When I got into Williamstown, NJ about 8PM on Thursday, I drove by the house where the boat was supposedly located and found that it was there as planned. After a quick text to the owner to find out that, while lights were on, the house was for sale and unoccupied, I planned on returning fairly early the next morning.
According to plan, I went over early on Friday and after quite a bit of difficulty getting the coupler to drop down on the ball, decided to hook up the safety chains tight and drag it off the lawn onto the street. When I did this, I did manage to get the coupler on, verified that I didn't have any working lights, and began the show shoulder-crawl two miles up the road (on three tires that held air) to the tire dealer I had called previously that had the new times to install on the trailer.
At first, they told me that they weren't allowed to work on anything non-automotive, but after they looked up the tires and found that they had all four and that paperwork had already been processed, they consented to make the change out. They guy doing the work was very pleasant and, while he had some problems with the wheels which had been in place at least seven years with rusted lug nuts, managed to get them changed and I was able to get on the road by about 10 am.
While this was sadly prophetic, we wished me good luck on the trip home and, since one wheel only had 4 of the 5 studs, suggested that I check all the lug nuts in 50 miles or so. Looking at my map, I found that the first service plaza on the PA Turnpike would be a good place to get a second cup of coffee and check all the lug nuts.
After a slow, heavy traffic crawl through the Philadelphia expressways, I managed to join the turnpike and was two miles from the service plaza when I felt some sever shaking coming from the trailer. I immediately looked up and found an emergency pull off 1500 feet ahead. When I pulled off and got inside the painted "get thee behind here" line, I walked back to the trailer, saw nothing on the driver's side but instinctively felt both hubs for elevated temperature and found nothing amiss.
Such was not the case when I came around the the starboard side of the boat. The conditions were as bad (maybe worse) than one may have feared for a wheel bearing left unattended for many years and a hub that was only held in place by four studs.
The forward wheel - the one with the brake drum) was coated with grease and the bearing was completely shot and, as it turns out, GONE!
The rear wheel didn't apparently have any bearing damage, but ALL OF THE WHEEL STUDS WERE SHEARED OFF and the wheel was simply riding around the outside of the hub on the pilot bore. It was not attached to the trailer; it was a miracle it had not come off!
To be continued...
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