What's the word on new boat trailers?

[Tybo]

So after spending the last couple of months bringing my boats maintenance up to scratch, I'm now paranoid about the state of my trailer. The last thing I want now is for all the hard work I've put into my boat be obliterated when the rear cage on my trailer rusts through and drops the hull on the axel. This is the worry I have in mind:

I've spent over $500 in the last 18 months repairing things on this trailer and really feel now that I've been flogging a dead horse. I'm sure it can all be fixed if I take the boat off and have someone weld and repair it. I'm thinking for that effort, I'll just get a new trailer.

After several searches on here, various other sites and asking friends, new trailer brands seem heavily reliant on opinion rather then fact. Of the six local trailer brands, all seem the same and only one offers straight up prices. I don't mind spending the money, but like most things don't want to feel I'm being sold up the wall.

So what do members think, have experienced or know of regarding new boat trailers?

My current Dunbier, despite obvious faults, is a good trailer. My boat sits and travels nicely on it, and best of it all, it's simple to load. I am not a large man(under 60kg) and can quite easily, by myself, load my 470SF, which weighs boat and motor around the 1t mark, onto this trailer with a hand driven winch. Being able to load my boat, by myself, is a must, so roller setup is crucial.

However the Dunbier sits low, tows rather heavy( I've even towed it with a 4.2D Landcruiser and it was heavy), and being a box section frame, has rusted from the inside out.

My thoughts keep being steered towards Belco trailers, whom I've already requested a quote from. Swiftco offers a price of $2530, which seems about the average price I can expect(doesn't it?), however the journey down the coast puts me off. Redco, FMS, Oceanic and Sealink all seem to have only a broad level of information online and I hate wasting peoples time chasing a quote if I know I probably won't go with them. I'd like a C section or H beam trailer if I can, considering the eventual outcome of boxed frame trailers, but can't find a lot of information other then "custom" trailers regarding this style. This says extra dollars, which as stated am happy with, I'd just like to know the expectation.

Please fill me in on all your thoughts.

[rayke1938]

one word aluminum.

I know that quintrex are making them and when I did a tour of their factory they told us that they are going to go out of steel trailers and only make aluminum boat trailers. I would suggest contacting them and see if they make anything suitable for your haines,

May cost more initially but worth it in the long run especially if you are going to keep your rig for a while.

May be worth while checking who else makes them i9f you wish you can actually do a tour of the quintrex factory and see them being made.

Even if you do not purchase a quintrex one you will be armed with a lot of info and be able to ask pertinent questions of other manufactures.

Cheers

Ray

[aussie123]

Check this video out
/>https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=23&v=yyrOWNRYSoE

[Tybo]

Okay, Aluminium, fair call. I like the I beam construction too. Obviously a roller setup on the 1098 would have to be different for my boat, but that's just all specifics. Thanks.

I just have one concern, strength. I've had two ally boats over the years and they all seem to stress and fracture. Whilst I can see the obvious anti-corrosion benefit of ally over galvanised, with a 1000kg on top and hard road travelling, will I be back in the same position in ten years with splits and busted welds rather then rust?

Oh! And I got my quote back from Belco $4100 unbraked. :S I need brakes as I'm over 1t, so $895 for mechanical brake upgrade. May as well call it $5k

[aussie123]

Longevity has always been in the back of my mind with alloy trailers but they have perfected them pretty well now.

The old days of welding them together like a steel trailer caused massive failures in the frames.

A good alloy trailer is bolted together and the main running gear and winch posts are all still made with steel.

Steel fish plates are used to bolt the alloy sections together for extra strength.

I looked at the Quintrex ones a few weeks ago and they are very well built but I would expect probably 5k plus for your boat as they are very expensive.

I doubt I could go past a Dunbier if I was to buy another steel trailer.

Just be careful of the chinese trailers coming into the country as the gal is pretty bad on them and many are showing rust within a year or so.

[Tybo]

The price of things usually speaks quality to me and at $5k plus, I'd imagine they're probably they best or marginal with what else is out there.

As I said, the Dunbier is a great trailer. The state it's in was in line with the state of the boat when I purchased it, and lack of maintenance and upkeep let it fall to that standard. No matter how good a product is, when factors like 'lack of care' come into place, a product can only do so much.

