Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

Chapter 4: It Follows You Anywhere—Trailering Your Boat
Some states require trailer brakes if the towed weight is above a certain level. Nearly all
rigs big enough to require two-axle trailers are equipped with brakes. However, brakes are
a real headache around salt water and may have to be reworked as often as once a year to
keep the actuating mechanisms inside the wheel from rusting solid.
Washing your brakes with soapy fresh water after each trip to a salt water ramp will significantly
improve their longevity. If possible, order your trailer with a built-in hose coupling
and wash-down tubes, which pipe fresh water to the inside of the brake drums when
a garden hose is attached.
Getting Hitched
The hitch is the connection between the trailer and your tow vehicle. The best place to
buy a hitch is at a trailer rental company such as U-Haul or a shop that specializes in
hitches. Hitches are very particular about which cars and trucks they’re fitted to, and
sometimes the hitch for a 1994 model won’t fit
a 1995 model of the same vehicle. The specialized
shops have hitches on hand to fit all makes,
models, and years.
Have the shop do the wire hookups, too.
Trailer wiring is notorious for causing problems
because it can be difficult to sort out where the
yellow and green and brown and striped wires go.
U-Haul, Reese, and Draw-Tite are probably the
best-known national hitch makers, and all have
franchised shops nationwide. It takes only 30 minutes
to an hour for most installations by the
dealer, including tail-light hookup.
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Trailers with brakes have a
special coupling that includes
a manual brake cable. If the
coupling fails, the cable activates
the brakes.
(Photo credit: Frank Sargeant)
Boat Bytes
Can you install a hitch
yourself? Yes, if you have
some large drill bits and
don’t mind getting dirty.
However, you’ll spend a lot
of time under the frame, scrape
your knuckles, and maybe punch
a hole in the gas tank while
you’re at it. The fee for having a
shop install a hitch you bought
from them is so modest it makes
no sense to do the work yourself.