wrote in message
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On a boat trailer that gets a salt water dipping, I can barely keep the
tail lights and wheel bearings running.

Trailer brakes are a flash in the pan.

You really have to seal those tail lights well. I've used a whole tube of
silicone caulk to seal two lights. I loosen the lenses and caulk under the
rim; cover the screws with caulk before driving them in; and seal the wires
inside and out. On the outside, after applying a gob really well, I forced
silicone into a strip of fiberglass cloth and wrapped it around the wires
until they were too stiff to move at the light housing.

That made a big difference on a trailer that was dunked at least once a week
for 25 years. As for the bearings, I'd hose them every trip and re-pack
every other trip. I made a re-packing fixture out of two pieces of aluminum
die plate and a Zerk fitting. It made re-packing a five-minute job, and it
forced grease from one side of the bearing to the other.

That, sandblasting, and a coat of zinc-filed epoxy brushed on the trailer
frame, and then covered with Rustoleum, kept it in good shape for many
years.

--
Ed Huntress