Your longest tow?

[wingmastr23]

Getting ready to tow my boat 1900 miles one way.....

(Hoping I hear alot of people say - I've done it, and had no trouble!!!!! )

 

[Wee Hooker]

Re: Your longest tow?

I have yet to find fishing so good as to tow 1900 Mi one way . Hopefully, you have ;-)
That said, I do a yearly trip to ME and/or NY every year that will log 1000-1400 mi on the trailer inside of a week. Never had an issue but I've always double checked everything (especially, lights, bearings and tires ) weeks before. Anything questionable gets replaced. IMHO, it's allot easier, cheaper and time efficient to do my maintenance /repairs in my driveway vs on the road. I also carry a spare tire, grease gun and basic tools. This year I treated the tires with Ride on sealer and flat protectant so feel that much more confident.

Good luck!

hth

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Your longest tow?

Bring a spare (or 2). We took a 1000 mile roundtrip last summer and blew a perfectly good looking tire less than 60 miles from the house. Luckily we had a spare, put it on and then drove to the nearest fleet farm to buy another spare - rather than risk a blowout without one.

Bearings are the biggest thing, if you havn't repacked them this year then I would do it before attempting a trip of that length.

 

[Liberated]

Re: Your longest tow?

I would carry 2 spares and a floor jack, I blew 2 tires that looked perfectly new last year. New rule, new tires every 3 years.

 

[JimMH]

Re: Your longest tow?

Longest I have pulled the boat is 1100 miles round trip. Didn't have any problems on that trip. That being said I have pulled my dog trailer many thousand of miles going to field trials all over the US and have had to use my spare a few times. I would definitely take two spares on a trip of over 3800 miles round trip.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Your longest tow?

1900 miles - you will probably have a problem or two.

Proper prep can help limit that to bulbs and other simple stuff. As mentioned above, good tires, good brakes (even if not legally required, on a trip that long you will wish you had them at least once) and good bearings.

Carry spares.

 

[wingmastr23]

Re: Your longest tow?

Yea.....I have 2 brand new tires/rims - and have 2 spares.

Have a pre-greased hub assembly and jack (using a bottle jack instead of a floor jack- less space.)

Have a grease gun/grease.

Tool kit, etc.

FYI - I am NOT towing for 3800 miles - I am driving to Indiana - hooking up my boat and towing it home. (SoCal) During the trip I am making a detour to MN to do some fishing...

 

[mphy98]

Re: Your longest tow?

I go 1400 miles round trip twice a year. I always grease bearings, recheck all lights and wires, check and recheck tire pressure. AND Every time I get gas I feel the hubs and inspect the tires. Knock on wood... I haven't had a problem yet.

 

[Bartine]

Re: Your longest tow?

Make sure your bearings are greased, your lights work, if you have brakes that they work, and fill up you tires to the max PSI on listed on the sidewall. You should have no problem.

 

[tnduc]

Re: Your longest tow?

I've towed mine 1500 miles. Check all hookups at gas stops, grease bearings every few hundred miles and you should have no problems.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Your longest tow?

350 miles for us. Not even close to you guys.

 

[riptide09]

Re: Your longest tow?

San Francisco to Boston in 1994.

Tire blew out on trailer 100 miles into the trip. Had to buy another tire so I would be sure to have a spare. One tire on the trailer had a slow leak and needed top be filled up every morning.

No other problems other than I would never want to do it again. It was a long drive.

 

[Thad]

Re: Your longest tow?

San Francisco to Boston in 1994.

Well, you've got me beat. I Left Sierra Vista, AZ for L.A., then from L.A. to Dixon, IL. That was in '94 also. End of July when I got out of the service.

I did not have a single problem other than not enough time to stop at all the water I saw along the way to enjoy and be able to say "I've boated there".

Now we keep our trips to within 600 miles round trip or so.

 

[wingmastr23]

Re: Your longest tow?

Ahhhh! You guys are making me feel better! Thanks!

 

[tswiczko]

Re: Your longest tow?

I have done about a thousand mile round trip and like everyone one else said grease, extra spare, jack, tool kit.


I also have a spare spindle, bearings and races just in case.

Also every time I stop I check the hub by putting my hand on it, if it's getting too warm you may have a bearing going. The hubs should feel all about the same temp. It should not be uncomfortably warm to the touch I can't give you an exact temp because driving conditions and distance play a factor but if you touch it and it burns you you might have a problem.

if you have a brake on an axle those hubs may get a little warmer. Thats how I found a shoe hanging up (hot hub) took care of the problem before it became a problem.


Good luck. hope you catch some fish

 

[Dave1251]

Re: Your longest tow?

Have you thought about just selling the boat in Indiana and buying a boat in So Cal? The cost of moving the boat exceeds the value of the boat.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Your longest tow?

I towed my rig 300 miles round trip last weekend and had a good experience. My transom saver needs some work so I tied a rope to hold the OB in place a bit.

I didn't like the highway conditions with all the bumps so we took the scenic route thru amish country and I felt better about the stress put on my transom.

I had a lady almost pull right out in front of me that would have resulted in a t-bone crash but she regained her grip on reality and stopped

I'm looking forward to some longer trips, my buddy in Texas told me he will show me the Pecos river if I want to make the trek

Good luck to ya!

 

[MTribe08]

Re: Your longest tow?

When I bought my boat, I towed it home from Roswell, GA to Surprise, AZ.

30 hours/1,874 miles

Had 4 new tires on the trailer, and a spare. Greased up the bearings before I left and checked them every 100-200 miles for heat build up. Every so often I would give them some grease. Brake reservoir was brand new and the brakes were in working condition. Made sure all the lights worked.

I drove at about 60-65mph the whole way.

Didn't have a single issue the entire way home.

 

[JaseBosto]

Re: Your longest tow?

When I got out of the Navy, I towed a trailer that weighed about 3000 lbs. I towed it from Seattle, Wa. to Windsor locks, CT. I didnt take the shortest route, so my grand total of mileage was 3300 miles. Towed it all with a 1993 Dodge Dakota v8 4x4 auto. Only issue I had was really steep hills, a truck that old should've had a new radiator, the old one wouldnt dissipate heat good enough so I had to turn the heat on, and it was over 100 degrees F at times.

 

[dwco5051]

Re: Your longest tow?

You said you carry a bottle jack. Be sure it will fit under the axle when he tire is flat. I carried one in my pickup and the first time I had a flat on the road I discovered the jack was too high. No blocks or rocks around so I had to lay my spare in front of the flat tire and pull it up onto the spare to get the jack under. Ever since I have carried pieces of blocking in assorted sizes. Good for chocking wheels, getting a flat up high enough to jack, and for a base to put the jack on when on soft ground. I spend a lot of time off road and have found that any time you need to jack a trailer or truck up it happens where the ground is so soft the jack goes down and the load stays stationary.

I check my hubs for heat at every stop when trailering any distance with one of those infrared handheld guns. You can now get them pretty cheap and it saves bending over and getting your hands dirty.