I remember reading an article a year or two back about a guy in a similar position to me. He'd gotten a quote of around $5k and simply couldn't afford it. Using the frame, springs, wheels, winch, lights and coupling he had, he basically had a company just rebuild his trailer from scratch. I haven't looked at a repair quote at this stage, but might go down this track and see what I can find out. $1k for another 5 years and piece of mind would do at this stage.

[rayke1938]

Thread on ausfish titled quintrex ally trailers

Cheers

Ray

[Tybo]

I found this one:

Quintrex Ally Trailers !!!! Urgent

Didn't really sell the brand to me.

[rayke1938]

think that they have changed a lot since then and it would appear that it was fixed under warranty

cheers

ray

[fishingnut]

I wouldn't worry too muck about your rig, I have a mate that paints massive offshore rigs and there all on alloy trailers with no problems.people often neglect there trailer but forget the boat spends more time on it than the water !

[cameronh]

Grab this month's Fishing Monthly Qld and have a read of the trailer reviews, they've done a nice article on different types of trailers pro and con's, pricing etc,

[bluefin59]

Mate I put the story up on ausfish and just picked up my Quintrex trailer yesterday , the price for your BELCO is expensive I was quoted 3900 for a c channel with brakes for my 4.5 my bluefin but I went the quintrex instead . That story is old and they make them different now ,if you want to have a look send me a pm and I will give you my address in Carseldine to come and look and chat I did a shit load of research . A lot of the trailers i looked where rubbish , my BELCO box section lasted 12 yrs of deep water drive on retrieval and I was going to have another made as that trailer was dam tough . Matt. I still have the old BELCO in my front yard if you want a look at that to compare as well

[Binder]

If it is just the cross bars rusting out, cut them out and replace them with new bits if steel and just hold it on with U bolts. Seems to work well.

[Farawayfishing]

I recently built my own trailer for my 6.7 metre hooker and the whole experience was a blast for me.

Admittedly, I'm an ex-builder so I had a little bit of experience on my side but I also didn't know how to weld mig until I built the trailer. I got some old split rims from the dump (so the 6 stud pattern fits my cruiser) and have had no issues in the first 5 months.

Rather than worrying about galvanising, I was told to paint it all in a water based col gal and then hit it with two coats of dry hard oil based enamel. I gotta say, its been pretty great. I built the trailer out of I beam sections so I can see everything there is to see and every time I see some paint chipped off, I just touch it up myself.

I had about 5 prices for brand new trailers the cheapest of which was just shy of $5500 and I managed to build mine for under $1500 plus roadworthy and rego which was another $350 or something.

If it were up to me, and I considered my time, skills development, money and fun that I had building it, Ill never buy another trailer again.

Farawayfishing

[Tybo]

Thanks everyone for the words and advice, I lot of great suggestions there. I noticed the date on the story and thought it was a bit old, I'm sure being a big reputable business they've fixed the problem. Like I said, I would be happy to go with Quintrex, I'll chase a quote from them also. I notice Dunbier does ally trailers too, but seem to be more for boats larger then mine. Bluefin I'm sending you a PM, am keen to pick your brain and take a look at your examples.

As Binder said, I'd like to repair my current trailer if possible but a few things come to mind. The first being getting the boat off the trailer. Many people have mentioned the tyres on the lawn idea, but I'm still not sure. My boat's nearlly a tonne and has deep vee in it's keel so won't sit flat. Will I get it back on without damaging something. Also my boat's been out of action for three months, and I'm fanging to get back on the water asap. If I do the trailer, I can imagine no weekends for at least the next month and a bitterness starting to over boil. Storage is an option at Scarborough or Bribie, but I'm looking at $300 a month.

Everyone 'claims to be too busy' to do repairs, so another waiting game. I've never welded in my life and have heard of gal being a little sickening to weld, especially for a newbie.

Thanks again for all the words.

[aussie123]

Have a chat to Stu on here (BiPolar) as he may be able to help you out with rebuilding your trailer.

He has a mobile welding business and is really good at his job.

Personally I would use my old running gear and rollers ect and rebuild that trailer as it doesn't look all that bad from the pictures.

[Tybo]

...as it doesn't look all that bad from the pictures.

That pic is pretty much the worst of it, so if you think it's not too bad Aussie, then I feel okay. I though there was a member on here that did mobile repairs, have been waiting for his two cents worth. Until I have the coin to go with a new good trailer, I think I'll have it repaired. I got a quote back on repairs of $110/hr plus parts.

