I'll be picking up a new to me 2004 FW here in about two weeks. I'll be towing it back about 500 miles from PA to IN. What should I do/look for when I pick it up? It sits on a dual axle Four Winns trailer.

If you haven't done it already, get on your knees infront of each wheel. Put you bear-like grip around each tire and shake it, back and forth, as hard as you can. Fix any excessive side-to-side slop before your trip.

Probably want to have a pro look at the trailer hubs, bearings, grease fittings, brakes, and especially tire condition before you get there. You'll want appropriate jacks, blocks, tire irons, flares and spares for both the trailer and your tow vehicle "just in case". Nothing worse than having to spend time on the side of the road on a long haul, with the single exception of having to leave your tow on the side all alone while your off trying to find any of the above. Don't know about your old SeaRay, but the FW probably uses the 'flat 4' connector, and surge brakes. Nice thing is your Durango should pull that Sundowner along like it wasn't there.

Check the tire pressure! The single most common cause of tire failure is improper inflation. Does it have a spare? Buy one if it doesn't have one.

All of the above, plus recheck the trailer tires nut torque after the first 50 miles and touch the center of the wheels (hubs), at each gas stop, looking after bearings overheating.
good trip

An oldie but a goodie

Road Trip Check List

My trailer is a FW 2004 with surge brakes, and I have a 'flat 5'
Make sure you ask ahead of time so you can get the proper adapter and/or wiring in place. Without the 5 pin you will never be able to back up. In a pinch however if your trailer is like mine with the removable tongue (not the swing away) there is a quick disconnect in the brake line so you can remove the tongue. Just remember to rehook it before you drive. Also check you mater cylinder for brake fluid.

You can plug a flat 4 trailer plug into a flat 5 connector on your vehicle. So, you can make sure your vehicle has a flat 5 and be sure it will work for both.

Connector issues are none, I've discussed that with the seller. It has disc brakes.

If it has disc brakes, it would have a reverse bypass solenoid on the hydraulic line, or a manual lockout. the bypass solenoid is typically where the 5th plug point comes from. The solenoids are notorious for failing. If it fails, you can't go backwards. Make accomodations for a make shift manual lock out just in case.

Take grease with you for the trailer bearings, and as others stated, be sure to have a spare.

As been previously stated check the tire pressures. Add a few whacks of grease into each hub and you should be good to go.

What WM said! My FW trailer has the flat 5 with the reverse lockout. If the solenoid fails or isn't working, you can insert the hitch pin into the manual lockout holes in the coupler. I think these are standard on all FW trailers with disc brakes since at least 2001 (a friend has a 2001 FW with the same setup, so I'm assuming here...) I don't have a picture of the coupler and pin, but maybe someone else does??

Now, with regard to my Fountain Lightning and 50' Post trailers.... (oops, wrong thread)

Small piece of plywood as a "foundation" for a jack if you have to do a change in sandy or muddy shoulder. I also have a length of pipe in the trunk to slip over the tire iron. The extra leverage turns this weakling into the hulk

Safety chain from bow eye to trailer stanchion (don't rely on the winch strap).

Check rear tie-downs.

I'd bring a small toolbox with some misc. hand tools. Also, some duct tape in case the canvas wants to come loose during the trip.
When I brought my Chap back from Fargo ND.(800 miles one way) I had the dealer shrink wrap it after I checked it out, cost about $200 but it was nice knowing it was protected from road rash and weather, and I didn't have to worry about canvas flying off.

As everyone has already said, bearings and tires are your biggest concern.

Before going 500 miles with something you've never towed before, have all the bearings cleaned and packed by hand. I have seen / heard of more wheel bearing failures than probably any other potentially catastrophic vehicle failure of any kind. I've also found that brakes binding up are the main reason for the failures, but not always. Coming home from vacation some years ago I had binding brakes on our camp trailer get so hot they literally welded the bearing races to the axle spindle. The brakes caught fire just as we stopped too (oh, that was a good day)... Just a month or so ago my inlaws lost an axle bearing towing home their 31' Celebrity, and I think hot brakes caused it... As for a "not always the brakes", here's our friend in our old Sea Ray on the way to Lake Tahoe, they didn't quite make it, If I remember, I believe the outer bearing failed and just broke apart. A new bearing got them back on the road...



