Anybody REALLY happy with trailer?

Wefings":1tjup6xh said:
Float On and Magic Tilt are who we use . We rep Float on for alot of the Southeast and they do go through dealers. We can help with either company and know the setups well .
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Good to know you are a resource for Magic Tilt - thanks for posting that.

Sunbeam
 
Lots of great comments about trailers that i really enjoyed. Many posts mention good trailers that are properly "set up". I'm very interested in the definition of "set up". Many thanks in advance.
 
I on the other hand will never own another King Saltwater trailer. The major reason is that King will not sell you parts you need and in fact will not even TALK to owners of their trailers for part numbers, sources of supply and so forth. Some folks can justify that all they want, but it does not work for me.

JamesTXSD":1e2xxr73 said:
Hi Joe,

We have a King Salt Water Series trailer for our 25. It has given us good service (with around 40,000 miles on it). We added electric over hydraulic brake acutator, and had to weld a couple of the supports (after a particularly nasty drive on NY roads).

I service the bearings before each major trip, and always give them time to cool before launching. We rinse thoroughly after each salt dipping. I have put spray on galvanizing on areas where needed. Replacement items: winch straps and tires (on our third set now) get replaced as necessary.

I had to add a support to keep the bow post in place early on, but otherwise it has been mostly normal maintenance.

I don't know how many more coast to coast tows I have in me, but I have been known to say, "The best accessory for these boats is the trailer." Love may be a strong word, but this trailer has been a champ.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
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Boris,
A local custom marine weld shop named S&S Marine is a Loadmaster dealer. They won the bid and Loadmaster did a great job of providing them with a trailer that was almost complete, minus the tool box, battery, electric jack and bow access ladder. S&S did a wonderful job of finishing up with the final items and rigging the boat, so that it loads and unloads like it is sitting on banana peels.
PS, S&S custom makes t-tops, leaning post, swim platforms, bow rails and most anything else that could be made from stainless and aluminum.
Best regards,
Steve Baum
 
Steve,
Good write up and specs. I wonder what hubs you found that " Wheel bearing lubrication shall be either constant pressure style grease system with serviceable zerk fitting and shall have hub protectors installed, or oil bath hub system. " My experience is that the "Buddy Bearing" type of trailers don't do as well as the Sure Lube where the grease is pushed thru the center of the hub and new grease is pushed out to the inner side of the bearings and spindle--rather than the outer race--as I found with the "Buddy Bearings". I have not used the oil bath on a trailer.

Most of us don't need the electric winch or electric jack stand.

Thanks
 
Bob, at our age don't sneer at an electric winch and/or electric jack stand. The toughest job on some trips is to wind the boat on the trailer. And that jack stand has to wound ALL the way up to unhitch the truck.

I guess I'm just a wimp, but I appreciate all the electrical motors I can find, including the anchor windlass.

Boris
 
Bob,
The bearings are oil bath. The big winch was requested by the boat crew because of the difficult time they have had with their previous (EZ-Loader) trailer on difficult ramps. They have had an opportunity to test the new trailer on the worst ramps on the Eastern Shore of VA and have found that the winch serves little purpose (because of the trailer set up and the Ultrapoly on the skids). Another thing that they love is a walk-board the length of the trailer and a ladder to get on the boat from the bow.
Boris,
The guys are really spoiled with the electric jack. the previous trailer that I purchased, I had it installed against the boat crew's wishes and now they don't want anything to do with a manual jack on the heavy boat trailers. The base of the electric jack has an adjustable (pinned) sleeve that is able to be dropped down, before turning on the power, so it does not have to move very far to work.
Best regards,
Steve Baum
 
We use a MagicTilt aluminum frame trailer beneath the CC23, and (so far...) it has given Excellent service over several thousands of miles. Of course that presumes good maintenance (radial tires & attention to hubs/bearings).

One item that has not been mentioned it the trailer set up with the tow vehicle.

After wearing-out the ply tires on my previous trailer (w/in 5K miles!), I began researching the problem. FIRST problem was that I was using the factory OEM bias ply crap tires(!) versus decent radials. SECOND problem was that the loaded trailer tongue height had not been adjusted to level (with the tow vehicle), and was thus causing the load to transfer to/from the front or read wheels causing them to quickly wear.

