[AT] Spam> My Trailer made sparks

[Roy Morgan]

My Bison two-horse trailer has served well till this last trip. Near  
Gettysburg, PA, I learned of the smoke coming from the rear wheel from  
a kind driver who honked my attention to it.  After a short rest to  
mess with the electric brake system a bit, I went on quite slowly.   
The wheel began to make sparks.

  I was lucky to find a truck repair guy who also does horse trailers  
just 3 miles from where I limped to a safe parking place. Turns out  
one of the wheel bearings had let go, even though there was plenty of  
grease, and let the drum contact the brake shoes, which first smoked,  
then overheated, then let out the sparks.

Do folks on the list periodically clean and repack wheel bearings to  
make sure they are ok?  Or just wait till the smoke leaks out.   
Certainly it's a different matter with a hay wagon in the field than  
it would be with a horse trailer with a half million dollars worth of  
thoroughbreds on their down the interstate to the owners place.  (My  
trailer was empty.)  I'm told that if a bearing overheats an axle it  
can cost you a grand to get it right again.

I trust a torque wrench is not really needed: what is the normal  
procedure?  I seem to remember "tighten up snug then back off one flat".

It turns out my Ford F-250 has NO trailer brake controller (duhhh!).   
'Was one, but it stayed with the previous owner (So I had no trailer  
braking at all).  Any favorite type or brand?

Roy


Roy Morgan
k1lky at earthlink.net
529 Cobb St.
Groton NY, 13073