Well finally got our first scheduled '08 day on the water planned.

Prepped the boat, did some quick checks and maintenance on the trailer, including checking the brake fluid, topping up the bearing buddies, etc.

Loaded up the family and we were off to the lake, a 40 mile trip up to Lake Piru.

About 20 miles into the trip I thought about pulling over to check the trailer condition. Missed the first turn out, but had to quickly recover, when stopped at a light, a passing car alerted me that 'something is wrong'. Sure enough there was smoke coming from my left front trailer wheel! Pulled off the road in a nearby Gas station and used their water to cool it down. Burnt rubber smell emanating...

Aww man....?!!!

Well, never been stranded with a broken boat/trailer before, so what's next (3 kids and a wife probably thinking "What now daddy??"....(Yeah what now!!)

Cool under fire, calculated my options. Can a boat/trailer be towed home? Flatbed? Should I leave it off the side road and come back for repairs? or ??

First called AAA. No dice. (1st lesson learned - I guess I should have/add the RV option with my motorist coverage). Lady was nice though, gave me a courtesy call back to offer finding my a local shop to tow if I needed it...(I guess I sounded pitiful and disappointed when we first hung up).

I then recalled that there was a local Boat Dealer about 10 miles away, but it was Sunday, and I couldn't remember the name of it. Called my boat dealer/friend at home who looked up the local Boat Dealer.

Wife suggested I unhook the boat and go searching (Great Idea! ) We unhooked and drove a few miles and found the shop, which was open!!! My dealer friend offered to call ahead, and give a referral.

Help!, Help!, What to do? Do you know any tow services? Can I at least tow it here?, Was It my bearings?, Who?, What?, How?, Why?

Dealer offers to store it and let his folks look at it. Cool!! In the course of the converstation and once my battery of rambling questions slow down, one of the dealer reps mentions/asks about Brakes, brake fluid, emergency cable actuator...hmmmm, maybe it was.... the opposite wheel was pretty hot also...,and my truck seemed sluggish...yep quite possibly brakes!

I decide to pump the bearings full of grease again, hopefully good enough to limp it a few miles to the dealer. (2nd Lesson Learned - Keep a hand grease gun in the boat/truck)

Back at the trailer, I play around with the actuator, and do notice that the emergency cable is pulled/taught a bit...I release it back, pump in some grease and limp it 7 miles down the road to the dealer. (3rd Lessons Learned - Add checking the brake emergency cable condition as part the departure pre-checks (I bet the kids pulled on it while stored in the driveway ))

I drop it off and we head home....

Dealer says for a couple of hundred bucks, he'll have his techs run a summer groom package on the boat and trailer. It includes some 200 point check, and oil change.

I guess we'll take it from there.

Questions for the experts:
After (assumed) heat from brake dragging, what else should I look out for in that axle?
Is the emergency actuator cable that sensitive? It was pulled out about 1.5 inches beyond it's fully retracted position.
Both my front axle wheels were heated, (the rear tandems were normal). Is the braking on the front wheels only? (I've never torn apart a trailer...yet!)
What should I expect to possible replace? Brake shoes? Drum? Seals? Bearings? Tire? (burnt rubber). Axle/Spindle?

Thanks for any experience, advice, condolences....

Wow, that has to be an overwhelming experience when you're on the side of the road with it. Nothing but questions as far as the eye can see. Sorry your day was ruined! But, at least everyone was OK.

I'd have them check the tires of course, but the burning rubber may have just been the rubber boots on the caliper pistons. Probably looking at a caliper rebuild, new pads of course, and bearing/race replacement. Which shouldn't actually be all that expensive believe it or not. They should check the hubs & spindles for any signs of heat damage, but I bet they're OK.

Glad everyone is okay and you caught it early. I know very little really but can answer that my tandem trailer only has brakes on one axle. How do I know this?...I can't fit my mongo chain through one of my wheels b/c of the brake gear! The wheel w/o the brakes it fits through fine.

Hope the fix doesn't hit the pocketbook too hard. Replacing and repacking the bearings shouldn't be too bad, but I don't know about the brakes. I believe I've seen some pretty detailed instructions on trailer brake repair on here though.

Just to sound optimistic, it's likely you did no damage at all other than glaze the brake pads. If both brakes were dragging and only one side was smoking, you may have caught it early. Getting the grease hot enough to liquify it is a main problem with dragging brakes, that's what leads to bearing failures and bent axles.

I'm curious to see what the dealer sez...

My advice . . . get to know your 'rig' better.

The emergency cable locks when extended, so that the brakes are on. Same as the emergency brake in your car. *sometimes* this happens when you detach your trailer and forget to un-do the emergency strap, and give it a yank when you pull the vehicle away. (ya, then you stop & detach that too, only forgetting that it is now locked in the activated position)

Your brake pads where the most heated, probably not the axles, unless you checked them. The bearings may have been a little hot, but they can take it for a while. Maybe (maybe) the pads need to be changed, but that is about it.

Sounds like you have brakes on the front axle only (common). Take a look at your trailer and see where the brakes are and aren't.

