long distance towing

[BigE]

Planning our next holiday,;D looking to head north from Brisbane to Bowen 8-), been thinking of the logistics involved in towing a large trailer boat ( 6.7m) this sort of distance , :o both the boat and trailer are relatively new and my tow rig is a Colorado duel cab.
haven't towed much more than about 50kms in one hit before and never towed such a long distance on the highway ( if you can call it that)

any thoughts on this sort of mission and what to do / not do for such a long tow?

BigE

[Luke G]

Thats not that far mate haha, but just make sure your tyres are in good nick and have the correct pressure, if you haven't done your bearings recently probably best to ensure they are up to scratch too and replace them and your seals. Its always a good idea to make sure you have a spare hub with bearings ready to go and a spare tyre thats ready to rumble too.

Stop after about 50-100kms and just check the temps of everything, if all seams to be about the same then you should be sweet.

[Noelm]

As long as the boat tows OK, and you are not in a busting hurry, it will be fine, as mentioned make sure the bearings are done before you go, and you have decent tyres, not over loaded Chinese junk....

[ozscott]

Wheel bearings (Timken or the good Japanese ones). Good tyres preferably LT. Safety chains and good rear strap. Plenty of time and take it easy and all good.

Cheers

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[catshark]

Everything Luke G said has covered the importants checks, also Insurance, check weight distribution, check bow eye on boat, strap the stern down to trailer, secure Motor for movement and monitor and enjoy

[Dignity]

All of the zbove, do check the towbar weight as there are a few steep hills (going down) that will test your rig, the auto hill descent braking can cause you an issue as I found out, it came into effect on a recent trip so turn it off. I have a towbar weight tester if you want to check it.

[BigE]

thanks for the replies , the bearings are good and I have a spare but no hub ( add to the shopping list) trailer is a redco sportsman tandem will be using 2 safety chains at the front (one fwd one back) and a good quality strap across the back , insurance is up to date with the trailer towing option. have no idea on the ball weight so might need to do a check on that.
Dignity - how do you turn the hill decent off ? ( i know i should read the manual but the internet is so much faster)

any other thoughts

BigE

[Dignity]

thanks for the replies , the bearings are good and I have a spare but no hub ( add to the shopping list) trailer is a redco sportsman tandem will be using 2 safety chains at the front (one fwd one back) and a good quality strap across the back , insurance is up to date with the trailer towing option. have no idea on the ball weight so might need to do a check on that.
Dignity - how do you turn the hill decent off ? ( i know i should read the manual but the internet is so much faster)

any other thoughts

BigE

Haha, I need to look up the manual, I think you have to press the swith for a number of seconds, problem is once it decides to activate it will continue to brake and you get to the stage where you get confused as to what's happening. Wait, I think that's my old age 😂. My issue was also compounded in that after a big trip most of my fuel was gone and I didn't have the weight I prefer on the towbar.

If you are up the sunny coast before you go I can loan you the tow ball weight measures. They're about $70 from the auto sellers, keep an eye out on the catalogues and you can get them for a lot less.

[NAGG]

Just prepare - As mentioned Tyres & new bearings (Timken) with good quality grease ( use bearing buddies) , winch cable , good strapping & chains . ... check all the nuts on the trailer.
Dont overload the trailer / keep the boat fuel low (fill up when you get there)
Carry spares - bearings / grease ( a pre prepared hub is excellent idea) A set of U bolts for the springs + hanger - tools to do the job.
Prepare yourself - good sleep prior to leaving
Stop every couple of hours (do a walk around) - You can do it in one go (13 ish driving hours .... but you would probably be looking at 14 hours ) but don't push yourself & it may even be worth stopping at Rockhampton for the night

Plan your fuel stops - use a trip planner or whereis

It is intimidating doing these trips for the first time but if you prepare it is not that bad
The road is reasonable (at best)

Chris

[Moejoes]

No Bige BigE,
Just hook up and go.
No difference doing 50kms or 500kms.
Same principles for securing, safety, maintaining etc.
As many have mentioned and most importantly make sure the boat is securely strap / tied to the trailer and nothing can potentially blow out of the boat.
If soft top, would recommend you lower it and secure as over a long distance it could eventually disintegrate.
Take spare bearing sets and tools to do a roadside bearing exchange.
I have a tow ball weigh thingy I can drop by and weigh your ball weight if you want if you live around Morayfield.

