Trailer Resto and mods

[Donutman]

Howdy Howdy...
Been kickin' back and readin' through all these posts in this forum. Man o Man there is some good info in here.
Last February my trailer broke at the tongue as I was loading the boat. No, I wasn't doing an 80mph approach. Tried to power load it and it was so rusted out, it just snapped. Finally got my used trailer from mechanic and it needed a little work. I didn't know where to start, so I'm ripping it apart and wire brushing all the rust off it to begin with. Bunks are toast, so they're getting replaced as well. Fenders are rusted through with cracks...going to cut them out too. Luckily dad owns a body and frame shop and he is nice enough to let me use tools, time and a place to work. Burnt up his drill today with that little wire brush though. So then, off to Harbor Freight.
Got all the brackets off today, wire brushed them and primered those. Took everything wood off and surveyed the damage. Going to replace the side steps with HDPE. Got that ordered. Confused on what to do about the bunks, but I'll cross that bridge later. Right now, let's get it stripped, primered and painted. I'll post pics as it comes along. Here's what I started with.
Do have one question though. Once I get the trailer finished and ready to set the bunks in their permanent position, just how do I transfer the boat from one trailer to another? The guy that owns the pallet shop behind dads, said he'd bring over a couple of fork lifts and get it done. All for the low low cost of a case of beer. Think I might have to check into that!

[bamabassman]

well if it were me, i would wait to pay them the case of beer till AFTER you got the rig transfered,lol.

but i would prefer to go to a boat ramp and transfer from the water. you would need ot have a friend take the empty trailer and oyu the loaded one. easier to do that way.

but if oyu can't, i would make SURE there were some padding on the forks so as to NOT damage the hull.
good luck pal.

[MississippiBoy]

Originally Posted by Donutman

Confused on what to do about the bunks, but I'll cross that bridge later.

Just take the old ones and use them as templates. Pay close attention to the end closest to the back of the trailer, because some are cut at an angle to keep the boat from hitting the 90* edge and ripping the carpet. Use pressure treated wood, and good carpet. Don't wrap the carpet all the way around the bunks, but leave a maybe 1" gap all the way down so the water will drain out quicker and not leave the wood wet for a long time.

Originally Posted by Donutman

Once I get the trailer finished and ready to set the bunks in their permanent position, just how do I transfer the boat from one trailer to another? The guy that owns the pallet shop behind dads, said he'd bring over a couple of fork lifts and get it done. All for the low low cost of a case of beer. Think I might have to check into that!

I agreed with Bama about launching the boat and swapping it to the other trailer that way, but then I realized that the trailer it's on probably isn't safe to drive, is it? If not, then good luck with your forklift guy. I'd ask him what the plan is beforehand. I'm assuming he'll run straps underneath the boat, pick it up, drive the trailer out and pull the other one in. I don't know if I'd let him pick it up and drive it over to the other trailer.

Good luck...

[nobass]

i am going to redo my bunks shortly but instead of carpet i orderd the plastic guide that go on your bunks. that way the wet carpet dose not rot wood.. even though it is treated wood..it will allow the wood to dry out . but if you go with carpet do like mississippi boy said and do not wrap completely around bunks

[Donutman]

On the bunks, I'm wanting to go with those Ultimate Bunk Boards really. I like the concept of never rotting and easier loading. Seeing as how all the brackets are adjustable on this rig, I can move them to where they won't come close to any rivets. The problem is, my main bunks are 11 feet long. Would have to buy two sets of those to get the required length. That's only for the main two bunks. The secondaries are an even 6 ft. That idea is kind of cost prohibitive for a trailer that old and holding only a 17ft. tin can. So probably going to go with the treated timber and carpet again for now. On the other side of that, I'm going to be doing this as an almost frame up restoration and I believe in doing things right the first time. Soooo...
I wish I could get the old trailer and boat down to the lake to swap out. But the whole reason for doing this was because tongue broke on the old one. The only way I could get it to the lake again would be another $100 flat bed wrecker ride. Then I wouldn't be able to get the old one back with out the wrecker again. Think what I might do is to get the stern as high as I can in the air and set up some cushioned jack stand under it. Then raise the nose of the trailer to get the stern off the old trailer, therefor letting me get a nylon tow strap under the bow. Have Mr. forklift man (who will NOT fork my boat!) raise the front of the boat up and pull the old one out, insert the new one. Then I can get all the bunks properly angled before we put the full weight of the boat on the new trailer. Looking forward to getting this all done and back out on the lake!
Oh, Might have some questions coming up about the wheel hubs here soon. While dismantling it the other day, I noticed the right side wheel wobbles pretty bad. Gonna have to check into that after getting it painted.

[Donutman]

Oh, and yes. I would leave a gap in the carpet for draining and i might even angle the end of the wood to help ease the loading strain on the carpet.
Daylight is a wasting! Time to get on it!

