King vs EZ Loader

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Gang,

I put a post out about selling my single axle EZ Loader, but want to get some feedback regarding your experiences with King vs EZ Loader trailers before I make the final decision about replacement brand.

It appears that both trailers are similarly priced, but with slightly different features (oil bath hubs vs positive lube). Matt at Kitsap and Ryan at Sportcraft have been very helpful.

Any pluses or minuses out there? Horror stories? The warts on my single axle trailer have been minimal (leds that failed due to water intrusion).

TIA

Steve

[Mike...]

[Da Nag]

Rollers or bunks?

If bunks - there are bunch of us here who have high regard for Pacific Trailers. They make roller as well, but some of my comments below are specific to bunks.

Pacific trailers are welded, instead of bolted together. I don't know of any other galvanized trailer manufacturer that offers this, in a trailer for the 22. I'll leave it to the mechanical engineers to debate relative strength, but a complete welded frame dipped in a galvanized tank is sure to be more resistant to salt water than bolted joints which will move/wear over time.

The bunks sit far lower than any other brand I've seen, lowering the center of gravity which helps on-road handling, as well as making launching/retrieving far easier at questionable ramps. Kings tend to have the boats sitting very high - I measured a difference of almost 8" between my Pacific, and the King sold for 22's a couple years back. And yes, the King was adjusted as far down as possible.

Quite frankly, and I may be in the minority here - I'm not thrilled with the Kings I've seen. More from a functional view than quality, which seems good. I hate the plastic fenders with tiny steps on top of each wheel they use - I'd much rather have the solid metal flat "ramp" style fender across both wheels like the Pacific, which is not only sturdier, but makes climbing in/out of the boat far nicer.

Another advantage of the Pacific over the King for 22's, based on the same one I measured the bunk height difference on - the Pacific was almost 10" narrower. Nice on the road, nicer at home for those with tight storage options.

If you do consider the Pacific, be advised that as a California manufacturer, they tend to place brakes on only one axle - legal in CA, not legal in WA, and I don't know about OR. They'll add brakes to the other axle, but it's an add on. That being said...I got my Pacific in CA with brakes on only one axle, not knowing the above. I've never been bothered in WA about it, so from my experience it's not something that's routinely enforced. Still, I'd do it right if buying again, and may still add brakes to the other axle down the road.

The above might sound like quite the sales pitch, but I've had two of them - nothing but good things to say about the design, or the company. They were great folks to work with.

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Bill, it will definitely be bunks. No more rollers for me.

I concur about the fenders... I have metal on my current EZ loader.



Thanks to all for the input!

[starcrafttom]

I have the king and like it. it does what it is designed to do. the stopping power is very good with the four wheel brakes. Da nag is right about the boat sitting higher then I would like but it allows me to leave the motor down when trailering ( I dont , but i do forget when pulling the boat some things). as for bunks vs rollers I have always been a bunk guy. to much can go wrong with the roller resulting in the boat in the road drama. Its easier to load with roller but not enough to justify the risk to me.

[Matt Gurnsey]

I will add that metal fenders are an option on the King, as well as diamond plate aluminum.

[Da Nag]

Good to know on the King fender options - I'll modify my rants in the future.

[colobear]

I have an aluminum EZ Loader two axle with bunks, disc brakes, and oil bath bearings. I have been happy with it but.. the usual minor glitches. I ran an entirely separate ground wire to make the lights more reliable. I have replaced more than one of the led lights (EZ Loader has provided them free.), I notice some rust on the brake lines and will no doubt have to replace them sometime soon, The backup brake off solenoid has failed three times in five years, again EZ Loader gave me new ones free. I would definitely stick with bunks but might have them cut to allow sling loading. I really like the oil bath bearings, they are the same type as used on over the road trucks and have a very long life. If at all possible I would get electric over hydraulic brakes, the kind you find on travel trailers, etc. It is really nice to be able to apply the trailer brakes separately from inside the truck, no worries about fishtailing, makes it much safer for winter towing with snow on the roads. I'm happy with EZ Loader.

