Boat Trailer no 1

[One Purpose]

Found this forum a few months back quite by accident, taking a break on night shift, and I have found it very interesting and educational. So I thought I would offer my 2 bobs worth ................. 9 months ago I bought me a boat. The boat was cheap as it needed some TLC. After making it seaworthy and launching it a few times, I found I couldn't seem to get it to sit level on the trailer no matter how hard I tried. Oh well, amateur captain. :C

Then I thought I might build a new trailer to go under the boat to replace the old rusty one (according to the makers plate it had been dipped in salt water for the past 37 years) not realising til I got the boat off how bad it had become... it's hard to see, but one top leaf spring had snapped and seperated some 4 inches (100mm) Not so amateur captain after all :doh:...... Check the photos (the build begins)

[Yonnee]

:o
It never ceases to amaze me how difficult it can be to register a new trailer, and yet trailers like this are left unchecked to roam the streets. Good to see you're doing something about it O.P. :2tsup:

At least there's still one salvagable thing left on the old trailer...

...measurements! :;


Which way are you going to go? Make it from Galv steel, or get it dipped once you're finished?

[One Purpose]

Hi Yonnee ... yep, I am using the measurements of the original trailer ... Nothing was worth keeping other than the winch post, rims and tyres, so chopped it up and got $28 from the local scrappie ...
I have already started the build and am using 100x50x3 RHS galv for the frame ...


(Yep. I expect it to outlast the grandkids ... Nope. I won't have trouble with the weight)
Measurements & Drawings
Chalk lines on garage floor
Cut & prepared RHS for frame & X members
Cut through 3 sides of lengthwise RHS where they turn in to meet the drawbar
Fabricated a X member then turned it into a jig for the others
Bought a block & tackle
Tacked it all together
Checked & re checked diagonals
Weld, weld, weld
Cleaned welds with disc, wire brush, then cold galved
Here tis so far:-

145703145704
145705145706
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[Franklin]

looking good,
how about a photo of the boat.:)
Frank

[Charleville]

:o
It never ceases to amaze me how difficult it can be to register a new trailer, :;




That is interesting. It is incredibly easy to register a new trailer in Qld. You don't even have to produce the trailer for inspection any more.

I have made and registered two trailers. The first was a lightweight boat trailer for a heavy 16' canoe about twelve years ago and the second was a box trailer a couple of years ago.

When I registered the boat trailer, I had to produce the trailer complete with weighbridge certified weight measurement and then I proceeded to have a debate with the Transport Dept inspector who challenged the load carrying rating of the small wheels that I was using on the trailer. (I won the debate.)

In those days, I had to get a paper copy of the design rules from the Transport dept before I started building the trailer. These days, all of that design rules stuff is standardised nationally and easily available downloaded from the Internet.

When I registered my box trailer a couple of years ago, All I had to do was produce some paperwork on which I signed off a self inspection clause about the measurements of the trailer. Also, even though I once again got a weighbridge certified weight measurement because the form said that I needed it, it turned out to be not necessary. (You might like to check that in your state - it might save you a few roubles.)


That is a damn fine trailer that you are building there OneP. When you have it in use, you might like to consider making yourself something like what I made to wash the salt out of it after every boating outing ...

YouTube - Trailer Washer.dv


The construction is not very elegant but it works for me.

http://img.skitch.com/20100826-xh3d753a91nan455cc9kbs98yf.preview.jpg (http://skitch.com/charleville2/dmn6d/skitched-20100705-085837)
Click for full size (http://skitch.com/charleville2/dmn6d/skitched-20100705-085837) - Uploaded with plasq (http://plasq.com)'s Skitch (http://skitch.com)

http://img.skitch.com/20100826-jksd1ysumwh7gb2xhqp2fhedw9.preview.jpg (http://skitch.com/charleville2/dmn9y/skitched-772)
Click for full size (http://skitch.com/charleville2/dmn9y/skitched-772) - Uploaded with plasq (http://plasq.com)'s Skitch (http://skitch.com)

http://img.skitch.com/20100826-rqbk9sk7u9yweq4eckcpxcgdya.preview.jpg (http://skitch.com/charleville2/dmn6i/skitched-771)
Click for full size (http://skitch.com/charleville2/dmn6i/skitched-771) - Uploaded with plasq (http://plasq.com)'s Skitch (http://skitch.com)


All materials available from Bunnings.


.

[Yonnee]

looking good,
how about a photo of the boat.:)
Frank

From the looks of the trailer, this'll be the boat...

145712 :2tsup::2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

[Yonnee]

That is interesting. It is incredibly easy to register a new trailer in Qld. You don't even have to produce the trailer for inspection any more.

I have made and registered two trailers. The first was a lightweight boat trailer for a heavy 16' canoe about twelve years ago and the second was a box trailer a couple of years ago.

When I registered the boat trailer, I had to produce the trailer complete with weighbridge certified weight measurement and then I proceeded to have a debate with the Transport Dept inspector who challenged the load carrying rating of the small wheels that I was using on the trailer. (I won the debate.)

In those days, I had to get a paper copy of the design rules from the Transport dept before I started building the trailer. These days, all of that design rules stuff is standardised nationally and easily available downloaded from the Internet.

When I registered my box trailer a couple of years ago, All I had to do was produce some paperwork on which I signed off a self inspection clause about the measurements of the trailer. Also, even though I once again got a weighbridge certified weight measurement because the form said that I needed it, it turned out to be not necessary. (You might like to check that in your state - it might save you a few roubles.)

Probably needs clarification... "how difficult it can be..." It all comes down to the person you're dealing with at the registration authority. It shouldn't be that difficult, but sometimes the power seems to go to some of their heads and they make it as hard as they can by adding their own version of the "rules".