Since your boat/trailer is now at the dealer's for a complete 2,000 point inspection, I would expect them to want to replace all kinds of things.

You have my condolences.

Sorry for your disappointing day. Had the exact same thing happen to me a few weeks ago. Biker told me wheel was smoking. Pulled into a shop I had never been at but they said no problem, they fix trailers all the time. Next day guy says I need a new axle and he can't find one, it will be monday. Monday comes and he says he can't find one cause it's got welded on spindles. I decide to go and look at it myself. I only saw a few scratches on the spindle, why do I need a whole new axle? He had some kid working on it I guess. Older mech. comes out and he says same thing as me. They agree, just replece the bearings and they will inspect the rest. Turns out the seals are all rotted in the hubs allowing water in and guess what, he can't find any. So I find some and bring them to him and was on my way a few hours later. Bottom line, keep an eye on em.

Most like you got grease on the brakes and that was the burning smell.
Re-pack the bearings, inspect the brakes, and you are probably good to go.
The emergency line probably enable the brakes.
Good luck.

Forgot to say, my outter bearing was in pieces. Also I have a button to release the cable in case it did actuate, it's on the bottom side of the slider. They recommend you push it every time you hook up.

Sux to have a bad day like that, but at least it turned out to be a "not-so-bad" day. Could have been a lot worse so it's nice it was discovered before it became real bad.

Just a quick suggestion. Ignoring warning signs like this can lead to a heckuva mess.....

"emergency cable actuator...hmmmm, maybe it was.... the opposite wheel was pretty hot also...,and my truck seemed sluggish...yep quite possibly brakes!"

Might I suggest that at the first sign of "something's not exactly right" that you stop and check things out...

Oops. Then you DIDN'T catch it early--

Still, you (hopefully) shouldn't need more than new bearings. When I caught the brakes on fire on our travel trailer, the outer bearing's inner race was welded to the axle, had to use an air chisel (carefully) to get it off. The axle wasn't bent, and a little emery cloth cleaned up the axle under the race, the new bearings fit and worked just fine afterwards.

Thanks all for the perspectives.

I'm hopeful that the Dealer won't take me for a ride, since we have a common acquaintance/referral. He (The Owner) didn't have that "I've got a sucker here' eagerness. In fact he referred me to a tow company which was my initial request. As with anything, of course I'll keep a sharp eye out. Hopefully he'll be fair, because I'm also considering him as my sterndrive service center. He could build a relationship (read: future $$) or kill a referral.

Yep GFC, definitely in hindsight...My brain excused it away, since I believe the truck needs new plugs anyway....The brakes weren't fully engaged, but just enough resistance that I thought the truck might need a light tune up. (I had changed the fuel filter, PCV, Air Filter, Flushed the Oil, and cleaned the MAF the previous weekend, Only thing I didn't check/replace was the plugs, and my mind latched onto to that as the light sluggishness. Hindsight, but you're right!

Break, Break - Somehow the Title of the post got changed to (Censored)??? Someone doing pranks? I'll make a change here. My original post has the correct title as I typed it....

I have read enough posts during my time on this board, about draging breaks, that one of my checkes before heading down the road is to coast slowly in neutral to see if I'm rolling freely or being stopped by the trailer.

Hope all turns out OK.

Man, what a hot day to be stuck on the side of the road!

Sorry to hear it. I haven't had any trouble with my Trail Rite at all, but I have done some routine maintenance on it.

BTW, how's the water level on Piru? (I know you didn't make it but was wondering if you checked.)

Not sure what the water's like up there. I was more concerned about the admission and inspection procedure they've instituted to deter mussel invasion, and whether I could get on the water once I got there....

Kenhdog,

Thanks for sharing all the info – your experience will help others later on (eg: me).

We hate those stressful times when “stranded”
The kids asking tons of questions, you and the wife trying to figure things out...

Glad everything turned out OK

I can’t speak for you, but in my case - I am glad I followed the wife's idea on more than one occasion

Me too.

Another note:

My GPS (and cell of course) was a valuable asset during this event. I didn't rely on it (GPS) like I could have (automatically reverting to my old pre-GPS ways of solving problems), but after my initial plan was in motion, I played with it just to play out a scenario in my head.

Since cell phones are so common place now, it is virtually impossible to find a phone booth (and yellow pages) nowadays. 5 of the last 6 times over the years I've asked retailers/gas stations etc for a yellow pages, they don't have (or can't/unwilling to find) one.

After the fact toying, my GPS had nearby position listings for:
- Tow companies/services - (location and contact info)
- The Boat dealer I was looking for - (I had the name wrong, but could have searched on 'boat')
- Auto Parts shop - (I used this one to find a buy a handheld grease gun).

I won't be travelling anywhere beyond 20mi w/o my GPS from now on!

I don't have gps on my phone, but can access google maps. It's great! I've used it several times when out of town, to find things like a Jamba Juice, etc...

Also always check the traffic when heading out or back into town to try to take the clearest route.

Well got the rig back today, all seems well.

The problem is I can't concretely identify what it was, and I don't think I will until I dismantle and examine things myself.

