Effectively Bleed Your Boat Trailer Brake Lines

Maintaining your boat trailer is an important part of ensuring that your vessel stays safe and secure during transport. One crucial component that often goes overlooked is the brake system. Over time, air can get trapped in the brake lines, causing reduced braking performance and potential safety hazards. Bleeding the brake lines is a simple yet important process that should be done regularly. In this blog post, we will discuss how to bleed brake lines on your boat trailer using the Motive Products 0135 Deluxe Quick-Set Boat Trailer Bleeder, this adapter fits a 3/4" press-fit design. Motive Products also offers the 0102 Classic Car/Boat Trailer Power Bleeder which would be compatible for all trailers with a 31.5mm male thread master cylinder reservoir. If you already own a Motive Products Power Bleeder, you can simply purchase the 1130 Boat Trailer Adapter and 1102 Classic Car/Boat Trailer Adapter for your boat trailer separately to attach to your existing Power Bleeder.

The Motive Products 0135 Deluxe Quick-Set Boat Trailer Bleeder and 0102 Classic Car/Boat Trailer Power Bleeder are a top-of-the-line kit that makes bleeding brake lines a breeze. This kit includes a high-quality pressure tank, a precision pressure gauge, and a custom-machined adapter that fits most boat trailer brake systems. The pressure tank is easy to use and pressurizes the brake system quickly, allowing for efficient and effective bleeding.

To get started, you will need to first locate the brake bleeder valve on each wheel cylinder. These are typically located on the backside of the brake caliper and have a small nipple on top. Next, attach the custom-machined adapter from the Motive Products 0135 Deluxe Quick-Set Boat Trailer Bleeder to each bleeder valve. This adapter will fit snugly onto the valve and create a seal that prevents air from entering the system.

Once you have attached the adapter, you can then connect the pressure tank to the adapter using the included hose. The pressure tank should be filled with brake fluid, and the pressure gauge should be set to the desired pressure level. We recommend a pressure of around 20-30 PSI for most boat trailers. Once the tank is pressurized, you can then begin the bleeding process.

To bleed the brake lines, simply open the bleeder valve on each wheel cylinder one at a time and let the pressure from the tank force the air out of the system. As you do this, you will see bubbles and air escaping from the brake fluid. Keep the valve open until the air stops coming out, and then close the valve. Repeat this process for each wheel cylinder, starting with the farthest one from the pressure tank and working your way towards it.

After bleeding all the brake lines, check the fluid level in the master cylinder and add more brake fluid if necessary. You should also test your brakes to ensure that they are functioning properly. If you notice any issues with your brakes, you may need to bleed the lines again or seek the help of a professional mechanic.

In conclusion, bleeding the brake lines on your boat trailer is an essential part of keeping your vessel safe on the road. The Motive Products 0135 Deluxe Quick-Set Boat Trailer Bleeder makes this process easy and efficient, saving you time and money in the long run. Don't wait until it's too late - invest in the safety of your boat trailer today!

Motive Products Customers,  

I am excited to announce that AGS Company has acquired Motive Products of Gilroy, CA. All Motive products will now be sourced, produced, and sold by AGS in Muskegon, MI. 

Motive Products produces one of the most sought-after premium power brake bleeders in the automotive aftermarket, and their products fit perfectly with AGS’ core brake line and fittings offerings. Every time a brake line needs to be replaced, the brake fluid needs to be bled out of the system – and Motive’s Power Bleeder is one of the best ways to do it. If you would like to learn more about Motive’s products please visit www.motiveproducts.com.  

We are pleased that Eric Leicher, one of the current owners, will continue working with AGS in a product marketing & sales support role for the foreseeable future. With Eric’s help, we look forward to elevating the Motive brand and growing product distribution into all of AGS’ market channels.  

I look forward to all of us working together to build on Motive’s reputation for quality and service as part of the AGS family of brands.  

Logan D. Pitts 

CEO 

Here's a good tip to remove excess or old fluid from the brake fluid reservoir.

Dear Motive Products.
I just purchased and received my new Motive Products power bleeder for a project car that I'm working on. I opened the box this morning and followed the simple instructions printed directly on the tank. I found that MY new Motive Products Power Bleeder is simple to use and does the job superbly/effortlessly. I even called one of my friends when I finished my car and we bled his brakes as well. After seeing how simple and well it worked, he will be ordering one soon! Please let me say to anyone that is thinking about whether or not to buy one, you are crazy not to purchase a Motive Products Power Bleeder! It makes bleeding your brakes effortless and you don't need anyone to help you!!! Trust me, buy one before your next brake job, you'll be happy that you did!!!!!!
Regards,
Brad M
Camarillo, CA

You've been there before.  You want to change the fluid in your transmission.  You're lying on your back with a quart container of transmission fluid in one hand and a cheap hand pump that attaches to the fluid container in the other hand.  And you start pumping, it seems like about an ounce a pump goes into the tranny.   You have 2 gallons to pump into that beast.   Halfway through one of the containers the pump pops off the container neck and you get tranny fluid in the face.  It really shouldn't be this hard to do.  That's where the Motive Products Power Fill comes into play.   Fill it with the amount of fluid you need, pressurize it with the hand pump or shop air, insert the fill tube into the transmission, open up the valve and walk away.  Done.  No Mess.  No transmission fluid in your hair, or eyes. 

Many of you know that the old trick of spinning the distributor drive on older Chevy motors to drive the oil pump and pre-lube an engine is no longer possible on distributor-less engines. We noticed there were some pre-lube products recommended by GM but they were over $300! So we developed some fittings that work with our Power Fill tool (part numbers 1740 and 1745). The GM fittings are part numbers 1188, 1138 and 1144. They are 1/8", 3/8" and 1/4" NPT threads. And a bushing, pn 2277, converts our 1/8" NPT fitting to a M12x1.5m fitting for use on many european cars. Here are some pictures of the new pre-lube fittings.

Hondas can be a bit hard to bleed as the cap and reservoir design don't lend themselves to making a direct fit cap that seals properly. So the only alternative is to use the universal kit 0101 or 0119 depending on the size of the reservoir. The universal kits use a chain that runs under the master cylinder and then attaches to the adapter cap with a set of j-hooks and wingnuts. You use the chains, j-hook and wingnuts to secure the adapter cap to the reservoir. It can take while to set it all up to make sure it doesn't leak. Well one our obviously smarter than me customers pulled out some workshop clamps and cut the set up time down to nearly nothing.

After struggling with a coolant leak in my 540 I wondered if making a fitting that replaces the bleed screw in the expansion tank found on many BMWs would make the task of pressure testing the cooling system easier. It does! Plus you can test the radiator cap along with the rest of the system. Most cooling system testers require removal of the cap. Look for our part number 1175.