Trip Update

bobh

bobh

Member
Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2004
RO Number
13842
Messages
334
I figured I would give a little update of my trip trailering the boat down to Clearwater.

I left Southern NJ on Thursday morning around 2:45 a.m. in a light rain. My goal was to get past Washington DC before rush hour. Other than the rain and the darkness...it was pretty uneventful through Delaware, Maryland, and DC. I did stop in delaware to check the hubs and top off the gas tank. Once I got past DC I saw miles of car lights traveling North on 95 towards DC.

I started to hit some rush hour traffic going through Richmond, Va. (8AM) The stretch of 95 in Richmond needs some work...lots of bumps, etc. I stopped for some gas and to check the hubs. All good.

Hit North Carolina around 10:40am. I stopped for gas in NC around 1:18 and also stopped at JR's to pick up a few Cigars. Yes the same JR's that has the cigar catalouge. Also stopped at a Cracker Barrel for lunch just off the highway. It was interesting because they asked me if I wanted smoking or non-smoking..lol I guess you can still smoke in restaurants in NC.

Got to South Carolina around 2:50pm. 95 in SC was in good shape. Also stopped at various rest stops along the way to chack the hubs...so far, so good....800 miles in with no problems.

Not sure when I got to Georgia...but I was in Georgia around 9:00p.m. when I looked back and saw smoke coming from one of the trailer wheels. Not good! Got off the highway and limped to a gas station in Brunswick, Georgia. I called trailer assist. The bearing was basically disinegrated, but I couldn't tell if the axel or spindle was damaged. Trailer assist found someone that could come out a replace the bearing, but not until the next day. I needed some sleep anyway so I went to sleep and just prayed that it was only a bearing. I was still surprised because I was checking the bearings religiously and there was never any indication of overheating.

The service guy showed up about 8:20am and took my wheel apart. Good news was that it was only a bearing. He left to get parts and I went to get breakfast at another cracker barrel...lol. I was back on the road about 10am. Not too bad.

Got through Georgia and entered into Florida. I took Glenn's good advice and took 95 straight down to towards Daytona instead of cutting accross at Jacksonville. Still stopping at most rest stops to check the bearings...always cool, no signs of trouble. Finally got to I4 to start making my way across the state.

Just past Orlando a fellow motorist drives by and points back to my trailer. Oh no....more smoke!!! I pull over and see that another bearing is fried. I think this is around 2pm. I call trailer assist again and they find someone who can come out in one hour. I tell them to bring 3 sets of bearings..I don't want to get stuck again. Three hours later (yes 3 when they said 1) the truck shows up.

overpass.jpg

wheel.jpg


We were able to replace the bad bearing and replace another bearing in one of the other wheels. The fourth wheel was repacked with grease and re-sealed on the hub. I got back on the road around 8pm and got to my destination abouth an hour later! Largo Intercoastal Marina in Largo, Florida.

What a trip. I was glad I made it but really dissapointed in the performance of the trailer. I was worried about my 2001 truck but it performed like a champ. I'm still trying to figure out what happened. I had the trailer serviced by my marina before I left. I checked the hubs frequently and never felt any heat. And I went over 800 miles before experiencing any problems.

On Saturday I took the boat out to Caladesi Island State Park. It's a beautiful natural beach supposedly only accessible by boat. You enter through the mangroves.
caladesientrance.jpg

caladesisign.jpg


There's a nice marina to tie up to for only $10.
marina.jpg


There's also a nice snack bar, places to rent kayacks, nature trails, etc.

There's also a beautiful natural beach
IMG00145.jpg


beer.jpg


sign.jpg


Leaving the Island
leaving.jpg


Some other shots from the weekend along the ICW
bridge.jpg

pirate.jpg


The boat and trailer are being kept at the Marina and I found a good place by the airport to store the truck.

Thanks for those who helped with info about the trip, especially Glenn. I also got some help in the Florida forums for marinas and things to do while doen in Floirda

Overall I'm really glad I did the trip. I'm looking forward to getting back down in a few weeks.

Bob
 
Bob,

Great for you! Sorry for the trailer problems. I worry about that every year when we go from MD to FL with our 30x10' boat (like I need the cops stopping me with that load and no permits!). Glad you're there and times are good. Enjoy!
 
Bob -
Glad you eventually made it okay. I'll add a few comments. I should have also told you to take 295 around Richmond. It's a long 43 mile by-pass that goes to the east side of Richmond, but it cuts off 38 miles of I-95, so it is really only a an extra 5 miles, and it usually has little traffic. North of Richmond, as you head south on 95, there are signs that show the left exit to "Rocky Mount, NC". That left exit will take you to 295. 295 will rejoin 95 well below Rickmond, then you continue south on 95. I'm not sure why it says "Rocky Mount, NC" since Rocky Mount is about another 130 or 140 miles past that sign. I guess it is similar to the signs in southern NJ that point toward "New York". That sign just points toward the best route to Rocky Mount, which you would eventually be going by Rocky mount. I guess they assume you have heard of it and will be heading that way. Southerners know it as a barbecue Mecca.

For the trailer, consider upgrading to a heavier duty trailer, or at least heavier duty hubs and wheels....the ones with bigger spindles and 6 bolt hubs / wheels. Might need heavier axles, too. I'm glad I did my new trailer upgrade. Always think "overkill" with trailers. My old trailer had a carrying capacity of 5600 pounds...or 7000 pounds total including the trailer weight. It was barely enough. The new trailer can carry about 7300.... or about 8700 total including the trailer weight. I went from barely enough capacity to a "cushion" of about 1700 pounds.

