How fast to tow a 26m, painted steel trailer?

[JasonDW]

Hello folks,

I am new to this alias (as of today). I am about to embark on a fairly long journey (~750 mile each way) to pick up a gently used 2005 26m . I am super excited about becoming an owner, and sharing info with all of you on this forum.

What I want to know is...
1.) With a factory 2004 MacGregor painted steel trailer, still with the single axle, how fast I should tow it home? I am pulling it with a GMC K1500 pickup, and really don't need to go 70mph on the way home, but it would be nice to do 60, rather than just 50.
2.) How many miles between greasing the bearings?
3.) I have heard some bad stories about tires wearing out, so I will need to keep that in mind, and watch how hot they are getting. Will 50mph (instead of 60) save my trailer tires?

If any of you has experience that you would like to share, I would truly appreciate it.

JasonDW

[pokerrick1]

1) ZOOM ZOOM 60 is fine.

2) Grease before you start the trip unless you KNOW it was just done - - - - then I believe it is more important to grease after water dunkings than on a mileage basis. Be sure to THROUGHLY rinse the trailer after every dunking, especially after salt water usage.

3) Of course speed kills, but not enough to worry about THIS 10 MPH difference.

4) Watch out for a little sway when being passed by 18 wheelers

Rick less in Las Vegas

[c130king]

If you have much gear stored in the rear half of the boat you may want to move it to the forward bunk. This will help reduce sway.

Also, check on the electrical connection between the truck and trailer. When I showed up to pick up my '05 the plugs were not compatible and we had to run out and find an adaptor...fortunatley that only took about 20 minutes.

Good Luck,
Jim

[Jim Bunnell]

My GMC Yukon uses a round connector for the trailer connection. The 2003 Mac trailer has a flat 4 pin connector. The adaptor is a standard part at most trailer or auto supply stores. Mine trails very nicely below 65, above it becomes somewhat sensitive to side winds or trucks. I did need to use a dropped trailer hitch to keep the trailer level. You might want to use an adjustable hitch or check with the previous owner regarding trailer height. I used a 2" drop hitch with a 2" ball (trailer has 15" wheels, which would make a difference if not standard). The top of the ball is at 14" with the trailer weight on it, trailer level; 17" with no weight, truck turned off (it has self leveling feature - that might make a difference). I would invest in bearing buddys http://www.bearingbuddy.com/ or a similar setup if you are going to be launching and retrieving very often as opposed to keeping the boat slipped.

Congratulations on your new boat, and good luck on your trip.

Jim

[Kelly Hanson East]

My 2002 tows much nicer at 60 mph than 65 mph so I have made 60 mph my default towing speed.

Remember to fill the tires to the maximum pressure indicated on the sidewall of the tires (usually 50 psi) when they are cold. You need a tire pressure gauge for this.

Bearings should be inspected annually for a boat that is being dunked regularly or for an unknown boat. You can perform a field check by jacking up the wheel and spinning it listening and feeling for 'roughness'

WHen trailering, pull over each hour, and feel the wheels and tires for heat - they can get warm but shouldnt be too hot to touch.

[JasonDW]

You guys are fantastic with your insights. I really appreciate all the advice.

JasonDW.

[Snyds]

Jason, your truck will be fine at 70 I'm willing to bet... I always start the road trips slow and next thing I know I'm going 75-80 without issues (CO is 75 MPH even through the mtns). Bearings were covered well, growing up with boats we repacked every fall, never had problems.

To go off of what was said before, my chevy needed the round to 4 pin adapter and then I needed a 4 to 4 that adapted it again so it would work. Let me know if that didn't make sense.

Steve

[JasonDW]

70MPH... I will give that a try on a flat open expanse of road, without any other cars around. I will also report what my mileage was after the trip (and average speed).

Thanks also for tips about the trailer electrics. I just converted my 4 prong electrics on the truck to a 7 prong (round) RV plug (the seller let me know this before this past weekend, and with a bit of welding and some black stove paint, it looks pretty good). The new truckside 7 prong connection also comes with a 4 prong connection on the truck side (http://www.hopkinsmfg.com/37185.html), so now I have the best of both worlds (still can pull my utility trailer without a converter !!).

Thanks again,
JasonDW.

[bscott]

Make sure you tie down the stern especially if there is NO bottom paint--make sure the trailer is level with the truck hitch with at least 300# on the ball. Check your lug nuts every 200 miles. When tilting the engine make sure it is firmly against the trailering lever---some engines lower units need to be supported as their levers are flimsey. I carry an aluminum floor jack and 4x4 block in the event of a flat tire. Any speed above 65 is too much.

Fill in your avatar so we know more about you---good luck

bscott

[Bluecrab]

Jason,

05M with an 04 trailer, did I read that right?

Our 05 came with a 5 pin connector, I have an adapter with both 4 and 5 pin to a 7 spade round receptacle on my truck. The 5th pin connects to the back up lights to deactivate the serge brakes so you can back up. You can also do it manually with key.

We towed ours home 800 miles checking the wheel bearings at every stop an 70 mph was not a problem. We had bearing buddies and the PO shot them with some grease just before we left. Although we bought a spare to bring along we never needed it.

Fair lanes,
Wally

[dvideohd]

Is this for a Blue or White M?

just curious...

--jr

[Divecoz]

.

[jaguar496]

Hello Divecoz: do you have one or two axles? stew

[JasonDW]

Thanks again everyone. And thanks for asking me to update my details/avatar. My pic is in the San Juan Islands (Puget Sound) with our rented Tayana 42 in the background. What a great trip that was !! Princess Louisa Inlet is something everyone on this forum should experience.

[JasonDW]

For those that are interested, I pulled my 2005 26M back from the Lake Tahoe area to the Seattle Area, this past Friday and Saturday. My 1997 GMC K1500 got 18.6 MPG on the way there (going 70mph), and 12.4 MPG on the way back pulling the boat (going 55MPH). For those that have the 26M painted steel trailers that have excessive tire wear, I must say that I have never been so impressed with how well something trailered. No boat rear end sway, no perceptable tire wear/damage (over 750 miles). And I was surprised to find bias ply tires on the trailer, with "C" load ratings. Prior to making the journey, I had purchased a "D" rated spare that is a radial, not thinking that bias ply tires were even used anymore.

Thanks,
JasonDW.