[Tommy J]

I moved from a single axle EZ loader to a tandem axle king in 2004 and have had zero problems. I have always liked the EZ but the single axle was too light and I could'nt get a perfect fit with the EZ tandem (I know they are adjustable but this was the conclusion of Les at EQ and EZ loader themselves confirmed the same). Maybe they are different now? Anyway the King is every bit as good as my experience with the EZ. I have non skid rollers (never have tried bunks), standard bearings (no problems but the oil bath have proven themselves by now?), torsion suspension (works great) and SS hydralic disc brakes which I really like (I guess they have had some warpage problems on the early ones but no problems with mine and I would get the same if doing it again. I think the new ones are perfected. They are so simple, easy to clean/inspect and change pads. Mine are still original. Really my only complaint is the plastic fenders - they look good and won't rust therefore will last but they can collapse at times with heavyer weight when stepping up into the boat(I weigh #200). They pop right back but it's annoying. Again I would recommend the King without reservation. I have had a caulkins which was well built but loaded the boat terrible (never would self align). I'm sure there other good trailers out there worth looking into. Good luck.

[Discovery]

Steve,

Another option. I added a second axle to the Pacific Trailer we had on our CD 22' 84 Angler. I bought the axle and springs, from Champion Trailer Supply. http://www.championtrailers.com/ I added a non-braking axle, moving the existing axle forward a little, and putting the new axle behind. I just made a loop in the existing brake lines. The cost for the new axle complete was around $600.00, but that was a few years ago ( 2001 ). I was going to Baja California two or three times each year in those days, and wanted the security of the second set of wheels on the ground.
I did it all in the driveway with the boat and trailer up on jack stands.

Brent

[Nan-C]

I too speak in praise of both Pacific trailers AND double axles. We have been very satisfied with the trailer -- well-built, loads well, travels well. Even more exceptional has been the service and customer relations. Sam at the Northern California facility in Newark is a great guy to work with.

Of course, with our 25 we had no real choice but to go tandem but an experience this winter highlighted one of the safety advantages of two axles. After 2200 miles, we were within 30 miles of Alameda in heavy traffic at 70+mph. Looking in the mirror, my first thought was somebody is losing a tire -- quickly followed by the realization it was my trailer tire. It disintegrated. But there was not a swerve or a bobble or a bump as I got it off the road and stopped. I hate to think what might happen in such a situation with one axle. The unexpected end to the event was a CHP courtesy wrecker was stopped behind the boat in seconds -- before I could even get back there. Changed the tire for me. Wouldn't take no for an answer, wouldn't let me help, definitely would not take a tip. He sure increased my comfort level in a congested, fast traffic situation.

Greg

[Noreaster]

Bear in mind first that my boat is a 16, and that I live in Michigan, so this may not be available to most of you. there is a manufacturer out here called Integrity. They build custom trailers. Mine had several options on it and it cost me only 200 more than an off the shelf EZ. It also is 400 lbs heavier than the EZ that I replaced (the trailer was margional for a fully loaded boat. Has Steel fenders, LED lighting , bunks, vertical trailer guide ons, 15" radial tires (w/spare) and diamond plate. It is also galvanized. I don't believe they've made a trailer for a 22' yet, but once they do, they'll store it in CAD, so a subsequent trailers would be a snap. This is my second Integrity trailer and they are great. Just a note, I had oil bath on my EZ, Integrity offers this but said unless you are on the road with it allot (like a trucker) forced grease fittings are superior. The oil sits on the bottom while at rest and allows rust to begin to form on the tops, makes sense to me.

[eNORMous]

[Jack in Alaska]

You may want to consider a RoadRunner trailer made in Canada. I had one under my 22' CD and it was a good trailer, welded joints and about 2/3 the $$$ of others.
My son is on the highway with it as I type.

[Captains Cat]

Got enough choices now Steve?

Charlie