Tandem axle trailer set up

**Rickracer** · 11-03-2002, 09:29 AM

I still say dual braking axles is the way to go. Since most all of my boating is fresh water, electric is definitely the way to go for me as well. Since I've never had to deal with salt water regularly, I don't know how hard it might be to maintain an electric system under those conditions, but I doubt that a hydraulic surge system could be much better. I've found that most folks don't keep their brakes adjusted well enough (Electric or Hydraulic) to perform properly anyway. I would suggest if you have bearing buddies, every time you fill them, jack up each wheel and check the brake adjustment, here in the warmer climes where we basically boat all year, I feel it should be done at least twice a season.

**MODVP22** · 11-03-2002, 10:59 AM

I hear you on that paint quality. Interesting isn't it. I'm sure that most don't use any primer. There are a few companties using primers and better paint today. LOL, or you can just be super pickey like my father and I, go with 2 stages of primer and a base coat, clear coat paint, expensive, but liek I said..we are super pickey...

Explensive stuff, lol

JW · 11-03-2002, 12:34 PM

I'd like to go with an aluminum version of my trailer. I don't care what a trailer 'looks' like as much as I'd like a maintenance free finish. My little Alumacraft in my Avatar has a galvanized trailer. Ugly as all get-out, but looks the same now as the day I bought it

**MODVP22** · 11-03-2002, 01:33 PM

Ok, found some useful information here. We got a kit and a lot of help on a brakes upgrade from UFP. The website for them is www.ufpnet.com
And for some useful trailer brakes components, we got some aluminum cylinders, and stailess steel springs for ours fro Champion at www.championtrailers.com. Those are great for salt water use. Perhaps they can answer some questions you might have.
I've always been all about putting the brakes on the front axle, but the more I read on this thread, I'm really begining to wonder if it matters all that much. Wow I learned something

**Raceman** · 11-03-2002, 03:14 PM

Good lawd', we done jumped from brakes to paint on this thread. Ain't it amazin' the things we go on and on about around here. I believe if I was doing a trailer over now I'd find somebody to blast and powder coat it. There's an place in south Atlanta that blasts and powdercoats car chassis' from 400 to 450. Seems like it'd far outlast paint.

**MODVP22** · 11-03-2002, 03:45 PM

Raceman,
interesting you mention that. We have a sand blaster..(I don't always admit to it though

) And a local powdercaoting shop almost did one complete trailer for us. 1 thing we found out the hard way, is that powdercoat will ship, liek on fenders, etc. and it's impossible to touch up. And, powedercoating is 4 times harder and longer at a minimum to sand blast back off. Yet again I found that out the hard way. But you should see the powedercoated winch, spare tire hold downs, and all the other nifty stuff we have done. I guess it helps when ya know the ower of the place too, lol

**signpro** · 11-03-2002, 04:10 PM

Bearing buddies are positively the worst thing you can do an axle on anything. When the grease goes in the front, it blows the axle seal, making a mess, and getting grease on the brakes. Dexter makes an axle that has a passage in the center of the spindle that runs to the area between the seal and the inner bearing, the dust cap has a removable rubber cap in the center exposing the gease zerk fitting, when you pump grease in, it goes to the inner bearing, and flows its way to the outer bearing and out the hole in the dust cap, clean greae in, old greae out, and no blown seals, no greasy brakes

JW · 11-03-2002, 04:19 PM

That's what my C-Hawk trailer has. WAY better than bearing buddies, like you said. I did put bearing buddies on my other trailer, and let the grease all fling out the inside of the rim

**stvhelm** · 11-03-2002, 08:49 PM

Thanks to all who replied. there are some interesting points made. This trailer only gets used 2x a year cause the boat stays in the water all season, and its only 1 mile to the ramp. if I had it my way I wouldnt even put brakes on it, but the law requires brakes. the rear sounds like the way to go.
Larry...here's the link to where I got my axle kit fromAxle Kits

**Psyco** · 11-03-2002, 08:52 PM

Bearing Buddies are bad. E-Z loob spindles are good. So next time you have an axle made fer yore trailer, request E-Z Lube spindles. I know, that extra $16 just don't seem worth it, but get off dat cabbage and due the job rite!!! Dexter and Quality are two of the major manufacturers of these spindles. Champion also offers these. And electric brakes, not surge. Surge gonna cost lotsa cabbage and be a biatch to maintain. Electric way cheaper and easier to maintain and if one brake goes out you probably still got one werkin', unlike surge when ya gotta leek, they both gone. WHOA,NELLY!!! Ever see watt salt water do to surge brake sysstem? Ever hafta repair them? Disc brakes? OH, THE HORROR!!! Try finding pads for them suckers!!!! Salt loves caliper pistons. Even "S/S". Trust me on this one, I see it every day.

