Winch Post

RobMcClain

RobMcClain

Member
I was puttering on the boat Wednesday and while doing so did a few walk-arounds of the Magic Tilt aluminum trailer. I noticed what looked like a shadow at the base of the winch post, one of the few steel pieces on the trailer. As I looked closer I thought it was a twig partially wrapped around the front of the post. Then as I looked closer still I realized the weld was breaking and the front of the post had raised up almost 1/8". The post is roughly 3" square and the break started on the left side about 1" back, wrapped around the front, and then about 2" back on the right side. So roughly half the weld was broken, allowing the post to start rising (leaning towards the boat) as the winch strap gained tension. I am obviously glad I found it in a static environment and not on a ramp. The fix is easy - I pulled the post and took it to a Welder who works on boat trailers. He is fixing the problem and adding a wedge to add strength. And the price is reasonable too. The reason for this post is just to add a reminder to check the base of your winch post as you do your walk-arounds of the trailer.

Rob
 
My neighbor had this happen when trying to take his boat home from his cabin. The trailer had been used to launch for years and there is no running water on site, so it was never rinsed with fresh water. Good thing that this happened on the private gravel road (3 miles) instead of out on the pavement. I can only guess that he didn't do an inspection first.

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?full ... _photo.php

If the link doesn't work, it's in my album under "electrolysis."

Mark
 
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