[Old Scaley]

This is a really useful thread for all of us who own small boats that get dunked in the salt regularly. My redco trailer is about 8 years old and just starting to show signs of rust in the crossmember at the back so I am looking forward to seeing how the repairs go for you, Tybo. Would you mind posting again when the work is done and let us know the final result and cost? Thanks, Steve.

[Tybo]

Just a little more news on the trailer...

Got a couple more quotes on new trailers, with all the recommended dealers all around the $4.5 - $5k mark. Swiftco trailers on the GC seem to be the cheapest by a mile with the same trailer coming in under $3k! However after asking around the words 'Chinese built' keep coming up, which would justify the price.

As for repairs, I finally managed to lockdown some information on price and way about it. The rear pivot cradle is shot, and much to my thoughts(and the original picture) hanging on by almost nothing. The word was to tow the boat home and don't move it again until it's fixed(or going to be), or risk it snapping on a pothole and the boat dropping on the drivers side mud guard.

The rear cradle is unique to Dunbier and building one comes at a cost of around $475. My best option is to contact Dunbier and source this part. It is bolted on, so can be removed and replaced.

To fix the other two crossmembers is quite an effort and expense. They would have to be made, then hot dipped, then welded in. A cost of over $900 and a 2-3 week build, plus not having the boat on, is daunting. With boat storage and replacements yokes, I'm looking at another $450 on top if I went down this track. Add in the cradle above and an $1800 repair build is where we're at.

Either way sourcing the rear cradle from Dunbier is the first step. Knowing this now, I'm fairly confident I can remove the old on and replace it with the new one saving me some coin. The two crossmembers aren't as dire(or so I think), so at least I should be able to move the boat once the rear cradle is fixed. Will let you know of any updates.

[rayke1938]

Here are some photos of how I overcame the rusting out of crossmembers on my dunbier trailer.Very poor construction with no drain holes in the bottom of the v on the crossmemner. In the last photo You can see the remains of one crossmember that I havent bothered cutting out.

Cheers

Ray

[Tybo]

Wow! Now that's ingenuity. How did you cut the lengths to suit, angle grinder? And any issues with roadworthy or the such?

I agree, why these low parts don't have drain holes is pure oversight. My cross members have two bends, kind of like a U, and on both low bends are rusted. There are perfect spots that stain my driveway where the rust drips. Why not some drain holes?

I now have the parts list for Dunbier, and notice that cross members, whilst still having to be welded in, are now a replacement part. I guess them rusting out isn't uncommon. They have the rear cradles too, three different sizes, now I just need to find out which.

[rayke1938]

Had some scrap bits lying around only had to cut one with a drop saw but angle grinder or even a hacksaw will do the trick.

Reckon repaired trailer is stronger as it has an extra cross member and the rhs is thicker than the original.

It seems to be a quite common repair as I have seen quite a few done like this.

Cheers

Ray

[kmcrosby78]

This thread is a good read Tybo - hope you get the right outcome for not too many $. I'm pretty sure Kurt/MadMullet did or does this sort of work also (anyone confirm?). If so, I'm sure someone on here could flick you his number if you ask for it.

Going to start a separate thread asking for what people do on a regular/semi-regular basis to maintain their trailer. Mine is in need of an overhaul (not sure about the axle but definitely the springs and a few other minor things) and if I return it to it's former glory (it was already badly rusted when I got it as a family hand me down) I'd like to look after it and prevent/limit rust as much as possible.

[Tybo]

After contacting Dunbier I managed to get my hands on a new rear crossmember. Dunbier doesn't sell direct to the public, so I had to go through a dealer which lucky enough was Northside Marine, not too far from me. The part was bulky, so it was unsure on what truck it would come up from Ormeau and what day. Luckily it came up that day and I picked it first thing in the morning. It came with no attachment bolts, a different adjustable stop and a lot more drain holes. I figured that because there was no welding involved I could probably do all the work myself.

Having thought it through, removing the rear cross member meant having to support the transom and motor. The rear cross member had 8 rollers and pretty much took the bulk weight of my boat. Using a 2.5t trolley jack and a piece of hardwood, I managed to jack to boat off the trailer.

