After a great weekend at the Spring Fever Regatta it was time to head back home. About 1h from home the trailer start making more noise than usual and I pull over. This was just after leaving the Interstate and deciding to drive with the radio off. I pulled over and checked the trailer wheel hub temperature. First the left, everything OK, then right and it's sizzling. The entire bearing had collapsed and the hub was grinding against the axle. With about 1/2 inch play. I lifted the boat and trailer up and asked Michelle to check the tire, she was able to take it clean of the trailer axle. A few more yards or a turn and it would have been a disaster, I stopped with the wheel still on the trailer. And everything looking pretty much OK. I repacked the bearings last summer, so they were still greased and nice. However that did not help a complete failure, it must have exploded when I hit a pothole about a mile back.

So.... Always keep an ear on your trailer, and carry AAA. An AAA sponsored flat bead showed up in 30min and took the boat to my back yard. I even saved my car and some gas since I didn't have to tow the last bit. I'm glad I left the interstate for smaller roads when I did and I'm glad I was used to the sounds the trailer normally makes. And of course I'm real glad Michelle had AAA.

sorry you had trouble...good thing you got home and it wasn't much impact on your day! that could have been much worse for sure.

Glad that worked out OK for ya.Good ears.That Getaway would've totaled your car if it got out of control.
It was fun hanging out with you and Michelle.
Todd

I was going to La for a job with Mystere 4.3 in tow. As I went over the bridge at Baton Rouge the drivers side trailer tire sheared off and the tire bounced into the Mississippi. I dragged the trailer a mile to the nearest parking lot. God was with me on that one, BUT it scared the living &(&$%## out of new. Sounded like a bomb when off. Also check your bearing AND the load limit of your axles. Lesson learned, cost me about $200 to get back on the road.

Doug

I thought this was gonna be about batteries... As i read on... I thought you were going to say you used a AAA battery in your hub... Glad you didn't have the disaster....

A few weeks ago... i got a flat on my trailer. I called Allstate (i have roadside asst)... they said it wasn't covered. So i called Toyota Roadside (came with my warranty).. they said it wasn't covered... so i emptied my trunk.. lifted the trunk liner.. only to find my jack was missing.... GRrrrrr. Luckily Allstate called back and said they were wrong.. since it was attached to my car.. i was covered... I had a spare.... and bought a new jack within a day.... Good lessons here!

To eliminate any problems with the trailer not being covered by Triple A I just answered the questions. What type of car... and what was wrong.. On questions A I said: A4, on question B I said blown wheel bearing.... The tow truck showed up and I told him it was the trailer with the issue, he said... hmmmmm, well OK, where do you need me to take it, I said Home. After getting home, he said the trailer would probably not have been covered.

You might get a bill from AAA if the tow truck driver puts in his report that it was a trailer. I had the same shenanigans dealing with AAA on my way home from my Tradewinds from hell weekend when my trailer fender sheared off and took out the tire.

I'd say you're very, very lucky. AAA is notorious for not covering trailers. I even have the gold card, and as far as I know, it's usless for the trailer or RV.

Mike

Unless I shove my boat into an enclosed trailer for the Hobie Mega in November, I will be carrying a spare hub as well. It's basically 4k miles round trip for me, and that's alot of miles on little tires, even 20" tires.

This is a good reminder thread here. I was thinking I better repack mine, but I did it last fall, before a trip to somewhere near belt buckle nebraska.