How to Replace Boat Trailer Brakes

Because the brakes of a boat trailer are secondary to the brakes of the vehicle that's towing it, it's easy for a boat owner to disregard the scraping or grinding sound coming from the trailer. But the time to discover your trailer's brake pads have completely worn down is not when you're speeding down a hill with a 6,000-pound boat on your tail. Avoiding that dangerous situation is worth the effort, considering the fact that changing your boat trailer's brake pads is relatively easy and inexpensive --- if you do the work yourself.

Instructions

1

Park your boat trailer on a paved, flat surface.

2

Loosen each wheel's lug nuts with a tire iron or lug nut wrench. Don't completely remove them.

3

Place a floor jack under the trailer's frame and raise it to a height that will allow you to place a jack stand under it on one side. Lower the trailer onto the jack stand.

4

Repeat step 3 on the other side of the trailer.

5




Use a tire iron or lug nut wrench to remove your boat trailer's lug nuts.

Select a wheel to work on first and finish removing its lug nuts.

6




The caliper can be found on the rotor, viewed here from the top.

Grasp the wheel with both hands and pull it toward you to remove it. Hugging the upper edge of the rotor will be the caliper, which houses the brake pads.

7

Remove the caliper bolts with a socket wrench. Although you will then be able to pull the front half of the caliper away from the back half, it will remain attached to your boat trailer by the brake line.

8




Use a bungee cord or rope to hang the caliper from the fender or wheel well.

Hang the caliper from the fender or inside of the wheel well with a bungee cord or rope to avoid damaging the brake line.

9

Remove the worn brake pads from the caliper.

10




Be careful not to get grease on the side of the brake pad that comes into contact with the rotor.

Apply a small amount of grease to the backs of the new brake pads. Be careful to avoid getting lubricant on the sides that come into contact with the rotor.

11

Place the new brake pads in the caliper and remove the caliper from the bungee cord or rope.

12




Use a socket wrench to tighten the caliper bolts.

Return the caliper to its original position. Replace the caliper bolts, and tighten them with a socket wrench.

13

Replace the wheel and lug nuts.

14

Repeat steps 5 through 13 for the opposite wheel.

15

Lift the boat trailer off the jack stands using a floor jack. Remove the jack stands and lower the trailer to the ground.