I've worked on cars for years and two things I'm always wary of, are jacks and angle grinders. In this instance I needed to succumb to both. All of the bolts were rusted solid, and despite an attempt to undo them, none budged and were ultimately all cut out. I dropped the rear cross member onto some more wood, and then played the hardest job, a bit like tetris, as I had to twist and turn it around the jack, paranoid the whole time. I used an axel stand and another bit of wood as a second safety, in case the jack failed, but still didn't make me feel any more safer. Eventually I got it out.

Sizing it up against the new one, all good. As mentioned, the stop is different, and can't quite figure it out just yet, but I'm sure it all come to me once the rear member in installed. I measured the angle plates on the old one, then marked them up against the new one.

All of the bolts and u-bolts that held the roller assembly were shot also, and had to be cut out. The roller arms, bubble plates and parrallel members had surface rust, but were otherwise solid. I removed and took apart everything.

The split pins that held the rollers in place were rusted solid. I had to break them off, then drill or punch them out. All eight of them.

With everything off I took the old member out into the yard to fully inspect the damage. Cactus.

Of the parrallel members, this is the flakes that simply poured out of one.

And this is the 5kg of cut out bolts and u-bolts.

All the parts I was keeping I ran over with a grinder and wire brush. I took back any rust, edges and flakes until the metal had a shine on it.

I then applied a rust converter and primer, and let it sit overnight.

The next day, I sprayed everything with cold gal. Allowing it to dry, before applying a second coat. For the hollow box section of the parallel members, I doused the inside in Lanox.

I bought all new bolts and u-bolts from a wholesale bolt store, which turned out to be way cheaper then buying from a trailer or marine store. Since then I've started putting everything back together.

I am yet to put the rear member back onto my trailer as I still want to clean up some areas on the trailer. The reverse game of tetris is going to be fun, as is holding up the 15kg+ member while I line the pivot bolts up. And this exercise has only rectified the rear member, so when I can find the time and money, I'll have to do the front two also.

The damage is as follows:

Rear cross member: $250 ( I was originally quoted $475 to build this piece)

Bolts, u-bolts, washers, nuts and pins: around $80

Lanox, primer and cold gal: $50

Time spent so far: 2-3 hours

I'll let you know once it's all finished.

[rayke1938]

A hell of a lot cheaper than a new trailer and I put the bolt supplier in my favorites as their prices are very good,

Cheers

Ray

[STKE]

Great result

Just to put a bit of panic into you, what the condition of you're axle like?

[Tybo]

Sure is Ray, a hell of a lot cheaper.

I can't speak enough good words about bolt supplies. I've been going there for awhile now, and their prices are incredible! The people there are friendly too, and very helpful. I turned up on two occasions with some rusted bits out of that bucket, and both guys didn't bat an eyelid, happy to help.

[Tybo]

Just to put a bit of panic into you, what the condition of you're axle like?

The axle is solid. I took it out when I did my springs about 12 months ago. It was ugly, and I honestly thought I would have to replace it. But being solid steel, it was heavy and the rust was all superficial. I cleaned it up with a wire brush, and silver galed it. I didn't do a rust converter or primer on it, and have now found out silver gal isn't the same as cold gal, so now it has a nice layer of surface rust on it again. I will have to be pay some attention to it again soon, but as this stage shouldn't be a major concern.

[Old Scaley]

Thanks Tybo, that is gold. Looking at my rear crossmember yesterday with no boat on the trailer made me realise that I may be only a couple of potholes from disaster. I will check with Stones Cnr Marine to see if I can get a redco crossmember through them. It is welded on, so I will need to find someone to help with that part at least.

Looking forward to seeing how this ends for you.

Cheers, Steve

[Tybo]

All good Steve, a learning experience for all. Hopefully being Redco, you should be able to get parts. I guess that's the one thing I can take away from this, I'm lucky my trailer is a reputable brand with support. If not I'd have no option and be paying the $475 for the custom build.

[Tybo]

As many on here also, the wind just didn't subside over Christmas and made all my plans of fishing pretty much dissolve. So with the forecast of a week or more of wind, I decided on finishing my trailer.

This time around was the front two cross members, which like the rear were rusted through. I started in the garage, cutting out the old bolts that held the roller members in place. On removing them, I was amazed once again at how little there was left, and how much was just loose rust.

I worked out the parts I needed and ordered them. The two front crossmembers are welded on, so organised a welder mate to see if he could cut the old ones out and reattach the new. For that I needed the boat off. After asking around, pricing out and figuring the most economic and safest method, laying my boat on tyres in the yard seemed to be okay. I was precarious about it, but one afternoon bit the bullet and proceeded, of which it came down okay and has sat there nicely since.

