Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

[109jb]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

I know I am new here, But I did see a buddy who loved to over engineer things back his trailer into the water to retrieve his trailer and it floated... but it worked great when he launched...

Problem was that he had a load leveler system (like you would have on a travel trailer) attached between the boat and the vechicle and it actually held the trailer up in the water and kept it from sinking.

When the boat was launched the weight of the boat overpowered the system and trailer was pushed down.

So I am also thinking that Photos of floating trailer and hitch hook up might help...Load levellers, anti-swaybar setup, and who knows what else could contribute to this problem

Load equalizer bars would force the back of the trailer down.

 

[mbhoag]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

Load equalizer bars would force the back of the trailer down.

That is what I had always thought... all I know is once they were removed the trailer stayed on the ramp even into the water. I never looked closely at his setup, so I have no idea if it was done correctly or not. He had a habit of 'modifying' things to make them work better, so who knows... Just popped into my head so I threw it out as a thought for original poster to consider.

 

[oops!]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

lets see pics of this floating trailer......

that is a real manufacturers screw up.

what kind of trailer....what hitch hook up do you have....
and add weight

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

I want to see pics of this floating trailer before offering any comment. Unless the main rails are pontoons. C'mon cobb, you asked for help. How about answering.

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

Grams had this trouble with his trailer but was a farm wagon with oversized tires, he deflated tires som, and added some cement blocks, but took 2 hrs to pull it home from sandusky bay to upeer sandusky, he took blocks off to pull down road.

 

[old boat 54]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

I have a tandem axle trailer and have been fighting this floating issues for years! When I get to the landing I have to wait for a certain slip, if it's windy or at the beach with a ripping 6-knot current and seas breeze to boot, so that my boat washes up to the landing docks and not into everyone else. That has happened quite often and sometimes it gets ugly.

Any ideas on how to get this trailer to stay on the bottom??

I have a R&R aluminum trailer that would float ( sank too slow when going in for pick up, no load) Single axle, rated
2200 lbs. The large main tubes had has some holes to help get air out and water in to sink it ( factory holes) The ends of the square tubes had plastic reflectors in them. I removed reflectors so water could enter faster, and trailer sunk much
quicker. It still takes about 30 seconds for it to loose air. I would not drill additional holes without consulting factory due to structual issues.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

Guess the op floated away with his trailer

 

[BRICH1260]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

I have a tandem axle aluminum trailer and it is nearly bouyant neutral. It does not float on top of the water, but it does not sink all the way either. It can and does happen.

 

[RandyJ]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

I've got a 23 ft Bayliner Monterey cabin cruiser. The trailer is made of aluminum I-beams and it definitely floats! I don't use it much so don't do anything about it but it is really a pain. If I had to load / unload alone it would be near impossible. I do have a few possible solutions. For one thing this old set up came with automobile tires on the trailer so I thought that one solution would be to swap tires for heavier 6 ply trailer tires as I'm thinking it's the tires floating it up. Or, I could simply try using smaller, less buoyant tires. Since I'm on the lake and don't have to be on the highway I could simply put water in the tires also. The bunkers are 4" x 6" wooden beams... not much I can do about that except to add some heavy metal or concrete. Tho' many would disagree with me, there's no way in hades I'd build any kind of tubular steel structure that will not readily drain water. If it had end caps welded on I'd drill huge holes on the bottom next to the end caps. We have floating docks here and many of the walkways have swelled and cracked tubing because the idiots who built them welded all the way around the bottom and didn't put in drain holes. Water collects from condensation and all other kinds of sources, they get water in them then freeze and swell the tubing and frequently result in splitting the tubing. Just my .02

 

[MarkySparky]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

If you don't have to drive very far at speed with it between home and ramp, you could have tire store fill tires with that liquid they put in tractor tires, or that runflat foam stuff- its pretty heavy too. Or just slip lead ingots into the trailer frame?

 

[cobbcfi]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

I'll get some pics and video when I launch it Sunday.. It's an A-frame aluminum I-beam trailer with wooden bunks and guide posts that I already filled with sand.. I have a 24' boat on it with a long flat keel and shallow upturn to the bow, so there is alot of boat to float before the bow floats up or slides off..

 

[Volphin]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

Nope, should I?????

(As I said Square tubing, air/water tight)



And to the other guy, when was the last time you saw a truck/car/trailer tire on a rim float???

Well, I saw a set of 2 grader tires and wheels, along with he pumpkin and axle housing floating down the Mississippi River... does that count? LOL

V

 

[Volphin]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

Back on topic, I would add some Tungsten heavy alloy weights to the trailer. This is very dense material and a little goes a long way. They use them for aircraft counterbalances and also racing applications for F1 and a million other uses. Look online for a manufacturer of this stuff. They probably have scraps.

V

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

run a couple bolts through the beam for anchors and then wrap that section of the beam with wood for a form to fill with concrete... when it sets up remove the wood ...... done deal

 

[royal0014]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

Couple foot worth of railroad iron strapped between the axles would work, if you can find any.

IMHO, the concrete thing is a bad idea, likely to come apart and scatter debris while rolling down the highway, potential for major damage.....


<<)))(((>>

 

[salty87]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

sweet looking rig. have you ever played around to see how much weight it needs to stay down?. if you need 20 lbs you've got all sorts of options. if it's 100+ you're a little more limited.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

Couple foot worth of railroad iron strapped between the axles would work, if you can find any.

IMHO, the concrete thing is a bad idea, likely to come apart and scatter debris while rolling down the highway, potential for major damage.....

The iron could work well but it needs to be solidly mounted somehow....

the 'crete DOES need to be reenforced properly but if it is then it would be very safe.... (I'm thinking a 1 or 2 foot piece(s) and not running the full length of the trailer) ..... the biggest downside would actually be if it were exposed to salt water.... the salt would get between the 'crete and the frame and be very hard if not impossible to rinse out

 

[halfmoa]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

IMHO, the concrete thing is a bad idea, likely to come apart and scatter debris while rolling down the highway, potential for major damage.....

I agree!

How about using 45lb weight lifting plates mounted acrossed the rear of the trailer? (think truck spare tire style mounting) It can be adjusted heavier or lighter, it'd be completely out of the way, easily removed if needed, and plates are readily available!

halfmoa

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

If you launch in salt water once you get home you should fill the tubes up with fresh water to rinse out the salt or that rusting things going to happen fast.

I think you missed his response to type of trailer he has.

It's an A-frame aluminum I-beam trailer with wooden bunks and guide posts

I would ask the trailer manufacturer what they recommend. Subject must have come up before with them.

 

[Silverbullet555]

Re: Tandem Axle Trailer FLOATS!! What can I do to sink it?

Check your bunks. I know someone that had the same issue. He changed his bunks, one was rotted, and the problem went away. As a test, he strapped the old bunks on top of the new ones and it floated again.

We were all surprised, but you can't argue with the results.