Answer: Take a little time to actually measure the height of your loaded trailer ON THE LEVEL (pick a static point on the front and back of the frame and measure it carefully). Now hitch-up you boat to the tow vehicle and notice and 'squat from the added weight on the back of the vehicle. Take your measurements and determine how many inches of rise/drop you need to restore your boat trailer to level when being towed. I've been told that your goal is to have the trailer w/in 1/2" of level front and back when hitched.

Best,
Casey&Mary
...southbound, in Willow Springs, BC
 
I've been very happy with my Ez-Loader tandem axle bunk trailer. I've had several boats and boat trailers in the past. The best have always been the bunk trailers. Even easier to load than the roller style trailers. I've not had the side boards, but do have the posts in the back. I had a Prestige custom trailer under a prior Searay that I also liked. I think others have summed it up best. It's not so much the manufacturer as how it's set up...how it fits the boat. Also one that uses common parts. Example.... I like electric brakes. I had an older trailer (it happened to be an Ez loader roller), that would not accept Dexter brakes without some modification. However, the newer bunk EZ-loader has worked well with the Dexters. However the spindle doesn't use a common size wheel seal, but the seal is still available, so no big deal. I think where one boats is important too. My current trailer is aluminum...only because that's what came with the boat...most my boating is in fresh water, so don't know if I would have purchased a more expensive aluminum trailer if I bought the boat new. If you are doing a lot of shallow launching, a roller might be better... I also vote for tandem for anything over 3000 lbs. I prefer electric brakes over surge. If EOH (Electric over hydraulic) comes down in price, or one needs disc brakes, then it is the way to go. C-dorys seem to go hand in hand with EZ Loader, and that brand is pretty well known. Get a newer trailer, set up for the boat it's hauling, and I think you will be happy. Of course any trailer needs to be maintained. Repacking bearings in grease annually, or keeping an eye on the oil bath bearings will be worth your while! Colby
 
We had the exact same problem with the tires on a C Dory 25 trailer as Casey-and our "solution" was the same, except we also added a weight distribution hitch.

Boris-I have a younger wife-who cranks the cranks! I do have an 8500 lb capacity electric trailer winch (I bought for a larger boat) sitting in the box in the garage...Trailer jack--we have the same drop down foot as Steve, describes--and often will use a block under it to distribute the weight over the ground---not that far to crank.
 
My last tri-axle Eagle trailer for a 8000 lb boat had hydraulic (surge) brakes, work well except in reverse which activated the brakes. Anyone else with this?

How/where to check state laws for boat trailer brakes; electric v hydraulic?

Aye.
 
If your trailer has disc brakes you should have a lockout selonoid that keeps the brakes from engaging when in reverse or there usually is a slot that you can put in a large screwdriver to keep the brakes from engaging
Check out ( boatus ) for all the states trailer laws
 
Anyone have experience with Yacht Club trailers?
They make an I-beam aluminum trailer I am considering for our 22'.
I gather they are now associated with Eagle. The current trailer (Tidewater) is terrible. Came with the boat and very anxious to get rid of it.
In the Northeast/New England region, Magic Tilt and Float On do not seem easy to come by, and at least one is pretty bad at returning phone calls and emails.
Thanks,
 
Capt Harpoon":am13aetp said:
Anyone have experience with Yacht Club trailers?
I gather they are now associated with Eagle.
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I have a small single axle Yacht Club trailer for a 14' Al fishing boat. It has been around for 10 years w/o any problems but has only been hauled locally.
Association w/Eagle should be all positive for Yacht Club. My triple axle Eagle was all quality. I could hardly tell it was behind me, except if I cut a corner too tightly... Just didn't like the surge brakes in reverse - the only pain.

Aye.
 
Please explain "free backing brakes", [someone]. And/or the problem with surge brakes in reverse. I have surge brakes on my trailer. I back up slowly down ramps and into parking spaces, so I'm not aware what happens with the brakes in reverse, if anything. I'm curious about these last two posts about surge braking in reverse.
 
Please explain "free backing brakes", [someone]. And/or the problem with surge brakes in reverse. I have surge brakes on my trailer. I back up slowly down ramps and into parking spaces, so I'm not aware what happens with the brakes in reverse, if anything. I'm curious about these last two posts about surge braking in reverse.
 
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