[bassboogieman]

but instead of carpet i orderd the plastic guide that go on your bunks

If you're referring to the "guide slicks" than attach to the bunks - be careful when unloading. Your boat will slide much easier on those than on carpet. Unhooking the boat before you back down the ramp could end in disaster.

[Donutman]

Thanks Boogieman. Makes me wonder if I could put glide slicks on the main 11' bunks and carpet the secondary 6' bunks? kind of get the best of both worlds. Any thoughts?
Maybe give it a try, see what happens.

[nobass]

thats way i am doing it the 2nd buks have air flow and no boat sitting on them they dry out quicker.

[Donutman]

Well, last week I got it all stripped, sanded and primered. Even the underside. Didn't do the axle stubs or leaf springs though. Finally cut off the fenders and other welded on things that didn't need to be on there. Today I was going to tackle (no pun intended) the hubs and bearings to see what might be amiss. Bearings were a little pitted and probably needed to be replaced. The hubs were so caked with old grease and dirt, the stuff felt like almost dried concrete. And this was the "good" side. Pulled the starboard side and the outer bearing fell apart in my hand. After I cleaned off the spindle, I could see where the inner bearing had gotten mighty hot at some point or another.
Question: The spindle metal is discolored, like it's been hot, but it's not pitted, scratched or scored in any way. What's ya'lls opinion? Metal fatigued and replace or slap some new bearing on it and run?
Speaking of which, every trailer and or bearing shop person I've talked to today has said do NOT use bearing buddies. All three had the exact same answer. You pump them full and the heat from traveling causes the grease to liquefy and expand. It takes the path of least resistance to escape, which is usually the seal. When it cools, it contracts and sucks contaminants into the bearing chamber. Like after a road trip and you back your trailer into the cool water, it sucks water and road debris into the bearing. What's ya'lls take?
Sure do appreciate ya'lls advice and or input.

[MikeA57]

Any updates on this trailer? This is my first post here and I ask because a couple of years ago I redid my trailer that was under the boat I got from my Dad when he passed. It's a 1956 model Holsclaw that was meticulously cared for by my Uncle for years (He was my Dad's fishing partner.)

First of all I had it sand blasted, primed and powder coated to original colors. It had 4 trays of bunk rollers which I replaced with Cypress wood. I used 2 full 2" X 4" pieces on each side and also installed bunk slick material on top of that. It's worked real well so far and I'm not worried about rot at all. Oh yeah, I also put 3 coats of deck stain/sealer on the wood too. I figure I ought to get another 55 years of use out of it.

Good Luck with yours and give us an update!!!

Mike

[bamabassman]

DDDDDAAAAAYYYYYYUUUUUUMMMMMMMMM!!!!! that looks like a brand new trailer man. great job!!!

[Donutman]

Welcome Mike! You've found one really cool website.
I think it was about three weeks ago I finished my trailer. Had a blast doing it, and learned a lot. Wish I'd had the chance to sand blast and powder coat my trailer. I bet it holds up a LOT better than paint.
I wire brushed mine down to bare metal, primed it, replaced the hubs and bearings, replaced the fenders, fixed a couple of welds here and there, re-primed it again. Dad helped me get started in painting it. Put on 4 coats of paint and then topped it off with a glossy Krylon. Over kill, maybe. But I want this to last a while. I also put 2 coats of rubberized undercoating under the new fenders and on the leaf springs. I replaced the wooden side steps with 1/2" plastic HDPE cutting board material. Bought a 4' x 2' piece and cut it down to size. Carpeted those in gray, used Monel staples, installed with stainless hardware. Replaced all the (nylon locking) nuts, bolts and washers with stainless for that matter. Thought I would try some of those Ultimate Bunk Boards after hearing all the rave reviews about them. Cut them down to size, angled and smoothed out all the edges so as not to catch any rivets. Set them on the bunk brackets (not bolted on yet) and with in 2 days, they had warped 2 inches just sitting there. That just wasn't going to work. Before I heard back from the guy at UBB, I went and bought a couple of treated 2x6x12's and put them under the UBB's for support. Not a fan of those Ultimate Bunk Boards.
Time to switch the trailers. Blocked up the stern of the boat with jack stands and 2x6's for support. Put a tow strap under the bow and had a fork lift raise it up. Pulled out the old trailer and tried to slide the new one in. New trailer sits a lot higher than the old one, so we ended up having to winch the new trailer under the boat. All in all, it worked out all right. Readjusted all the bunks for a superb fit and it was almost ready for travel. Couldn't figure out how to hang the wires for the lights so I ended up using some self adhesive wire hangers. So far, they work very well. Made one last run through and checked all fasteners,locked down the boat and went fishing that day.

I'll have to get a picture of the finished rig in it's entirety. Post it up as soon as I can.