people load em with household goods on a move) - tongue weight = load. Check the load rating of each tire at rated air pressure and add together. If your the weight exceeds that number don't tow. One option would be to go up a tire size or two or from a "B" to a "C" rating to up your load capacity. Good Luck.

 

['78 Crusader]

Re: Long haul.

Don't sell your boat....that's crazy talk man!

I run from north of Dallas TX to North of Atlanta GA (860 miles one way, 1700+ round trip) every summer with our boat and the trailer rides on 5.80x8 inch wheels and we have never had a problem.

Jack up your trailer and spin your tires....if they feel loose, difficult to turn or feel a grinding...then pull off the wheel and replace the bearings. If the wheels spins smoothly, I'd add some grease through a bearing buddy and call it good. Oh, be sure to check your tires manufactured date and if they are more than 4-5 years old, I'd replace them.......get a spare tire too.

Aside from that, a 300 mile trip will be easy to do....don't worry about it man.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Long haul.

This is one crazy question. If the rig is highway safe and recently serviced you can tow that thing 10,000 or more miles without a worry. I tow mine all over heck and back.

 

[sparticus]

Re: Long haul.

In June I took a small utility trailer with 12 inch wheels on a 3700 mile trip. I had absolutlely no troubles. I checked hub temperature every gas stop and they were barely warmer than the outside air. Just follow the advice of checking your bearings and replacing the tires if they are old.

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: Long haul.

As long as the trailer and tow veh, is in good shape.
You can tow it anywhere.
OH Yeah, Have a spare for the trailer.

 

[whiteman]

Re: Long haul.

Gundog is right on the money. Boat tyres fail when they are asked to carry too much weight and a long distance trip at highway speed will put them to the test. And when a tyre fails and you need to drive a few hundred yards to a safe shoulder other things can rattle loose like brake callipers and even bearings.

Typically, 13" 155 light truck tyres will take up to 1,300lbs, 165s aound 1,500lbs and 175s can vary a lot depending on quality of manufacturer. Make sure the weight of your rig is well inside the capacity of the tyres and if not, replace them with higher spec rubber.