Planning a long distance tow

[Santa_sleigh]

I am planning a long-distance trip (southern Virginia to Maine) with a new boat/trailer that I have no experience with yet. I am planning the trip for mid-August, so I have about 5-6 weeks to get acquainted. What do people recommend I look out for / inspect to improve my chances of a successful trip? I've done the drive before, but never towing a boat. I'm more so looking for technical tips related to the trailer/boat/tow vehicle, rather than any routing suggestions. I'm initially thinking I may swing out west to avoid DC, Baltimore, and NYC, but haven't nailed down the route yet.

2015 212x on tandem axle trailer behind a '21 Yukon Denali.

 

[adam9280]

Spare tire
Tire changing tools (jack or ramp, 4 way, etc)
Infrared temp gun (check hub temps when you stop at rest areas, food, fuel)
Towing mirrors if you want a better view behind you (I use strap-on kind)
Air pump (VIAIR)
Spare set of bearings
Bearing grease

We have a Yamaha SX190 now and our first trip with it will be for July 4th.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Tow with your trailer frame level from front to back. This may need adjusted from your usual weekend haul if you are putting lots of people and luggage in your tow vehicle. I see so many twin and triple axle trailers being towed with way too much weight on the tongue which will wear your front axle tires out amongst other bad things.

 

[adam9280]

Tow with your trailer frame level from front to back.

Good point since it's a dual axle.

 

[Julian]

I'd add:
-Test your trailer brakes to make sure they are working.
-Consider a ramp vs a jack
-Tape the leading edges of the tower with painter tape or wrap with packing wrap (like saran wrap but cheaper) to make bug splatters easy to remove

 

[johhnyboat]

Tow with your trailer frame level from front to back. This may need adjusted from your usual weekend haul if you are putting lots of people and luggage in your tow vehicle. I see so many twin and triple axle trailers being towed with way too much weight on the tongue which will wear your front axle tires out amongst other bad things.

to echo this, make sure that you have a good adjustable hitch that supports your tongue weight and make sure that it is level. Also, check your tires and grease bearings before you start. I went from Keys to Maryland, so I have some experience.

 

[AZMark]

Make sure your trailer tires are in very good condition and keep them fully inflated.

Check and grease (don’t over grease) your wheel bearings

Check your brakes and fluid. Make sure you don’t have sticking calipers, air in lines, low on fluid, etc.

Verify that your truck has adequate mudflaps and isn’t hitting your boat with rocks. Mine has flaps but I still had to buy a hitch mounted guard because my suv was throwing tons of rocks that were chipping up the hull and trailer at highway speeds.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

All good advice on the previous posts.

I’ll add:
- if the tires are original, give them a good inspection, as it’s likely time to replace them
- repack the bearings if they have not recently been done. If there is any sign of rust or pitting of the bearings, replace them as well.

Jim

 

[anmut]

I am planning a long-distance trip (southern Virginia to Maine) with a new boat/trailer that I have no experience with yet. I am planning the trip for mid-August, so I have about 5-6 weeks to get acquainted. What do people recommend I look out for / inspect to improve my chances of a successful trip? I've done the drive before, but never towing a boat. I'm more so looking for technical tips related to the trailer/boat/tow vehicle, rather than any routing suggestions. I'm initially thinking I may swing out west to avoid DC, Baltimore, and NYC, but haven't nailed down the route yet.

2015 212x on tandem axle trailer behind a '21 Yukon Denali.

1. Tires: If you can replace all five with Goodyear Endurance radials and set them to max PSI when cold, you won't need to worry about blowouts unless you hit something. Don't forget to inflate your spare!
2. Bearings: I would recommend checking for loose hubs and pumping some good grease in.
3. Buy a cheap IR heat gun from Amazon and when you stop in your travels, point it at your hubs (don't forget hubs with brakes get hotter, and hubs in the sun will get hotter, all normal). Doing this will give you confidence that you're trailer is good and will also give you some early warning if there's an issue and maybe even give you time to get somewhere for a fix vs. breaking down on the side of the road and having to get it towed.
4. Bring along a battery powered impact wrench, impact sockets, and a floor jack (or roll-up jack) if you can so that you're not struggling with your vehicles emergency equipment if a breakdown would happen.
5. Check your trailer brake fluid and consult the manual for correct amount.
6. Check your tongue weight to make sure your load is properly being towed and you won't get a death wobble.
7. Don't be afraid to go slow when towing - you'll increase your mpg's a bit and vastly decrease your stopping distance in an emergency.

 

[Santa_sleigh]

I'd add:
-Test your trailer brakes to make sure they are working.
-Consider a ramp vs a jack
-Tape the leading edges of the tower with painter tape or wrap with packing wrap (like saran wrap but cheaper) to make bug splatters easy to remove

Love the tape idea! Never would have thought of that!

 

[Santa_sleigh]

1. Tires: If you can replace all five with Goodyear Endurance radials and set them to max PSI when cold, you won't need to worry about blowouts unless you hit something. Don't forget to inflate your spare!
2. Bearings: I would recommend checking for loose hubs and pumping some good grease in.
3. Buy a cheap IR heat gun from Amazon and when you stop in your travels, point it at your hubs (don't forget hubs with brakes get hotter, and hubs in the sun will get hotter, all normal). Doing this will give you confidence that you're trailer is good and will also give you some early warning if there's an issue and maybe even give you time to get somewhere for a fix vs. breaking down on the side of the road and having to get it towed.
4. Bring along a battery powered impact wrench, impact sockets, and a floor jack (or roll-up jack) if you can so that you're not struggling with your vehicles emergency equipment if a breakdown would happen.
5. Check your trailer brake fluid and consult the manual for correct amount.
6. Check your tongue weight to make sure your load is properly being towed and you won't get a death wobble.
7. Don't be afraid to go slow when towing - you'll increase your mpg's a bit and vastly decrease your stopping distance in an emergency.