That is a damn fine trailer that you are building there OneP. When you have it in use, you might like to consider making yourself something like what I made to wash the salt out of it after every boating outing ...



The construction is not very elegant but it works for me.

http://img.skitch.com/20100826-xh3d753a91nan455cc9kbs98yf.preview.jpg (http://skitch.com/charleville2/dmn6d/skitched-20100705-085837)
Click for full size (http://skitch.com/charleville2/dmn6d/skitched-20100705-085837) - Uploaded with plasq (http://plasq.com)'s Skitch (http://skitch.com)

http://img.skitch.com/20100826-jksd1ysumwh7gb2xhqp2fhedw9.preview.jpg (http://skitch.com/charleville2/dmn9y/skitched-772)
Click for full size (http://skitch.com/charleville2/dmn9y/skitched-772) - Uploaded with plasq (http://plasq.com)'s Skitch (http://skitch.com)

http://img.skitch.com/20100826-rqbk9sk7u9yweq4eckcpxcgdya.preview.jpg (http://skitch.com/charleville2/dmn6i/skitched-771)
Click for full size (http://skitch.com/charleville2/dmn6i/skitched-771) - Uploaded with plasq (http://plasq.com)'s Skitch (http://skitch.com)


All materials available from Bunnings.


.

That, my friend, in ingenious!! :2tsup:

And I completely agree with washing it after every dunking. I used to look after the Rescue Boat for a Yacht Club on Phillip Island and I was quite vigilant with rinsing the boat & trailer down after each dunking. 5 years after the trailer was replaced, it still looked like new.:2tsup:
2 years later, after I'd left, the trailer was buggered.:C

[Charleville]

That, my friend, is ingenious!! :2tsup:

And I completely agree with washing it after every dunking. I used to look after the Rescue Boat for a Yacht Club on Phillip Island and I was quite vigilant with rinsing the boat & trailer down after each dunking. 5 years after the trailer was replaced, it still looked like new.:2tsup:
2 years later, after I'd left, the trailer was buggered.:C


Thanks.

If I were making it again, I might do a cheaper, and probably better job, by just using one sprinkler on a 300mm long piece of the square aluminium section and just doing multiple passes under the boat. Maybe just three passes would do the job. ie three or four minutes all up. It does not require such a lot of water use really compared with trying to hose the trailer components from beside or behind the trailer.

By using just a 300mm length it would be a bit easier to manoeuvre - although the 1.2m length that I am using is not really a problem on that regard. However, all of those hose connectors would not be required and a stronger jet of water would also result from one sprinkler rather than two.

During the Brisbane water crisis in recent years, I had used a Gerni to wash under the trailer but I reckon that nothing beats a full blast of mains pressure volume of water to dislodge the salt.

You still need to hose the side of the trailer and under the mudguards with a hose but that is not so much of a problem as getting into the springs and brakes underneath and for which my gadget does the trick nicely.

The painters' poles are telescopic. I already had one but shorter threaded poles that fit are probably already in every one's garage. eg poles for paint rollers and sometimes mop handles have the same thread as on the plastic fitting for brushes that I used.



.

[One Purpose]

looking good,
how about a photo of the boat.:)
Frank

Back again .. Loved the boat photo Yonnee ...:D
Here's the real one

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148228

The overbuilding of things structural, comes from a background of more than 20 years of repairing & building semi trailers . At least they don't break
The original piece of rust had carpet covered wood slides as support so this time I opted for rollers. Why?... 'Cos the boat never sat fully on the slides, and I can adjust each roller seperately.
After checking the prices of a full roller set up, I decided to only buy the rollers and the centre pins. Then I fabricated the rest of the steelwork (as the pictures show)
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[Franklin]

Nothing like the enjoyment of doing it yourself when simple bits of fabrication seem overpriced (but it's a good thing we don't charge ourselves for our time).

Just a hint on spelling that rotten word "separately" I picked up recently that really helped me, er=error. (I seem to notice it now whenever i see it incorrect, of course I still seem to have to type it incorrectly myself, then backspace to correct myself).And don't get me wrong, I'm not here to police your spelling, just a hint i picked up that helped me.

Cheers
Frank

[One Purpose]

Nothing like the enjoyment of doing it yourself when simple bits of fabrication seem overpriced (but it's a good thing we don't charge ourselves for our time).

Just a hint on spelling that rotten word "separately" I picked up recently that really helped me, er=error. (I seem to notice it now whenever i see it incorrect, of course I still seem to have to type it incorrectly myself, then backspace to correct myself).And don't get me wrong, I'm not here to police your spelling, just a hint i picked up that helped me.

Cheers
Frank

G'day, I'm back,

Now, here's the latest on the trailer ...
I have built the drawbar, and as the photos show, it has the pin set up for tilting. Also had to extend the bar itself as the longest I had was too short. I did this by slipping a 90 x 90 x 6 RHS over a 75 x 75 RHS. It was a tight fit. I cut a 150 x 40mm slot in 2 opposing sides (top & bottom) then fully welded the join. This was done to eliminate the possibility of cracking through the welds across the drawbar. Sorry, no photo of this as yet.
Here's the pivot point:-
148229

How drawbar fits into frame:-

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The hitch with cable brake set up (tilt pin set up in background):-
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How it all fits together:-
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I was also able to salvage most of the winch post from the original rust bucket, so I made a few adjustments to take an electric winch, and replaced the U bolts.

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Plenty more to do ... Head down - amps up

[One Purpose]

Cheers Yonnee ... All pics in the right places ... hopefully the next post will turn out right

The missus reckons I've gone an' done it now ... Bought a Coaster bus ... Gonna strip it an' fit it out ... Question:- When is enough, enough?