Towing resistance

[Levity]

Towed the 22 after 4 months storage. Inflated the tires to 50 PSI cold. Ambient air was 40F. Boat has normal load, full fuel tanks, empty water tank, all the usual gear. There was a perceptable increase in the resistance of the package being towed. Running on the same route, the truck had to be shifted into lower gears to make the climbs. Let off the gas and an immediate reduction in speed. Fuel consumption was above normal. Hubs felt cool, brakes seemed normal. What is likely to be the problem?
Sticking caliper?
Stiff waterproof grease ?
Axle out of alignment?
Your dianosis is appreciated.
Mike "Levity"

[matt_unique]

My thought was a sticking emergency brake. You would need to get underneath to see if the cable/arm is all the way "out" when the E-brake is not engaged for both sides. A few months ago my Tacoma had one side of the e-brake stuck down.

[hunk e dory]

mike if stiff grease was a problem should be warmed up after a few miles. you did not mention if you had a cover, could cause wind drag. have you tried the same route without boat and trailer. have you added anything to the boat or trailer that could change wind resistance. out of ideas good luck.

Bob, Hunk E Dory


ps do you have a 500 lb stow away

[Grumpy]

Mike, You don't say what kind of trailer but mine has 4 wheel disck brakes that tend to have surface rust which produces added friction for a few miles after standing for any period. You caould also check your wheel temp after a few miles. If hot it could be a binding brake shoe/pad/caliper depending on brake type.

Merv

[arniehuff]

suggestion - Jack the trailer till wheels are (one at a time) off the ground. Do they spin free? May help you locate problem. Good luck!

[Dreamer]

Mike,

You didn't mention indoor or outdoor storage. Is it possible you're towing an extra 500 lbs. of water and or ice around with you? Realistically, checking the wheels ease of rotation one at a time sounds like the best advice as arnie huff says. Good luck.

[IT-SEA-BIT-C]

Check all that was posted above,for sure . But if your getting that much drag after checking all the obvious sounds . to me like the wheel berings , but , usually that much drag even if it was the brakes dragging would be heating up the hubs quite a bit, to say the least. some trailers have adjustments to move the axles back & forth , you might want to also check if one side didn't move , if somethings loose , i've seen a big potholes do stranger things. good luck - let us know what you find after you figure it out..

[flapbreaker]

Could it be the Gas? If your state is anything like Oregon, the winter fuel gets blended with ethonal. I hear that there is less energy from a gallon of gas that's blended with ethonal. Maybe your state does this too and you are noticing a difference? Just a thought.

[Larry H]

If the truck has an auto transmission, it could be slipping/worn out/low on fluid. If manual trans, is the clutch slipping?

[Levity]

Thanks for all of your worthy suggestions. Axle alignment and ethanol laced fuel are two ideas that fit with the details. Jacking and testing for rotational resistence is brilliantly simple. Wish I'd a thought of that. When, the culprit is found the news will be posted.
Mike "Levity"

[Captains Cat]

Mike, check the anchor!!

Charlie

[thataway]

I also had similar "symptoms" with a plugged fuel filter--no problem without the load. Normally I stop every two hours and check temperature of the tires, hubs and brake calipers with the IR thermometer. Look for one wheel which has increased temp over the others.

[C-WEED]

Chock front wheels of tow vehicle, jack up both rear tires off the ground and check for free rotation with trans in nuetral.

[C-WEED]

When you check the trailer wheels. Raise one up at a time and check for free rotation. On the axle with brakes. Run a screw driver thru the actuater slide and use a crow bar to pry the master cylinder piston slide toward the boat just like when you slow down. Have an assistant hold the bar and check to make sure the wheel will not rotate when the brake pressure is applied. Then release the brake pressure and check again for free rotation. There is a good chance that the plunger in the wheel cylinder is sticking do to moisture in the brake fluid.

[Levity]

Thank you all for your responses.
I finally was able to jack the trailer and spin the wheels. Front right side was very difficult to spin. It appeared to be a dragging shoe. Tore it down, piston/caliper retracted easily creating doubt as to the cause of the dragging shoe. Installed new shoes. The new shoes bound against the disc making the hub nearly impossible to spin. Checked the caliper again, it was fully retracted. Further inspection revealed that the bronze bushings which line the slider pin sleeves were not flush with the caliper housing. They were sticking out about an eighth inch. The outboard bushings were occupying the eighth inch normally reserved for shoe clearance thus causing the shoe to bind. Removed the housing from the trailer. Pressed the bushings back into place. Reinstalled the brake assembly. They are now spinning properly.
The brakes are Tie Down Engineering vented disc brake assemblies. An exploded view of the assembly can be found here: http://www.tiedown.com/pdf/c553.pdf
Step five of the installation instructions shows a good picture of a bronze bushing as it should appear; flush with the housing.
I'll be checking those bushings every season.
Thank you all again for your responses.
Regards,
Mike "Levity"