Great suggestions, thanks! Any tricks for measuring tongue weight easily? Do you need special equipment?

 

[anmut]

Great suggestions, thanks! Any tricks for measuring tongue weight easily? Do you need special equipment?

Probably the easiest way to make sure tongue weight is loaded is to park the boat hooked up to the truck on level ground and put a level on the trailer fenders between the tires. The goal is to detect the trailer dipping slightly towards the truck. If it’s not, drop your ball slightly until you have more dip on the level.

 

[2kwik4u]

I just towed from Buffalo NY to St Augustine FL last Saturday. Headed back again in 3 days. Just over 1k miles one way. My 190 is a bit easier to tow than your 212, but the premise is largely the same.

Lots of great stuff already mentioned here. I don't have much to add really.

Biggest tip I have is invest in the driver. Stay hydrated, stay alert, take breaks. I've been doing this kind of crap for decades now, and I still catch myself becoming complacent, getting tired, or generally not paying as much attention as I should. Take care of yourself and take breaks. Don't rush anything.

Also, I haven't seen it mentioned elsewhere, but a BoatTowUS membership is worth the money. They have an extensive logistics team that can help in the event of a problem. From as simple as a flat tire, to as extensive as a tow vehicle catastrophic failure. Even if they don't cover the service you need, they can find it for you and help you work through the details of making a solution happen.

Good luck and safe travels!

 

[Speedling]

Awesome advice in here! I tow/travel often between Chicagoland and Tampa. Stop often. Inspect trailer and cover/straps every stop along with axle hubs. Bearing buddies are nice but probably bring grease/gun for return trip. I bring a battery 1/2" impact and full tool set along with a medium floor jack and some 1 foot square pieces of wood. A battery jump starter and an inverter(chromebooks galore) A rain coat.
First aid kit!

Planning route for minimal mountains/grade is nice unless vehicle is oversized for load anyways but can lessen stress anyways. I also plan a costco stop somewhere while in route for fuel and snacks.
In all you may have 2 hours of stops or better but it's far more relaxing having peace of mind. One last thing to note!
Leave before daylight! I mean like 3 am! My sil is in tampa and if we leave at 2 or 3 am i get a good nap in before leaving, and once we hit the first couple major cities daylight is coming and we then are driving through daytime! Night driving can be a touch faster but towing requires full attention and we have found this to be the best way to get good safe driving done. We usually will arrive in the dark but not too late but with the trailer will will occasionally just park for a night and get sleep. Ever sleep on a boat while it's on a trailer in a random parking lot? Not as bad as ya think and I'm an old 40 year old.

 

[Cambo]

A few members mentions jack, forget that this is what works trailer-aid drive on tire changer safer, quicker most jacks wont even lift enough or high enough to remove the wheel its been posted above. Just bring a small piece of plywood if your on the shoulder in loose soil






Tire pressure and temperature reading these are cheap and they work the temperature is so accurate I can see the pressure and temparature of the tires that are in the sun vs the shady side and could give indication if your brakes are dragging

Amazon.com

If that boat was in salt water your brakes are destroyed pistons will be seized in the calipers and rotors will be in rough shape check the brakes make sure the calipers move

this is my 2018 rotor

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Grease gun. Make sure the bearing buddy pistons rock when you push on the edges. If they don’t rock add enough grease so they do, but just enough to make them rock. Check again after 50 miles. I’m assuming the trailer is new so it will take a while for the grease to fill up the voids inside.

Make sure the tires are at max pressure cold.

To check the trailer brakes you will need a flat blade screw driver, look in your owners manual paperwork there will be an owners manual for the breaker actuator and will illustrate how to actuate the plunger to bleed the brakes, when you actuate it with a screw drive it will get firm to let you know there is no air in the lines. Make the dealer check this while yiu watch, won’t take two shakes to put a floor Jack under the axle and lift each wheel OAT to check the brakes.

 

[Cambo]

Some other tips
Tow the boat with low fuel no need for extra pounds fill up at your destination
Leave the cover on the the pooling poles down
Max speed 65
Check the tower bolts and the one that's removable see if you can secure it with zip ties
Get the correct trailer hitch rise or drop so that the tandem axels have equal load.

 

[adam9280]

Great suggestions, thanks! Any tricks for measuring tongue weight easily? Do you need special equipment?

You can't adjust tongue weight without a Weight Distribution Hitch so it's pointless to worry about it. The boat trailer people figure that out when setting the axle position.

 

[Julian]

You can't adjust tongue weight without a Weight Distribution Hitch so it's pointless to worry about it. The boat trailer people figure that out when setting the axle position.

Actually you can adjust the tongue weight by moving the bow stop forward and backward. Mine was too far forward when I took delivery and the tongue weight was too high....I moved the bow stop back an inch and it was much better.

 

[TeenGee]

I didn't see anyone mention to stow all the seat cushions, deck mats, and any other loose items.
Mind your Denali. Watch oil pressure and temperature if you can.