When it comes to boat trailer accessories, there are going to be many places where you can find them, and many places where you can have them installed onto your boat. You should know that there are many different kinds of boat trailer accessories and that you have to be sure you are getting the perfect accessories for your trailer before you begin.
Like any vehicle purchase, trailers (new and used) come with a wide variety of options to make your towing life a little easier. Among the most popular add-ons are the tongue-jack, bearing buddies, spare-tire mounts and load guides.
Find a Reliable Place
The first thing you need to do when you are looking for boat trailer accessories is to find a reliable place to look for them. You have to find somewhere that specializes in boat trailer accessories and that has a person who is going to be able to tell you about each accessory and how to use it. You are also going to want to shop around and make sure you are getting the right price for the boat trailer accessories that you decide to buy. Finally, the place where you go should have the right kind of staff that can either install the boat trailer accessories that you’d like, or can help you to do it on your own.
The Right Accessories
The next thing that you should do, after you have found the best place to buy your boat trailer accessories is to be sure that you are getting the right types of accessories. First of all, you should remember that they are expensive, and each time you add one to your boat you are going to be using battery power.Therefore, you should be sure you are going to use each of the boat trailer accessories that you buy. Another thing that you should keep in mind is that there are several boat trailer accessories that you can buy which will do many different tasks.
“We put a tongue-jack on every trailer that comes in here,” says Sandy Gordon of Gordon Marine, “even if it’s just for our convenience when we’re moving boats around. The only reason we take one off is if the customer doesn’t want to pay for it.”
At $50–$80, a tongue-jack takes the strain out of hitching and unhitching your trailer, since its swiveling jack arm is attached to a wheel that is fixed behind the trailer’s coupling hitch. Crank up the tongue-jack and your trailer rises off the ball hitch with minimal strain, adding a front wheel to your unhooked trailer.
Bearing buddies allow trailer owners to pump grease into the wheel bearings, and consist of a grease nipple that goes on the end of the wheel hub. For a mere $20–$30, they are an inexpensive way to maintain your hub life, but don’t let their simplicity tempt you into over-greasing.
“A lot of people keep pumping grease into the bearing until it starts coming out the other side, breaking the seal,” says Tom Blight of Doral Marine and Recreation. “Then they back into the water and get moisture in the bearing.”
Spare-tire mounts can be picked up for as little as $40, plus the cost of your wheel and tire, and are often mounted on the tongue. Ross Gordon, a co-owner of Gordon Marine, says that for $100–$150 you can put load guides on your trailer, whether it’s bunk or roller. Essentially an L-shaped bracket that bolts onto the trailer frame, a load guide will center the boat as you approach the trailer. “They help you load the trailer in windy conditions or rough water.”
Finally, if your trailer doesn’t have fenders for the wheels, consider adding some. Fenders protect your boat’s hull, trailer and vehicle from dirt and debris while towing. Some fenders also have side steps. Steps can be useful when launching and loading your boat. They are also safer to walk on than a wet, slippery trailer frame.
If you are looking for several different accessories, it might be better to buy one or two accessories that have all of the parts that you are looking for. This is preferable instead of buying 12 or 13 accessories that are going to take up room and use your battery power as well.
Take Care of Your Accessories
The other thing that you have to remember when you are buying boat trailer accessories is that once you have them, you are going to have to take care of them just like anything else on your boat or boat trailer. This means that as you go about your business you should be sure that you are learning how to take care of each of the boat trailer accessories that you have, and that you are sure to know how to care for them and to repair them if they break down.