With the boat off, it gave me plenty of time to clean up the trailer and do the maintenance I needed, plus really inspect everything.

I towed the trailer over to my mates shop one morning and took him just under two hours to cut out and weld in the new members.

Very happy with the result I towed it home and spent the afternoon going over the rest with a wire brush, rust converter and cold gal. I'd once again gotten all new bolts and began attaching everything back together. On the very last roller arm, I once again had to drill the split pins out when tragedy happened. With the arm in the vice, and me on the power drill, the bit snapped and I impaled myself on the broken bit. This was the result, straight though!

My wife took me to the hospital, where it luckily missed bone, tendon and nerves. The doctor extracted the 20mm piece of 1/8 bit and bandaged me up. The worst part is the I still haven't finished the trailer, my wife has put me on a ban from the trailer and this weeks weather report is finally looking good!

[Old Scaley]

Holy cr#p that looks painful. . Hope you recover well and can get back out on the water soon. 

[kmcrosby78]

Ouch!!!!  I glanced at the photo prior to reading the related text and didn't notice the drill bit at first, just though you'd rubbed yourself raw on rust. Pretty lucky it didn't strike anything of note, although no doubt it wouldn't have tickled.

On the plus side once you've recovered you'll have an almost new condition trailer for a fraction of the price - well done!!

Oh and I wish I'd got the u-bolts and clamps for my trailer from your mob - I paid about $80 for the pair at a trailer mob in Tingalpa .....

[Tybo]

To be quite honest, it didn't hurt that much. At first I thought it might just shock and adrenalin, but a massive pain never kicked in. It was definitely tender and sore for days later, and is now itchy, but it was never too bad. I got my finger caught in a  car door once, and I think that hurt way more.

Hopefully the trailer now should see me many more years. The axel while still solid and is the only thing now on the average side. I'll probably replace it in a year or two as well, when I've financially recovered from this hit. All up in the past 12 months, I'm probably up around the $1100 mark for what I've done. Which although seems like a lot, is way cheaper then the quotes for work and new I was given. Yeah, trailer mobs and marine stores are scandalous for their price on u-bolts and various other items. I needed around 20 U-bolts replaced all up, so finding the best price was crucial.

[Luvit]

Good job. At lease the axle is solid steel and tubular like the rest of the trailer so a little surface rust should not compromise the strength.

Was it hard to slide the boat off the trailer on level ground onto the tyres?

[Tybo]

23 hours ago, Luvit said:

Was it hard to slide the boat off the trailer on level ground onto the tyres?

Not too hard, but fills you with a bit of anxiety. I strapped the stern of the boat to a tree, then drove the trailer away and out from under it. As the trailer moved forward, I pushed the tyres underneath it. I kept the winch cable connected, with the ratchet on so I could slowly monitor how it dropped. The stern of my boat is where all the weight is, so when it got to the balancing point it did tip up and put all the weight on the bottom of the transom. I heard some noises, but on inspection nothing seems amiss. The boat is a bit rocky on the tyres, so I've put extra tyres up at the bow for support, but it's not going anywhere. Getting it back is going to be the next challenge.

[Luvit]

That's how I imagined you could do it. The balancing/pivot point would have been the worry. 

If you had s mate that had a private dam that would be perfect.

[Tybo]

Last weekend I finally got all my trailer finished. A few different shades of cold gal, but apart from that, everything is either new, restored or working perfectly. Scheduled maintenance should be all I'll have to do for years to come.

Got the boat back on also, which was easier then I thought, and inspected the hull, no damage. Will have to adjust the front rollers out a little as they are a bit close to the strakes, but apart from that all good.

Had an hour or two before work on Tuesday, so took it for a run to see that everything went on and off, all good. Started to get real excited about this weekend, and then I saw this...

Starts Friday afternoon, finishes Monday morning, unbelievable! Anyway, at the end of the day my trailer is now finished.

[Luvit]

The boat ramps should be quite on Saturday so you could go down to a ramp and fine tune the positions of the rollers etc so it drives on and off and lines up perfectly on the winch roller. Always an up side

Glad I'm going freshwater fishing but the barometer reading will not be the best over the weekend. Really need to be at our spot by Friday lunch time but can't with work cmmitments.