Add it up; $325 for a surge coupler, maybe ya lucky and just need a M/C-$90, brake line kit $40, S/S brake line kit-$80,lock out solenoid-$50, backing plates-$99(10")each,maybe just the wheel cylinder-$40,set of caliper kits-$240,dics pads-$65.

Electric;backing plates-$59,brake controller for truck-$99,

Gotta go with the electric!!

**CDave** · 11-03-2002, 09:10 PM

My thought on this, as applied in my case.

Tandem axle trailer/no trailer brakes.
I was going to install trailer brakes but figure installing rear disc on my truck will improve braking 100% of the time and 80% of my towing is to the local boat ramp, 8 miles from my house.
Plus I figure the rear brakes on my truck do more work when towing a trailer.

**Stoker100** · 11-03-2002, 09:12 PM

I checked out my extreme trailer today.
The disc brakes are on the rear axle.
They are suppose to be one of the best trailers out there.
FYI
larry

**Techno** · 11-03-2002, 10:22 PM

Bearing buddies aren't for greasing your bearings. I'm willing to bet there isn't anything out there that can. The grease is supposed to be in the bearing, not the spaces around it. If you pump grease in, then it has to come out somewhere.Even a design to allow it to escape isn't packing the bearing.
Pumping grease to a rolling bearing does next to nothing for it. It's the nature of grease and how it works. It may displace water though and is better than nothing.

The purpose of a bearing buddy is to eliminate the hubs sucking in water while they're hot and then dumped in cool water, vacuum. The spring pushes the grease to take up space not supply grease.
Before these you drove to the ramp and waited for the bearings to cool so they didn't suck in water. Or you splashed hot and lived with it.

I also have that grease blowout problem so apparently while there good at keeping water out they blow for keeping grease in. Either that or I got carried away with the grease gun.

**sho305** · 11-04-2002, 09:28 AM

I have had good luck with the bearing buddys. I figure they are best for the pressure supply to keep the water out, as the grease stays good in there for a couple years in my experience. I put new seals in with them(the good double lip boat trailer seals), as the old ones will not hold and puke. Make sure the axle is smooth at the seal. Check the back when you pump, and it should not come out before you stop when it is full. Every year I pump until a little comes out the back to check for water(if it will, have to spin wheel sometimes and just about push the seal out), and pull them apart if any in there. Not had to with new seals so far, and if the buddy is still pressurized it is always clean. Like the chrome ones at Walmart best.

The other passage type is nice, but has no pressure. You have to remember to do them every 3 months or so as water *does* get in. At a job I had, we used tri-axle trailers daily, and greased every other month. Took a tube and a half to do 6 wheels! You put about 60+ pumps in each one until the new clean grease came out. 5 wheels would have white water gease in the back every time. These trailers were bought new every year, I worked there 5 years through college, and they never got backed into a lake. They did go 50k miles in the year we had them though.

As for the trailer brakes, those tri-axle had brakes on the two front axles. They told me you want the back axle free(if not brakes on all axles) because it will have the best leverage to keep the trailer from jack-knifing if you lock the brakes. The axle farthest from the hitch will make the trailer track straight the best. That from a guy at the place that made them when I was picking up a new one. Here in MI, we get snow too. Maybe down south it dies not matter as much, but there were plenty of times idiots pulled in front of me and I locked the trailer in rain. Sometimes on bare pavement if I forgot to turn them down when empty. They tracked good, and only got sideways under slippery ice or gravel conditions. Some river fishers do pull boats in the snow here, but I don't. I liked that setup, and would use it.

The safest thing, is to have a bigger tow vehicle! A dually is best, and stops better too(F350 I used, up to 10k lbs) as well as not wiggling around at all(not needed for light boat of course). Good back tires, high pressure, a stiff sidewall helps. Another thing that helps is to have the type of controller that senses how fast the tow vehicle is stopping, and applies the trailer brakes that much. You can set it to do little when just slowing, and really crank when braking hard. This will save your trailer brakes a lot, and they automaticaly brake hard when you do. Screwing around grabbing the controller for max brakes in an emergency situation sucks; been there, did that. That is the only type controller I would have, period.