trailer upgrades

[jakwi]

Hi all, I have a couple of questions I'm hoping someone here can help me with.
I have a tandem axle magicTilt trailer, 1989.

The springs are rusty and one of the axles needs replacement.

Magic tilt sold two versions of this trailer, one lighter duty and one heavier duty. I have the lighter duty version and I'm basically at max capacity for the trailer with my boat.

So my question is would it be outrageous for me to upgrade the springs and axles to a heavier weight rating?

They way I see it I could upgrade my current axles rated at 1650lbs I think for 2650lb axles

and the springs for 2500lb springs.

If I then put 225 75r14 tires on it instead of the current 205 75 r14

All told I'd be in it for about $1400

I suppose another option would be torsion axles, $350ish each

To be honest it's not a great trailer, but it's not terrible either. It's just ok.

Of course the alternative is to buy a new trailer $4500 ish which I can't really afford.

or used, $2500ish but used is always a crapshoot.

I'm guessing my trailer with the repairs is worth $2000-2500 ish or without maybe $900

I could just do straight replacements on the parts, but the cost is basically the same.

Thoughts?

 

[dingbat]

The trailer was designed to accommodate X amount of weight plus a service factor of X%.

As long as your within the weight rating of the trailer I wouldn’t spend more than absolutely needed on a 40 year old trailer.

 

[jakwi]

31 years old, but yeah I get your point. I'm sure I'm within the serviceable load of the trailer, but probably right at the top end. The parts I've replaced already were because they were at imminent failure. The equalizer hanger was down to about 1/16" in spots after flaking the rust off. I've replaced both of those. There was some pitting in the aluminum IBeam where the equalizer hanger was mounted, and a buildup of white "rust". I'm not sure what it was really. The white stuff was solid, but brittle enough to break in your hand. I assume it was aluminum corrosion? Maybe. I cleaned it up, applied grease, and installed rubber matting between the equalizer mount and the Aluminum frame to minimize Galvanic corrosion.

I also noticed that my front axle has some really heavy rust flaking right at the ends. I cleaned it up and painted it, but given that I dunk it in saltwater every week, it's only a matter of time before that is a problem. If I'm going to replace the axle, the springs are pretty rusty with light flaking, I suppose I could reuse them, but it seems a shame not to replace them at the same time as the axle. The spring hangers also need to be replaced, and I have them on hand. They also have the white aluminum corrosion buildup underneath them and some pitting of the frame. It's not terrible but it is there.

On the upside lights work perfectly. lol.


I tend to want to look at everything as an investment, but as with so many boat related things it's really a consumption expense. Once the money is spent it's sunk, and will most likely never come back.

For me, I don't need a new trailer, I don't care about the bling of it. I just want a trailer that is functional and not going to fail on the road. I want it to be safe. So repairs are geared toward that end.

Thanks for helping me think it through.