We have finally had several warm and dry days in a row. With this nice weather came more trailer progress...and some surprises that will require yet even more work. But in the end it will make the trailer more reliable and trouble-free for years to come.
Surprises first: With a little down time waiting on the coupler to come in, I decided to take the wheels off to check the bearings. This is what I found.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out this wasn't good.
This is what the bearing looked like. Luckily I was able to go to the parts store and buy all new bearings and races. Unfortunately I was only able to reuse 2 of the 4 hubs on the trailer. I have 2 new ones on the way. More pictures to follow on hub and bearing rebuild.
After I pulled the wheels and hubs I decided to change the hanger and axle spring bolts. These are the bolts that hold the wheels to the trailer...pretty important. I knew from the start of this project these would need attention and I was right. They were wrong size and heavily corroded.
Here are the new bolts holding the new spring plates. I cleaned it all up with a wire brush and sprayed some rust encapsulator on it. Should be good for quite a while now. I was happy to see something finished and looking good.
Next on the list was the trailer coupler, the part that connects trailer to the tow vehicle. I knew when I bought the trailer this too would need attention.
Installing the new coupler sized for the job of pulling Sal. It is rated at 12,500 lbs. I was happy to get to do some more fabrication work.
Here is the almost-finished install of the coupler. To me it looks a lot more sturdy and I will feel better knowing that it has been done right. I have only welded it with the small welder and will need to use the larger welder to finish it sometime this weekend.
Still needing to be done:
- Light and wiring-Still need to buy parts.
- Repack and install new hubs and bearings-Ordered and on the way.
- Brakes-Ordered On the way.
- Paint- Still need...and more importantly, what color?
- Tires- Still need to buy
Progress has been slow but steady. The trailer is getting there. I am hoping the weather will stay fair so I can finish it up. More to follow soon!