Here is your biggest mistake on the trip, and I think southerners like BillD would agree. .. You ate not just once, but twice at Cracker Barrel. Blasphemy! No self-respecting southerner eats at that "faux" southern cooking place. Dang Boy...you were in NC and didn't eat at an eastern NC style Barbecue joint ?!?! If you can't get BBQ and if you like to eat at chains, at least make it a Huddle House or even a Waffle House will do in a pinch. ... Best to go to the inependent joints. If there weren't any "characters" who came up to you and started a conversation at breakfast, then you ate at the wrong place. Okay...you'll know better next time. ;) Before next trip, remind me to give you a list of good eating joints that are trailer parking friendly :)

As for the boating, great photos! How do you like the marina? What other dates do you plan on heading down to "visit" your boat? So far, the admiral and I have plans to head down in December, January, March, and then April when we will tow back north. You should find plenty of flights from Philly to Tampa. We go Washington Dulles to Miami or Ft lauderdale, though we are driving down in December, as it will be a longer trip with a visit to the in-laws near Tampa, and then drive on to Miami. Of course, I'll need to drive in April, too, to tow the boat back.

Did you store the trailer down there, or tow it back empty?

Great choice to take the boat down.
Enjoy the winter boating!
 
Glenn,

The marina is good. It is in a sheltered cove right off of the ICW. To the North there's access to the Gulf. To the South there lot's of places to stop for food, entertainment.

I plan on getting down there at least once a month for long weekends and will most likely carve out a week for spring training.

I have the trailer and the truck stored down there. The trailer is at the marina and I have the truck in an "Uncle Bob's Storage" facility near the airport. This way I have a vehicle to get around with when I'm down there.

Last weekend I got the chance to go out on Saturday and Sunday. I am looking forward to doing more exploring and finding all the cool places to go by boat.

I think I'll be re-building/replacing all the bearings before the trip back home in April. Still confused why I went 800 miles with no problems, the hubs were never warm, and I still experienced failures. I think the bearings must have been in bad shape before the trip. The trailer was serviced by the marina before the trip. Maybe they just re-greased without inspecting the condition of the bearings.
I'll be doing it myself this time.

The trailer has a carrying capacity of 5,400 lbs. The boat is 4,200 with another 450 for gas for a total of 4,650 without gear. 300 pounds of gear (I'm no where near that) still should give me a cusion of 450lbs. Maybe that's still too close for comfort.

Bob
 
I'll bet they didnt use High TEMP Bearing grease. THey probably uses the standard marine grease they used on the gimble bearing.
 
or didnt properly tighten the bearings, a boiat yard might not have knowledge of wheel bearing proceedure.
 
Bob-

It sounds like a great situation, being able to leave the truck down there. You'll have a great time.
For the total boat weight, it might be more than you think. Boat amnufacturers have a habit of under-reporting their weight, and owners have a habit of putting aboard a lot more stuff than they think they did.
As Shadowscruzr said, it might have been the wrong grease. The "wrong grease" might have held up for that first 800 miles, and then fianlly the grease broke down. ???? Who knows. ??
 
Don't build too much of a cushion into your trailer's capacity. I had two boats last summer, about same length, one weighed 3,200 lbs, other one was about 5,200. I was hoping to get a trailer with a capacity of about 5,600, and use it for either boat. A trailer dealer I talked to, who seemed like he knew his business, told me that if I drop my 3,200 bow rider on a trailer with a 5,600+ capacity, I'll beat the crap out of my boat, because the suspension will be too stiff for the lighter boat. First time I had ever considered that.
 
quote:
Originally posted by pdecat

or didnt properly tighten the bearings, a boiat yard might not have knowledge of wheel bearing proceedure.

Click to expand...


Bruce - there's a good chance that this was the problem.
 
Reminds me of a trip from hell where we towed a Scarab up from Tampa. These were in the days before vessel/trailer assist. We made it all the way to Gainsville when I felt the Limo jerking violently. Looking back two trailer tires were flapping I with smoke pouring out. I got over in a small town near the Georgia/Florida border. We needed 2 axles, bearings and a hub. Yup Sunday night the only mechanic was an old guy dying from Cancer. A pick up full of a-holes pulled up I instructed my wife to stay in the car with our babies as exited the front door I started to get all kinds of threats. The sight of my Bren Ten 10mm stainless handgun sent them spinning tires and we never saw them again. 3 hours later we were back on the road by now it was night then all the sudden the headlights went out on the car. We hit an exit and as luck would have it there was a fatal accident we waited in line in the meantime my youngest had a severe asthma attack! I flagged down an officer he led us around the accident to the nearest emergency. The story never got much better it started raining around Richmond and the wipers quit. I pulled into the nearest hotel and a NC state trooper was there for security I figured how much worse can this get? He was actually very niced called me Mr Cadillac or Mr Scarab I told him if he had an old pickup that would get me back to NJ I would trade even up. He laughed and thought I was joking he didn't know I was dead serious I was. A good nights sleep with no events helped us get back to NJ. My wife and I call it the trip from Hell. We still laugh about it to this day even though at the time it was anything but funny.
Bill
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top