We own a 2021 SRT with tow package. I frequently tow our 20ft Aluminum fishing boat and it performs quite well. Recently we moved to a property that has a relatively steep gravel incline to the concrete pad the boat is stored on. We've noticed that on occasion when backing the trailer down this gravel hill a mild burning smell is present. My wife thinks I'm ruining our beautiful SUV that is not intended to tow even though I try to assure her that we are WAY under towing capacity. That being said, I too have noted this transient smell. I don't see any obvious leaks and have no performance issues. Any feedback would be appreciated as the fall Chinook season is upon us here in Washington.
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Smell when backing down boat trailer
Rocketvet
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We own a 2021 SRT with tow package. I frequently tow our 20ft Aluminum fishing boat and it performs quite well. Recently we moved to a property that has a relatively steep gravel incline to the concrete pad the boat is stored on. We've noticed that on occasion when backing the trailer down this gravel hill a mild burning smell is present. My wife thinks I'm ruining our beautiful SUV that is not intended to tow even though I try to assure her that we are WAY under towing capacity. That being said, I too have noted this transient smell. I don't see any obvious leaks and have no performance issues. Any feedback would be appreciated as the fall Chinook season is upon us here in Washington.
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449 Posts
I wonder if hill start assist is holding brake pressure for you and you are overriding the brakes to back down. Is hill start assist disabled in reverse? I don’t know, just a thought, try disabling it next time. Do you have surge brakes on that trailer? Is there a pin you insert prior to backing up? Hope this helps, good looking rig!
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1,320 Posts
Trailer brakes and water don't mix. Especially salt water. what you may be smelling is the burnt up pads and linings of your trailer brakes, or one, (or more) of the trailer wheel bearings melting down. These are extremely common and constant issues with all boat trailers and many RV's.. It has been and probably always shall be "the nature of the beast", that electric trailer brakes and wheel bearings require constant attention and maintenance. I used to carry an infrared thermometer to 'shoot' the wheels (to read temperatures) whenever we'd stop for whatever reason while towing. I'd shoot the brake mechanism too. This has no doubt saved me from being stranded twice that I can remember. Of course, a quick touch works too, but can sometimes be painful.
I carried a grease gun too, and would give each trailer wheel a shot of grease after pulling the boat out. This keeps water from getting into the bearings in the first place. "Bearing Buddies" are highly recommended, as they keep positive pressure on the grease inside the bearings, thus preventing water from getting in there to begin with.... And you can leave the grease gun home.
The brake solenoids and mechanism can 'freeze-up' due to rust. Smack them if you're on the road to see if you can free them up.
BTW, Nice ski/fishin boat!
I carried a grease gun too, and would give each trailer wheel a shot of grease after pulling the boat out. This keeps water from getting into the bearings in the first place. "Bearing Buddies" are highly recommended, as they keep positive pressure on the grease inside the bearings, thus preventing water from getting in there to begin with.... And you can leave the grease gun home.
The brake solenoids and mechanism can 'freeze-up' due to rust. Smack them if you're on the road to see if you can free them up.
BTW, Nice ski/fishin boat!
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That's so weird, the picture you posted is great, I love it, but jeez, it sure makes the Durango look small hehehehe Just perspective.
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Are you disabling the trailer brakes? I've seen that a hundred times at the boat ramp, people pushing against the trailer brakes, makes everything hot.
My trailer has surge brakes not electric as is the case with most all boat trailers. They do not engage when in reverse while backing down ramps or my gravel driveway. The smell has only been noticed when backing down my loose gravel driveway, not on ramps and I've been down some pretty steep ramps. The smell is coming from the Durango not the trailer. I plan to test with the hill start assist disabled and see if that makes a difference. Thanks for the comments.
Trailers with surge brakes should have a pin on the wiring harness that is a reverse lockout (and of course the tow vehicle needs the correct wiring), so the trailer brakes should not engage when the tow vehicle is in reverse, assuming that the system is functioning properly. Easy test; unplug the harness and try backing the trailer up a slight incline. When I tested mine there was no mistaking that the brakes were engaging. I was stopped dead by the trailer brakes.
As for the smell....how many miles on the car? Trailering is heavy use, and you could just be generating enough extra heat in your exhaust system to burn off some of the manufacturing schmutz (yes, that is the engineering term) that has not yet burned off of the back of your exhaust system. I recall some of my tow vehicles having similar smells when towing when relatively new.
As for the smell....how many miles on the car? Trailering is heavy use, and you could just be generating enough extra heat in your exhaust system to burn off some of the manufacturing schmutz (yes, that is the engineering term) that has not yet burned off of the back of your exhaust system. I recall some of my tow vehicles having similar smells when towing when relatively new.
While towing your Durango is working harder and does let off more odors from slightly higher temperatures in the oil, transmission and brakes. It is designed for this my 2014 R/T towed strong at 130K miles and the newer tow n go is even better. I would do round trip 500 miles with no problems year after year close to 6K weight trailer boat and equipment.
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