Found me a project trailer...

[MikeSchinlaub]

I also measured the axle. I don't know where it's supposed to be measured from, so I went with the back of the hub. I got 86 1/2

 

[dingbat]

I also measured the axle. I don't know where it's supposed to be measured from, so I went with the back of the hub. I got 86 1/2
View attachment 406079

View attachment 406080

Tire are mounted to the face of the hub.....
Hubs vary in thickness

Hub face and Spring centers

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

I don't know how close the measurement needs to be, but I would eyeball the hubs at 1/4" thick, so that would make 87 inches.

 

[ratdude747]

I don't know how close the measurement needs to be, but I would eyeball the hubs at 1/4" thick, so that would make 87 inches.

Close enough to the 88 I measured... so 87 or 88 probably OK. Assuming they are in fact the same trailer (and one/both aren't slightly tweaked variants made for a custom order). 88 is a common straight axle size (as is 87), so either one is believable. Edit- the keel roller setup is different... so clearly not the exact same trailer. As long as the springs are centered, I'm confident in my 88" measurement (69 + 9.5 + 9.5)

Spring mounts match... so that's not the issue.

Looks like my springs are the issue... which makes sense, at low load leaf springs shouldn't be nearly flat. Yours have a lot more curve... and the empty trailer's weight shouldn't matter that much. Heck, I stood on it and the only thing that compressed were the tires (likely underinflated, but inflated enough for running light). Also, yours has 4 leafs while mine have 3. Not up to task?

Per my measurements, I have a spring spacing of 69", and the spring length is 26" (frame) / 25 7/16" (spring eye to eye, no shackle). I'm fairly certain they're standard 1 3/4" wide springs... but I didn't get a measurement (and I'm out of town).

While I might be able to save a few bucks by having a shop add flanges to the axle, I'm thinking it might make more sense to just replace the axle and springs as a set. Around $600-$800 before freight from what I'm seeing. Not currently in budget, but this trailer is a long-term project, so that's fine if it's justifiable.

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

I have a picture of me holding a tape measure against the hub and I did an eyeball guess from memory of the hub thickness. Shows how smart I am. Anyway, all this stuff about suspension components is above my head. I'll take measurements of other stuff if you want, but I'm out of advice to give.

 

[ratdude747]

I have a picture of me holding a tape measure against the hub and I did an eyeball guess from memory of the hub thickness. Shows how smart I am. Anyway, all this stuff about suspension components is above my head. I'll take measurements of other stuff if you want, but I'm out of advice to give.

You're good. Saw what I needed to see.

 

[ratdude747]

Strongly considering cutting my losses on this one.

Mainly because I discovered that my current trailer already has brake flanges:



So, with a brake kit (and wiring)and some bow steps I can make what I have work effectively the same (other than not having reduced dip distance). The winch stand is a wash. But the bunks, lighting and suspension are already good... The rollers and paint are acceptable for now.

I do plan on making drawings for the fenders based on the CAD I drew up for anybody who finds this in the future and needs to make said fenders (to include anybody who buys this one off me).

 

[ratdude747]

Once my title comes in, this trailer will be sold... already found a buyer (we shall see).

For the record, per the title, this trailer is supposedly made by "Trailerman". If that's even a real company... no markings on the trailer.

Anyway, I did some sleuthing. Upon review of the original title's envelope (hand scribbles), I figured out this trailer previously (originally?) had a 1981 Ebbtide runabout on it... and sure enough, I found a 1981 Ebbtide DynaTrac on a Auction site (in Indiana no less) with the exact same trailer, only in black:









(I'd post a link but I don't want to violate a forum rule... this auction ended back in 2022 so it's not live).

While I don't know for sure if that's the same model boat, my gut feeling is that is likely is... potentially even the same marina due to the similar location.

This tells me a few things, which confirm my decision to abandon the project:

• The low sitting axle appears to be normal, just needs new springs.
• It previously carried a lighter boat (1000lbs per JD Power)... hence the lighter construction.
• The hull geometry is a lot shallower (compared to the Tri-V hull of my Starcraft Montego)... the side bunks and rollers make sense here. On my boat, they'd never make contact. This also explains the low bow roller...

So, the lesson here is that not all runabouts are created equal... and sometimes it is in fact better to stick with the devil you know.

I haven't gotten to making drawings for the fenders yet... but I will get it done soon and post them here for anybody else down the line that needs to replace such fenders.

 

[ratdude747]

As promised, attached are the "final" drawings and CAD of the obsolete fenders for trailerman trailers like the ones shown in this thread.

The PDF is "traditional" drawings. I won't claim to be a master draftsman (although my dad was an Indiana State Champion draftsman in High School!), but all the dimensions are there.

The .zip is a 3D STEP file of the assembly and .dxf's of the flat patterns if one is wanting to use CNC to produce these (laser, water jet, etc.).

Note that the bunk holes are guesses... I didn't have a good way to measure without taking the trailer further apart. But I suspect that they're 1/4" (or maybe #12) wood screws, so these holes should still work.

Due to Autodesk Inventor (what I used to model/draw this) not cooperating, I wasn't able to add in the welds as originally planned; for these, use common sense... a few 1" beads where the sides meet the top (two edges per side) will suffice. The flange overlaps were not welded originally.

Finally, while the 32" spacing between fenders was a "bang on" measurement (at least on my trailer), I recommend (if possible) bolting the sides to the trailer first, then tacking on the fender top to help ensure a "perfect" fit.

Hopefully this helps somebody down the road... for appropriate boats, these do seem to be good trailers.