Whenever I tow anything for more than 'a few miles', I stop frequently just to check how hot the hubs are. But fair warning, don't just grab the hub, "dab" each hub with your finger first. I figured that out the hard way once, OUCH...

I actually used that list to make an excel spreadsheat that I use almost every time I go on a trip longer than a day.

Ask the seller the height of the trailer hitch when flat. You want to have the trailer level when you hook up. Nothing like having the wrong height for 500 miles. Also make sure you have the correct ball size for the trailer's application.

I agree with all the above, especially checking the lugs at mile zero and mile 50. Thereafter, check at your next gas stop.

Take it easy!

I didn't even think of the trailer height. You guys are awesome...which is why I love this board. I've got two different drop hitches with 2" balls on them, think I might bring both just in case.

The ball on the new trailer could be 2 5/16"... check this!

Murphy's law... your two drop hitches will not work and you will need a straight hitch

Wouldn't that just suck? I've already confirmed it's a 2" ball on the trailer....just not sure on the height. I will probably try and find that out in a day or two...

I wouldn't worry too much about the heighth. A lot of that has to do with the amount your truck sags under load and the new boat will cause it to sag more.

Your ball will get you to a store to get a new ball mount. Just take the tools to mount the ball on the mount.

I would guess that a 2004 trailer has Buddy Bearings or something similar, and if so I would not do the above.

Ask the PO to estimate how many miles the boat has been trailered already. If it is less than 5000, I would
1) Check lug nut torque
2) make sure inflation was correct (maxed) in all FIVE tires
3) Make sure that I had the correct size lug wrench and that it could actually get to the lugs
4) Make sure I had an appropriate jack

Tow it 500 miles home.

Buddy Bearings are to bearings what synthetic oil is to engines: way better than the old days.

BE CAREFUL not to over-fill Buddy Bearings as the excess grease blows through the rear seal and ends up on the inside of your wheel, it makes a mess. As long as there is about 1/4" of the color ring showing, the Buddy Bearings don't need grease.


Once you get the trailer home, you might want to check and see of you can actually get all the lugs off. If if was all fresh-water use, shouldn't be a problem. I have a few on mine that are going to need an impact wrench to take them off.

Checking the heat at the hubs is a good idea, I do it 1/2 way through long trips when the temp is over 100 degrees. Make a note that the hubs on the 2 wheels that have the disc brakes will run hotter than the two without brakes, so don't panic when you notice the difference.

A laser-thermometer gun is a nice idea for this, at about $29 from Harbor Freight.

Just my opinion, but pumping grease into bearings thru bearing buddy's or any other quickie method is just a quick fix, and NOT a good way to PACK the bearings. As evidence, I offer the picture of my old Sea Ray above. It had bearing buddy's and owners who kept them greased. But neither of us bothered to hand-pack the bearings. And that was an axle without brakes...

FR, what year was that trailer and how old were the bearings?

I think a 2004 should be ok; I removed the hub on one of mine and they looked like brand new after about 4000 miles of towing and 5 years old. A properly-working Buddy Bearing should be pressuring-in grease and keeping air pockets out.

The trailer has under 300 miles on it total. It has just been three years that he has owned it on 5-5-08. He is the original owner, and has had the brakes looked at every year. It does have bearing buddies on it, and a matching spare. I will probably check the tire pressures and lug nuts, and then feel the hubs at each stop. I might try and snag an infrared heat gun for the trip to make it easier.

Probably gonna make some scary noises when you first move the trailer. If it only has 300 miles and has not been driven lately, the disc-y brake-ys are gonna sound a little strange until the surface rust wears off in a mile or two.

He just brought it home from storage at his in laws, so that should be worn off. Thanks for the heads up though, I would have been freaking out until I figured that out.