[scottar]

One thing to check on is that your jack will actually fit somewhere when you actually have a flat. I learnt the hard way that a typical Toyota bottle jack is too tall to go under an axle but too short to jack off the frame - big rock required as an impromptu axle stand while I re-positioned the jack. I now carry a second bottle jack in my "towing spares kit". Also make sure you have the necessary size socket and breaker bar or wheel brace to fit the trailer.

[Dignity]

One thing to check on is that your jack will actually fit somewhere when you actually have a flat. I learnt the hard way that a typical Toyota bottle jack is too tall to go under an axle but too short to jack off the frame - big rock required as an impromptu axle stand while I re-positioned the jack. I now carry a second bottle jack in my "towing spares kit". Also make sure you have the necessary size socket and breaker bar or wheel brace to fit the trailer.

Must be getting old and forgetting things, I do carry 2 jacks, a piece of timber to sit them on, offcuts of sleepers are perfect to get a good base for your jacks. If you've had the tyres off before it will give you and idea of what you need, just remember the roadside is not anywhere as neat as your driveway.

And don't forget, tools for replacing cones (hammer, bush etc), AND MOST IMPORTANT, plenty of rags and a tube or tub of hand wash, nothing worse than finishing a roadside repair and having greasy hands and not being able to clean them.

[Moejoes]

Just wipe your hands off on your friends nice white shirt...........Works well :P


Must be getting old and forgetting things, I do carry 2 jacks, a piece of timber to sit them on, offcuts of sleepers are perfect to get a good base for your jacks. If you've had the tyres off before it will give you and idea of what you need, just remember the roadside is not anywhere as neat as your driveway.

And don't forget, tools for replacing cones (hammer, bush etc), AND MOST IMPORTANT, plenty of rags and a tube or tub of hand wash, nothing worse than finishing a roadside repair and having greasy hands and not being able to clean them.

[Feral]

Boat over 2.5m wide? if so make sure you time your trip and where you stop overnight so you can be on the road when you want to be and don't forget the lower speed limit.
https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/-/media/busind/Heavyvehicles/guidepermits/form-26-special-use-trailers.pdf?la=en

[BigE]

awesome tips guys, think I have most of the suggestions covered , have spares and tools and have pulled a wheel off just to make sure everything works how it suppose to. to do list
tow ball weight check
spare hub
bearing tools and emery tape and file

any stories of woe ..... to help me get a good nights sleep before the trip !!!
BigE

[catshark]

Stories of woe ? once i went interstate to buy boat . Had reasurrence from seller the wheel bearings were good, check .got insurance,check,strapped the stern down.check all good .......Nek minnit flying down the brisbane freeway the bow eye had completely come of the boat due to hidden corrosion. winch strap and chains completely off. WOWSERS i said or something to that effect, luckily for me that stern strap held the boat in place and with a bit of winch rope to tie the bow down i happily continued my journey.

[NAGG]

Just thank your lucky stars that you don't have to use the inland highways ..... those pieces of crap destroy trailers . last November we went from Sydney to Cairns (via Emerald) ended up shaking off both sets of brake calipers & by the time I got home I had both sets of spring hangers destroyed .

By comparison - your trip will be a milk run115970;)

Chris

[Gon Fishun]

Split pins and some good quality fencing wire ?

[Mr__Bean]

When we tow long I take a hub replacement kit, it isn't expensive and it is easily put together. In an old ice cream bucket we have a complete spare hub with greased bearings and seal installed. A new axle nut, washer and split pin. Spanner for the brake calliper bolts. All jammed into the bucket with clean rag.

After towing big heavy boats at high speed we have had a number of roadside bearing failures, but since carrying the kit we never had one again (Murphy's law).

Darren

[baitable]

The best thing i ever did for my rig (after having 2 bearing failures) was to change my hubs over to the durahub system but only oil filled. The hubs definitely run alot cooler and the oil is very easy to check if its been contaminated. I've been towing for 4 years plus now without and incident and tow 6 hours in one hit at a time. On a sperate note: the durahib system requires alot of prep to get a perfect seal. The surface that the rear 'dust seal' sits aginst must be mirror smooth and free from imperfections. The oil in the hubs is still crystal clear after 8 months.....

[BigE]

GF
Hmmmm good quality fencing wire ...... that must be the stuff that not rusty eh?

dura hubs sound like good bit of kit.

BigE

[Noelm]

One thing you need to remember is.....how to get to my place to pick me up for the trip!