Just had a first ride with the trailer .. few questions

[tcolar]

I just drove around about 10 miles including up and down a steep hill (500' gain in ~1.5 mile)

Overall seems good:
- trailer width being same as car is good, easy to see in mirrors
- bellow 50mph you can barely tell it's there
- Down the hill went fine, ligt turn red at bottom so got to try the brakes ... definitely needs a bit more room to stop.
- Up the hill went fine but you could tell it was there : lower gear / higher RPM ... but nothing to crazy and that street is steeper than any freeway grade.
- On the freeway I took it to 65 and it did not fall apart
- Over 55/60 the extra drag can be felt quite a lot (trailer 2' higher than car).

Questions:

- How important/urgent is it to add an extra transmission cooler to the car (subaru outback)?

- I checked both wheels bearing temperature, by hand, and one was completely cold, the other lukewarm (say 80F) ... should I worry about this bearing / do something about it ??

thanks

[Gage]

Questions:
- How important/urgent is it to add an extra transmission cooler to the car (subaru outback)?

What does the mfg recommend? A Honda CRV requires one but a Honda Pilot doesn't.

- I checked both wheels bearing temperature, by hand, and one was completely cold, the other lukewarm (say 80F) ... should I worry about this bearing / do something about it ??

If one is warm on such a short run. There is no harm in pulling that wheel and checking it, just to be sure. Is there any grease in it?

[pete42]

I would add a cooler if it doesn't have one.

every car or truck I used to pull a trailer has had one installed in the 60's I added my own last few the came from the dealer installed.

like Gage wrote check with MFG.

I never pull in OD either but that's another subject that has been beaten to death.

ol' pete

[vreihen]

To add onto slowcowboy's bearing diagnosis, if one hub was heated up from using the brakes and the other one was cold, you might want to check the wiring and brake show adjustment on the cold side to make sure that the brakes are working. Could also explain your long stopping distances.....

[Shadow Catcher]

I am pulling with the 3L H6 and the first thing I did was add the largest transmission cooler (not expensive) that would fit and using Amsoil ATF. Heat is the enemy, and the Subaru transmission while fine for just the car, is a bit strained with a trailer. My aim is also to do some desert camping.
To sum it up it can't hurt and does not cost a bunch.

[Mukilteo]

That must have been James hill.
I used to ride down it on a ten-speed as fast as I could. If a car would have pulled out of a side street I would have been toast. The follies of youth, but it was fun at the time.

[tcolar]

Trailer has no brakes, it is the harbor freight chassis.

So "warm" wheel is not from brakes, grease should be ok - packed them myself ... i'll probably do another 10/20 miles and see if it gets warm, if it does I guess i'll redo it.

I'll try to find a tranny cooler, autozone didn't have them, will check o'reilly.

[Wimperdink]

I'll try to find a tranny cooler, autozone didn't have them, will check o'reilly.

Or Uhaul Hitch center. (they install if you like)

[ERV]

This might be dumb, but was the sun on that side of the trailer? I always check mine at every stop we make. Work trailer and camper. I find that if the sun is hitting the black rim on one side , it is always a littler warmer. Just a thought.

[tcolar]

Just checked the tires and both where at 30 PSI (digital gauge) instead of 80 ...

not sure if they came at 30 PSI or just deflated over 9 months ... anyway they are back at 75 PSI now (might little compressor wouldn't quite do 80)

[Miriam C.]

Erv might be on to something. You might want to drive it with the sun on the other side just in case. Your tires being that low on air could be the reason you feel drag at speed.

[GPW]

Gotta' keep those tires inflated ... And every time we make a stop , only takes a second to get out and check the hubs (temperature) ...

[aggie79]

Trailer has no brakes, it is the harbor freight chassis.

So "warm" wheel is not from brakes, grease should be ok - packed them myself ... i'll probably do another 10/20 miles and see if it gets warm, if it does I guess i'll redo it.

I'll try to find a tranny cooler, autozone didn't have them, will check o'reilly.

I have a HF utility trailer. On the first trip after I replaced the bearings, seals, and grease, I noticed one side was warmer than the other. I backed off the castle nut one notch (on the bearings that were warm). Everything is now fine - runs cool - and that was about 500 miles on the trailer ago.

[Wild Bill]

Number of cylinders in the engine has nothing to do with the temperature that the automatic transmission reaches when moving a load. Be sure to follow your Subaru's rules to the letter because if you take it in for warrenty trans work, you will find you no longer have a warrenty because you were towing without a properly equipped vehicle. Heat bakes the fluid and it can no longer tranfer heat and lubricate. Dad bought an early 70's ford with a 400 cid V-8. Decided to tow our popup without a trans cooler, When the shop took it apart a year later when it started to slip, the fluid was baked on the parts. That trailer probably was less than a tons and the car a year or 2 old. Heat kills and trans coolers help avoid the high temps. Many trucks equipped to tow from the factory have a trans temp warning light or guage, even properly equipped they can over heat in the mountains. With a trans cooler at less than $100 and a rebuild that can cost $2500 it is cheap insurance. Bill

[arnko37]

Long ago I read a article about trans coolers in the winter. If you are not towing and the outside temps get real cold the oil may not flow easy enough to lubricate everything. The article said put a bypass on it to deactivate the cooler when its too cold out. I dont know if this is a real concern since I only heard of it once but thought I would pass it on.