diymom
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enthralled with my 1969 Terry, problem is it keeps me awake at night planning
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1969 terry 18'
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Post by diymom on Sept 11, 2015 9:44:16 GMT -8
Ok, so I am just curious, does anyone feel the need to insulate their wheel wells due to the high temperatures they often reach while towing?
I had no idea that the wells got so hot until I stored a tarp next to one and our extra propane for our Coleman lamp.... we ended up with a giant tarp with about 12 melted holes, like those paper snowflakes kids cut out and a really big scare with the propane canisters!!
Our ice box was also located next to a well and it seemed the ice would melt very fast on days we traveled and not so fast when staying put...I'm assuming the heat from the wells was contributing to the melt.
Was it just us who had really hot wheel wells, or does everyone store non flammable stuff down next to them?
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turbodaddy
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17' 1965 Fan "Sunseeker"
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Post by turbodaddy on Sept 11, 2015 17:12:46 GMT -8
I think you may have a wheel bearing issue. Or maybe you are kidding?
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diymom
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enthralled with my 1969 Terry, problem is it keeps me awake at night planning
Posts: 323
Likes: 51
1969 terry 18'
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Post by diymom on Sept 11, 2015 19:08:10 GMT -8
We had repacked the bearings, they were fine, we checked them before and after the trip. We did go through some really hot places like Vegas and southern Utah where it was 113 degrees.
Does nobody else have this problem with the wheel wells?
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Post by bigbill on Sept 11, 2015 20:37:14 GMT -8
How hot were your tires getting were they properly inflated?
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diymom
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enthralled with my 1969 Terry, problem is it keeps me awake at night planning
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1969 terry 18'
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Post by diymom on Sept 11, 2015 21:04:47 GMT -8
They were inflated to the recommended psi, we checked them at every fill up. We didn't over the top speed the tires were rated for and the tires we used were rated for about a thousand lbs more than the trailer weighed. They maintained pressure fine. Is it unusual for that kind of heat to be generated?
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Post by vikx on Sept 11, 2015 21:32:37 GMT -8
I've never had hot wheel wells. More like cold creeping in when camping... Something sounds off to me.
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batjac65
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'64 or '65 Title-less Compact
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Post by batjac65 on Sept 12, 2015 3:13:18 GMT -8
Are your brakes engaged? That would cause heat issues. Something is amiss, because you could lay the tarp out in the sun at 113 degrees, and it shouldn't melt.
Check anything that could cause friction in the well area, tires rubbing, brakes, bearings....
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diymom
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enthralled with my 1969 Terry, problem is it keeps me awake at night planning
Posts: 323
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1969 terry 18'
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Post by diymom on Sept 13, 2015 23:08:04 GMT -8
Ohhhh, the brakes could have been the problem...yikes, we never had them working, I'm pretty sure they were seized when we looked at them. Being new to trailer towing, we figured if they weren't hooked up, we didn't need to worry about them.
Is it possible they never stopped rubbing after all that time and we towed a trailer with brakes rubbing? That's crazy if that were the case. We just sold it, so it's no longer something I can verify. That's nuts!
Wouldn't that make noise or smell after a while?
The brakes are working on the "new" trailer now, so I shouldn't have hot wells again, right?
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batjac65
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'64 or '65 Title-less Compact
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Post by batjac65 on Sept 15, 2015 4:02:12 GMT -8
Is it possible? Yeah, and very likely if they were seized when you looked at them, unless you freed them up. I've seen vehicles burn to the ground because their brakes caught fire. Probably got lousy gas mileage too....
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diymom
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enthralled with my 1969 Terry, problem is it keeps me awake at night planning
Posts: 323
Likes: 51
1969 terry 18'
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Post by diymom on Sept 16, 2015 21:18:33 GMT -8
Good God! That's awful.
I don't recall mileage, but I know going up hills was intense.
I am relieved the brakes on this trailer now work.
Well, I suspect that was the culprit, I wish I would have read about checking for seized brakes back when we got into the craziness of vintage trailers!
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RinTin
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Post by RinTin on Sept 17, 2015 5:05:15 GMT -8
Is this a trailer you sold recently? If so, and if you have not already done so, now that this information is public you should notify the new owners. You wouldn't want an unfortunate incident on your conscience, not to mention a potential negligence lawsuit for failing to disclose the potential defect.
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diymom
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enthralled with my 1969 Terry, problem is it keeps me awake at night planning
Posts: 323
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1969 terry 18'
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Post by diymom on Sept 17, 2015 6:32:31 GMT -8
I sent him an email like three days ago. I said he needs to check that the brakes aren't seized. He works on motorcycles so I'm sure he can figure it out. We told him initially that they didn't work and the wheel wells got hot so not to put anything flammable near them.
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