Last week we packed two full sized SUVs to the hilt along with two boats and took off to the Florida Keys for a week long vacation with a total of three families. First came all the fun gear like rods, reels, tackle, snorkel gear, and paddle boards. Next came all the gear that we took and really hoped not to have to use. We serviced both boat trailers before the departure replacing any suspect hardware, lubed hubs, checked running lights, backed off the lug nuts and put on fresh never seize, inspected tires and checked tire pressure etc. We then put together a tool box just to be ensure we had the proper tools required should we have a roadside emergency. Traveling 12-hours through the night down the interstate towing a boat is stressful enough, having a potential roadside emergency in the middle of that and not being prepared could ruin a trip. With many of our readers planning similar summer vacation trips with their boat in tow I thought I would share our list of tools to at least offer a starting point on what to pack so here you go:
Reflective emergency roadside triangle set
Flashlight
Hydraulic jack
Multi lug, lug wrench
1/2-inch breaker bar, ½-inch drive, full ½-inch deep socket set
3/8-inch drive and complete socket set
Needle nose pliers
Channel lock pliers
Vise grips
Flat and Phillips head screw drivers
Hammer
Large crescent wrench
2 spares tires and rims per trailer
Complete spare hub
Extra cotter pins
Portable 12V air compressor
Back up set of magnetic trailer lights
Zipties
Wood blocks for chocking tires and/or adjusting hydraulic jack height
Spare fuses for vehicle tow lights output
Hand gun for personal security
You may have some specific needs for your setup, but this list covered us fairly well. Both of our trailers were torsion suspension, if they were leaf spring set ups we would have carried an extra spring and hardware. Trailer assist insurance is available through the major marine towing companies, if you travel with your boat on a regular basis the minor additio