Trailer rebuild?

[mnypitboat]

I have been contemplating fixing up my trailer. It is a galvanized trailer and the outer frame and toungue and alxes are fine. It needs springs and one fender at this point. I am thinking it may need the cross beams(or whatever you call them) soon. They are 72" straight across, but have the bend in the middle.

My question before starting to put any money in this trailer is, do they sell these cross beams? I have a friend that can weld them on, but he doesnt have a way to bend them. I dont want to spend anymore money on this thing if they cant be replaced when necessary. They are ok right now, but have rust starting in the middle and will need replacement in the future.

 

[Pelletmonster]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

if u can find out the make of the trailer and a local dealer for that company, i would imagine they have replacements bolt on or weld on.. somewhere on the tongure of the trailer should be your VIN tag w/ all the info you should need if not there check your reg, the make should be on there also.. good luck and hope this helps!

 

[1961_lonestar_holiday]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

sand and paint the rusty spots................is your boat THAT heavy?

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

my experience is once you get into the job, it will cost more in parts than you expect at first estimate.
I just went through this and my trailer was in good shape- certainly not in need of any beams or structural parts.
two tires/rims cost $450!!
axle $225
sanding and painting - 2.5 days
welding and misc- 1 day (the closest axle had spring mounts 2" too narrow)
lights and wiring- $75 and .5 days
winch $60

keep an eye out for a fairly new trailer.

 

[hoytvectrix]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

Bring it to your nearest metal fabricator, They would have all the equiptment necessary to get what you need done.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

sand and paint the rusty spots................is your boat THAT heavy?

I bought a single axle trailer last year and when I put the boat on it it nearly flattened the tires, and bent the axle. So yeah it must be THAT heavy. And I only towed it around the marina.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

my experience is once you get into the job, it will cost more in parts than you expect at first estimate.
I just went through this and my trailer was in good shape- certainly not in need of any beams or structural parts.
two tires/rims cost $450!!
axle $225
sanding and painting - 2.5 days
welding and misc- 1 day (the closest axle had spring mounts 2" too narrow)
lights and wiring- $75 and .5 days
winch $60

keep an eye out for a fairly new trailer.

I have looked. The cheapest I can find a dual axle trailer is about $1500 and up. I allready have new tires on it, new hubs, new tongue. All it needs at this point is springs and the cross bars.

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

don't know if anyone will weld or cut galvanized steel.
I think it's poisonous.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

don't know if anyone will weld or cut galvanized steel.
I think it's poisonous.

You should wear a respirator when you do it, but any welding shop will weld galvanized. Drinking a bunch of milk helps the headache go away if you weld it without the respirator

 

[109jb]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

don't know if anyone will weld or cut galvanized steel.
I think it's poisonous.

Galvanized steel is welded all the time. The fumes can give you what is called "metal fume fever" which can make you sick but is not deadly. Any metal fabricator should be aware of the risks and precautions to take.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

I have been contemplating fixing up my trailer. It is a galvanized trailer and the outer frame and toungue and alxes are fine. It needs springs and one fender at this point. I am thinking it may need the cross beams(or whatever you call them) soon. They are 72" straight across, but have the bend in the middle.

My question before starting to put any money in this trailer is, do they sell these cross beams? I have a friend that can weld them on, but he doesnt have a way to bend them. I dont want to spend anymore money on this thing if they cant be replaced when necessary. They are ok right now, but have rust starting in the middle and will need replacement in the future.

I would look at the crossmembers and make darn sure they are needing to be replaced. Unless they are punky, I would not. Hopefully there is a drain hole in the crossmember tube at the lowest point. Smack them with a hammer on the top side and note the tone, then do the same smack on the bottom sides. Hopefully both will ring the same tone and give you an idea how bad they might be.

Cutting and then welding a galvanized trailer compromises the galvanizing and will be the first spot to rust out in the future. You just can't protect it like the original galvanizing did.

In most cases, with the average amount of maintence given to the average trailer.

I put that last disclaimer in because someone will post that they did it, coated the welded or cut area with cold galvinizing compound or paint every other week and it is like new thirty years later.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

They are still relatively sturdy right now. They are rusted on the outside though, which means they are rusted on the inside too. I am trying to figure out if its worth putting the springs and fender on, or if its futile and a waste of money. If I couldnt get the crossbeams or they were too expensive to replace then there is no point in putting more money in it.

I stopped at B&G trailers tonight and they said they have the crossbeams for like $80 and can weld them for about 2 hours labor. That is worth it, so I am going to go ahead and replace the fender and springs for now, then when the crossbeams start getting worse, have them replaced too. The origioinal trailer that came with this boat broke in the middle of both beams on the highway. They were spotless on the outside, no signs of rust at all, so I am very leary when I actually see rust there.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

How much is too much to pay for an all aluminum refirbished trailer? I have been considering just buying an aluminum. I found a refirb for $2200, but that seems kinda high. I havent found any cheaper, and used ones are pretty close to that price too. With the economy, I cant beleive I cant find a decent trailer cheap. I use it in salt water about half the time, so repairing the galvanized trailer will get me by for a while, but will eventually need to be replaced.

Thanks guys.
John

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

Depends. What is the size/weight of your boat?

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

Its an 01 21ft Tahoe Q7 with an 8.5ft beam with a V8 I/O. I have heard differant weights, the faq on here about Tahoe says 4400 for 01 but says 2350lbs for 04 but I am guessing it weighs in at just under 4k with all our crap. I think they must be a misprint because I cant beleive a bowrider would weigh that much, but I also cant beleive a boat this size could possibly only weigh 2350.

Either way, they said it would hold my boat no problem. But then I found a brand new aluminum trailer up in Ocala for $2270 without brakess. I cant beleive that price. He says 2-3 days to build it. Place on Craigslist http://daytona.craigslist.org/boa/1857000364.html. I talked to him on the phone and he confirmed its for real and the only extra is the brakes.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

Price sounds about right for a single axle trailer that size.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

Price sounds about right for a single axle trailer that size.

Which one? both the used one and the new one are dual axle. My boat squashes single axle trailers, LOL Ask me how I know.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

Karavan makes a couple trailers rated for 4800lbs in a single axle.
http://www.karavantrailers.com/spec_sheet.cfm?photo=kk_bunk.jpg

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

I will look for a Karavan dealer. I dont recall seeing them anywhere around here.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: Trailer rebuild?

OK for $650 they completely rebuilt my trailer, new bearings, new rollers, new crossbeams, new springs and all new hardware plus labor to do it all. The only thing they didnt do was the fender because they didnt have it in stock. They said to just bring it back and they would throw it on there.

I figure if I have to do this every couple years, I am ok with that.