As agreed the owner charged me for a 'summer service' that includes a 23 step check and change program for the boat and trailer. It was equivalent to a 50 Hour service with an added comment for the tech to 'check brake adjustment'. (Fair treatment, no railroading )

It cost me $227 for a basic boat and trailer groom so I'm not unhappy, but it would have been nice to concretely know what went wrong. The owner believed it was stuck brakes, but the main tech wasn't there when I picked it up. In either case I don't get the impression they pulled the drum and inspected the 'innards'...

The Jr. tech in training was there, and when I arrived for pick up, I asked him to swap out the the superheated tire with the spare, so I have some confidence in running a tire that was not heat compromised (my own logic).

While small talking to him I asked a few questions, in case he had any insight. First about the emergency brake cable, he assured me that it would have to be pulled out rather far and with force for it to actuate, and if it did the wheels would lock (not just drag). So that didn't seem the cause.

When he spun the wheels at my request while changing the spare he nor I noticed any resistance beyond normal light shoe contact while spinning the drum. He also rocked the drum/hub to see any play/bearing wear, there was none.

I asked him about the hubs (bearing buddys), which they zerk filled as part of the groom. There seemed (to me) to be a lot of grease coming out the front outer edges of the bearing buddy. I thought maybe that was a failure of the bearing buddy and the cause for my troubles, grease leaking by/out. He assured me that is how they fill them, until overflow, pushing out old grease.

So I drove the rig home with no problems, stopping a couple of times in the 20 mile return to check for heat.

So now I still have more questions than answers until I can tear things apart myself, but at least it's home and I'm only $200 bucks lighter, but with the boat oil and filter changed, prop greased, all zerks filled, and trailer checked, brakes examined and hubs greased and 15 or so more checks...

Now my questions:
1) My bearing buddy procedure says to 'rock' the piston to check and indicate grease level and fill them until they (blue center piston) protrude 1/8 to 1/4 beyond the outer edge of the buddy.

I've never purposely pressed grease out the sides. Is this what I should have been doing all along? If so, maybe they were under greased...

I might just change these buddys out for peace of mind, repacking (and checking) the bearings, spindle, and brakes in the process.

Even after I got home there was more grease leaked out under the cap, and the blue piston seemed withdrawn a bit.

2) Kind of losing faith in my Penzoil Grease also. It seems to separate under normal temperature. (Maybe they all do and I'm just paranoid now...)

3) I guess the easiest tale tale is to pull the drums. Worn, glossy shoes would be the smoking gun (I assume....)

We'll it's home. Captured some lessons learned fromt he event. Got a 50 Hour service on the boat (and trailer), but I still have questions....

My experience with my 'brand' of Bearing Buddies is that there should not be any grease leaking out around the zerk-fitting area.

I had that happen and it turns out that I blew out the "O" ring that keeps grease from doing exactly that. I removed the buddy bearing and it was quite obvious what had happened, part of he "O" ring was outside of the groove it sits in, and the spring pressure that usually forces grease into the bearings was forcing it the opposite direction out the front of the unit.

By the way, the spring pressure is relatively light. If you give the end of the buddy a mild kick with your foot, you can add enough pressure to blow out the "O" ring.

You can also apply too much pressure and blow out the bearing seal resulting in grease finding it's way onto the inside of your wheel. Had one do that too.... So adding to much grease is not good. Just add enough to get 1/4 inch of color showing on the buddies. Add it slow so that is has time to move the indicator out without blowing the inner seals.

For $227 --and this is just my opinion-- They dam well better have pulled the drums, inspected the shoes, and most important, inspected the wheel cylinders for proper operation! Because of getting dunked in water twice per trip, water can get past the not-so-marine rated (again, my opinion) rubber plunger seals on the cylinders. The water then causes surface rust to form on the cylinder walls. And this surface rust will cause the plunger piston to hang in the cylinder. And when it hangs, your brakes hang. BTDT more than once. I would ask AGAIN if the wheel cylinders (and master cylinder for that matter) were inspected. If not, I would check your axle temps OFTEN, and especially after retrieving the boat and heading home....

that said----as for the explanation you got concerning your emergency brake...most emergency brake systems I've seen on surge brakes are simply a lever that, when moved, compresses the master cylinder plunger. This means that, just like with a brake pedal, the more you move the lever, the more you activate the brakes. So unless you have some sort of "all-or-nothing" emergency brake activator, I see no reason why your brakes couldn't have been "partially" activated? FWIW, it's my belief THAT was the cause of your problem...

I follow FR's emergency brake understanding, but the ones I have had seem to "pop" into an unrelease mode once you pull them so far.

FR, I agree with your post above, but wanted to make you aware that there is such a thing as an "all or nothing" e-brake set up. My Shoreland'r trailer has one. Just a pull away wire cable that has to be pulled all the way out or nothing happens. Just a little FYI.

Cool, good to know...

The lever-style brake on the PC trailer has a "catch" for the lever to lock, but the catch effectively narrows the lever slot, creating a friction-fit as the lever moves, and the lever will "stay put" if it's moved. Of course, mine is just one of many...