So i will tell my story. purchased a used (2004) boat/ trailer last summer. Thing was clean very little use, runs great ect... i used it all summer, replaced ORIGINAL tires on trailer first thing! The spares even still had injection nipples on tread. Tires literally came apart when pulled by tire machine (sidewalls).
i ran it all year and decided to check the surge brake system as i was putting up for hunting season. Found the tongue actuator was frozen rusted! looking closer, the brake wheel cylinders had seals torn and worn.
Have a 20K actuator on trailer, was in ballpark of 300$ for all new internals, 1 axle brake system from Kodiac (most common company for boat trailer brakes) was in ballpark of 600$ and while at it, update to rubber DOT brakelines is in progress... i have attached a picture of the actuator internals and trust me the caliper/rotor ends look as tired.
I guess what i am saying here is that trailers are often overlooked and now at end of your year, is the best time to go over them. I consider how it will be about a month of order/ship/install everything (DIY) and say to myself it would have really sucked to find out first day out next season and be ooc for a month then! hope this thread triggers your actions and saves you heartaches down stream!
B
