First the good news: while my vacation schedule didn't allow us to make this year's "Meet in the Middle" gathering, we left Alton IL early last week and had a very nice cruise down the remainder of the upper Mississippi, up the Ohio to the Cumberland and Lake Barkley, then continuing to the Commodore Yacht Club in Nashville, where Kel and our two pups are currently hanging out. We saw Mike on Little Joe in Clarksville on Wednesday.
I flew back to St. Louis yesterday to pickup the trailer and head back to Nashville. Shortly after getting on the road, I noticed my port-side trailer guide missing. When I stopped to see what had happened, I saw this:
:shock:
Essentially the tube that connects the aft section of the trailer, and to which the back bunk supports are attached, pulled out of the two U-bolts that hold it to the aluminum I-Beam on the port side. I didn't notice their being loose when doing my walk-around of the trailer before leaving, but obviously they weren't tight enough.
I managed to use some straps to pull the tube closer to the I-beam and raise it slightly and limped back to the trailer repair place I (mostly) trust. They won't be able to look at it until Monday, so won't have more information until then.
My main concern is that the distance between the I-beams is now roughly 6 inches greater than if the bar was connected, so it's not as simple as replacing the U bolts and reconnecting the bar. Not sure if the frame is intentionally "sprung" to maintain tension when assembled, of if the difference represents a bigger problem.
Other thoughts - this is an EZ Loader aluminum trailer built for a 6200# max boat weight and 7400# GVWR. I've weighed the trailer with the boat a few times, with totals very close the 7400 lbs. While not necessarily related to this incident, I'm now more eager to replace this trailer with something more robust after 15 years.
Everyone at the Commodore Yacht Club has been more than helpful and accommodating. Kel says she'll enjoy the extra week's "Retreat" there while I either fix the trailer or arrange for a different solution this week. I'm especially thankful this didn't happen with the boat on the trailer.
I flew back to St. Louis yesterday to pickup the trailer and head back to Nashville. Shortly after getting on the road, I noticed my port-side trailer guide missing. When I stopped to see what had happened, I saw this:
:shock:
Essentially the tube that connects the aft section of the trailer, and to which the back bunk supports are attached, pulled out of the two U-bolts that hold it to the aluminum I-Beam on the port side. I didn't notice their being loose when doing my walk-around of the trailer before leaving, but obviously they weren't tight enough.
I managed to use some straps to pull the tube closer to the I-beam and raise it slightly and limped back to the trailer repair place I (mostly) trust. They won't be able to look at it until Monday, so won't have more information until then.
My main concern is that the distance between the I-beams is now roughly 6 inches greater than if the bar was connected, so it's not as simple as replacing the U bolts and reconnecting the bar. Not sure if the frame is intentionally "sprung" to maintain tension when assembled, of if the difference represents a bigger problem.
Other thoughts - this is an EZ Loader aluminum trailer built for a 6200# max boat weight and 7400# GVWR. I've weighed the trailer with the boat a few times, with totals very close the 7400 lbs. While not necessarily related to this incident, I'm now more eager to replace this trailer with something more robust after 15 years.
Everyone at the Commodore Yacht Club has been more than helpful and accommodating. Kel says she'll enjoy the extra week's "Retreat" there while I either fix the trailer or arrange for a different solution this week. I'm especially thankful this didn't happen with the boat on the trailer.
