Ditch Bag for Your Trailer

[gottaflylee]

The resent trailer thread sparked some interest from a post I made on it and a PM asking what I carried for having a bearing go out. Please add to this post things that you may carry with you when you travel, This is what I keep in my SUV every day that I trailer. It may seem excessive to some but better than sitting on the side of the road waiting for someone to come help you out. One last thing before I start, I keep my trailer in A1 shape and have the trailer guy at Marine Warehouse go over it every 6 month but I have learned that things happen...

Map Gas is your friend, burns hotter and lasts longer than propane. I like the plumbers head for soldering copper pipe, this one has a built in ignition button, comes in handy.
I keep 2 jacks for the trailer, these are small 2 ton truck jacks, the junk yard is your friend here...
Good hacksaw and a Lenox blade will be handy as well as a big straight blade screwdriver along a medium coal chisel. I also keep a good vice grips.



Keep a good grease gun with a good grade of grease as buddy bearing and caps come off from time to time, nothing worse than arriving at the ramp to find that you slung a bearing cover. If you don't have a spare, take a rubber glove and cover the hub before launching your boat, that should keep the water and sand out till you can get another one, I use 2 gloves.

Gloves, get a small box of them along with a tyvek paper suit that you can take off after yore done, you will thank me for that one...

In this picture you will note that I use gloves for a lot of things, the 2 buddy bearing are tied in 1 glove, each is packed full of grease. The spare hub is also covered with a glove, new seals and races along with new fully packed bearing and another buddy bearing. All I have to do when I get the old one off is slid the new one on, tighten the nut and head down the road, easy right?...

I also keep 2 14" pipe wrenches, they will come in handy.



Instead of a tub of grease, I keep a spare tube of axel grease. When I need it I pop the top and dig it out, If I need more for the grease gun it works for that also...once opened, a glove will seal it up...



A hammer, good flashlight, I can hang this one, along with pair of channel locks is a must. Couple or 3, 18" 2X4s are a must also.



I keep a good "break free" spray of some sort, there are many good ones, I like CRC Ultra. A good break bar is a must for your lug nuts, I also keep impact socks and a extra long "L" bar when they are not wanting to come off, I will have a cordless impact hammer this summer.



I like to keep stuff handy that I will need. I keep a couple of 6X6s to slide under the trailer while I work on it so it won't fall on me, they make a handy spot for tools that I need for working on the trailer...



Last but not least...My spindle nuts are 1" diameter. I keep a couple of 1" stainless steel rings and a couple or 3 1" galvanized washers. Every now and then, something happens to the threads on the spindle and will not allow you to put a replacement nut back on. Take one of the rings and place it on the spindle so it will ride against the bearing. This also keeps the washer from rubbing against the hub. Next place as many of the washers (1 or 2 should do it) on the spindle till you can drive a 10 penny nail through the cotter pin hole. Drive the head of the nail down near the spindle. This does 2 things, tightens the hub bearings on the race and when the nail is bent, keeps the hub on. Pack grease around the hub to keep sand out, drive slow till you get where your going, and have the spindle replaced.



Hope this helps and feel free to add to things you take with you...

[clt_capt]

that's a million dollar tip - Thanks Lee

[Bird Dog]

Excellent post, Lee

[memory maker 4]

excellent post.. i do the same as you but i also carry a couple of trash bags and lay them under the repair.. also i keep red snap lights and clear duck tape in case of a light failure..