Antique trailer loading?

[reelfishin]

I have a dumb question, I had the opportunity to get to launch and load an old aluminum boat from a 1950's Holsclaw trailer, the type with the row of rollers down the middle and two short bunks just inboard of each wheel. The boat was as long as the the trailer, with no extra tongue out front, and the boat sat pretty low. We took it to the local lake, backing the boat in on the boat ramp soon made me aware of such a trailers short comings. The trailer was fully submerged, and the back of my van was already over the water's edge. The boat wasn't even wet yet. I was able to pull the truck up a bit and just push the boat off into the lake. All was fine till it was time to load, with a strong cross wind, and nothing to guide the boat or keep it straight with the trailer, and the bunks being so far forward, the only option I could see was to pull the boat up to the beach, then manually lift and load it on the trailer. There was no way to sink the trailer and winch on the boat, and there was no way the boat would self center on the trailer. The first part of the trailer the boat contacts is the rear roller which extends about 4' past the two side bunks. The boat teeters on that roller until it reaches the two 12" side bunks.
The boat was bought new with this trailer, but I at this point can't see how anyone could put up with this mess trying to load the boat every time.

While I'd like to keep it all original, this set up to me just don't work.

The trailer sits about 18" high, so it's not super high, but I can't see how a boat can be floated on or winched in place on such a rig. I have used a modern twin bunk trailer for years with a similar V hull, but this was the first time using an old school trailer.
What was the normal procedure to load on one of these trailers? The way I see it, you need two guys to balance the boat as it comes up on the trailer until it contacts the bunks, if you can keep the boat in line with the rollers that long.

 

[zboot69]

Re: Antique trailer loading?

i have a trailer from th 50's that im restoring myself... im not too formilia with the holsclaw trailers but my gator trailer sounds a little similar to what your describing. The gator trailers also have a row of 3 rollers down the middle of the trailer, however mine has a set of bunks in the back and front to help guilde the boat onto the trailer. My trailer is also set kinda high up maybe 18inches or so like yours but from what ive gathered on my gator trailer it was ment to be tilted down outside the water and the boat wrenched in from the water (that way the trailers not always getting wet) If your trailer has a tilting feather id try backing it up to the waters edge and seeing if tilting it down so when the boat is wrenched in it keeps the boat it self mostly flat in the water to it gets to the bunks and then youll have the support you need to get it the rest of the way out. If that doesnt work you might either have to extend the bunks using anything but pressure treated and seal it up or just make sure you have a helping hand when you return to the shore.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Antique trailer loading?

Can you post a photo of your trailer? That would help a lot.

If your rollers don't have center grooves, that can cause difficulty in loading. You should be able to replace the rear roller and one or two more with rollers that have a smaller diameter at the center of the roller. That will capture the keel and help keep the boat loading straight. The bow winch will pull the boat in a straight line, and the keel rollers should keep the boat on the centerline as you load.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Antique trailer loading?

I was thinking of making up a bracket to replace the end roller with a pair of rollers configured in a V shape. That way the boat would stay upright. The problem with that is the back of the boat doesn't have much of a V compared to the front. With so much of the boat beyond the bunks, I also feel that that roller must stay in contact with the keel when loaded to support the transom. I can extend the bunks but they would have to extend nearly 3' past the end of the frame. The main frame is only about 28" long by 42" wide, the center beam/tongue runs the whole length of the trailer and is bolted on top. Its about 15" long overall. It don' tilt, the tongue is 2x2" square tubing with one roller clamped on up front, one spool roller bolted to the rear face of the end of the tube, and one small, narrow roller which is recessed inside the tube about mid way between the two main frame cross members. I can move the main frame back some, but only about 8" due the the location of the one fixed roller.
The trailer had two diagonal braces, much like the Gator trailers did, but this one has a welded on forward mounting point on each side of the tongue.

I was thinking about doing two things, first, is moving the axle to the top of the springs, second, is moving the main frame and axle back as far as I can and finding a way to reattach those diagonal braces, and third, making some really long bunks that extend back past that last roller. Maybe a pair of 2x6 boards instead of the 2x4's standind on end on pivot brackets?

The way it is now, if I try to winch the boat up dry, it falls over to one side the minute it starts to climb the end roller. There's nothing to keep it upright until it gets to the side bunks, and the don't make contact with both sides of the boat till the boat is nearly all the way on the trailer. If that end roller was way lower, it might be better but its not very adjustible, it's all the way down and it still sticks up too high.

I'll be taking the boat off the trailer next week, I'll try and remember to get some pics of the trailer then. I've seen a lot of trailers from back then built like this, Holsclaw, TeeNee, and Gator all made similar trailers.
I really don't want to modify the trailer too much since it's in good shape and pretty old the way it is, but I won't deal with the loading aggravation.
I did consider putting on a set of those roller bunks on each side, that way the boat would at least roll off the trailer easier from the water's edge.
But the problem is that most ponds here are pretty shallow at the loading area, the boat would most likely hit the bottom on the way in.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Antique trailer loading?

Pics would help. The old trailers weren't float-on trailers and were designed to go in only to where the back roller was nearly submerged, then the boat was pushed off. BUT, normally the bunks were bolted to the rear trailer brace. My old Rocket trailer (formerly a tilt trailer) is the way most old boat/ jon boat trailers are set up, with tilt bunks at the very back of the trailer. It sounds like your bunks are way too far forward on the trailer. Again, pics would help to see.

 

[Shizzy]

Re: Antique trailer loading?

are you saying the bunks are only 12" long? I just measured mine and they are right around 4' long. they hang slightly past the rear of the trailer. My Alumacraft is quite flat towards the stern, but due to the length of the bunks once I start winching the V portion contacts the bunks and centers the boat quite well.

I have seen two bunk setups on smaller trailers for tinnys. one has short bunks that can swivel that are attached to the rear. In fact my trailer has holes on the rear cross member that Im assuing are from that style.

I stole a pic of River Runners boat since its the same as mine but has the short bunks and has the same boat and trailer I do

here are some pics of mine. sorry for the poor quality, but its stashed in the 1 car garage still.

would running longer bunks help the situation?

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Antique trailer loading?

My trailer has the swivel bunks like the one in the small tinny pics. They swivel so that you don't have to bury the trailer in the water to make the bunks parallel with the bottom of the boat

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Antique trailer loading?

The bunks on this trailer are next to the wheels, the last roller is on the center rail, about 4' out the back of the trailer, the bunks are only about 12" long and pivot but even if I move the axle carriage all the way back, the center rail with the keel rollers will still be longer than the bunks. I would have to make the bunks at least 40" long to get them to extend past the keel roller.

Take a look at this page; http://www.acbs-bslol.com/Miscellaneous/BoatTrailers.htm The first pic shows a boat trailer very similar to what I have. both in length and trailer design. Its even the same color with similar fenders.

I can see where the trailer should not be dunked to load, but it don't tilt, so it would have to be disconnected to load the boat, and it still make balancing the boat left or right while loading the first 1/3 of the way a two man job.

Another thing I noticed is that the axle is cambered, it's a solid axle and it's drilled on top for the spring center bolt, so it was meant to sit as high as it does, looking at it, I'd think the axle should be on top of the springs to lower the trailer a few inches. But even so, it's still only 18" off the ground. Which compared to all my modern trailers is still low. My 16' Load Rite Bandit bunk trailer under my larger boat sets the boat 22" off the ground with it's 12" wheels and end wise 2x4" bunks.