New Trailer just about finished

[Boblee]

Taken a while with lots of interuptions and changes but almost there and hopefully ready to head north in less than a week but it's a pretty strong trailer which should handle anything we can throw at it and easy to fix on the road with all aussie components.
Also at 2800 kg rating won't have to worry so much about weight still don't like duals though.

[Mac26Mpaul]

Nice work Bob, looking good So how much have you spent on it? Did you do it all yourself?

[Boblee]

Yeah did it myself and it cost a bit over $4,500 after I got carried away with going for disc brakes and then having to use an actuator from the electrics, could have done it real cheap by just using electric drums but they really aren't suitable IMHO for boat trailers and have always had trouble with them in the past.
The galvanising blew out because they had to sandblast the original paint off instead of just pickling it and even then they had to do the front section twice which resulted in a heap of gal stuck in the drawbar .
Must have been good paint originally and very little rust under it after 7 years in fact the only small rust spots were under the rear berth supports.
It's a pretty strong trailer now, wanted 6 stud cruiser rims but too many complications so just went for the 14" 5 stud ford rims and easier to source when remote anyway and plenty of rating, bought most of the gear from huntsman trailers on ebay, very efficient.
Luckily our son in laws father had a hoist so lifted the boat off and on again with that but blocked his shed up a bit due to extra time dipping etc.
Made the cross member under the dagger board heavier as the old one had broken away twice and all up it's a tare of 700kg now, the original was only 330 kg very basic but got plenty of extra rating now and the truck towbar is only rated at 2800 anyway.

Just about got trust me together but now got to load the dinghy in the truck etc, should have been gone a month ago.

[Oskar 26M]

Good work Bob, and looks good as well . I agree with your thoughts on electric drum brakes. A mate just bought a caravan with them and already proving B***** hard to get adjusted right. I cant imagine how they (and the drums) would go if they were dunked in salt water.
Disks work well provided you keep the anti-corrosion lube up to them and I trust the electric-hydraulic actuators to deliver balanced disk braking pressure a lot more than I do the magnetic things.
Have a great trip!

[Boblee]

The surfaces of the disc's etc are all gal and the pistons are stainless but of course the rubbing surfaces are machined, other than a few bolts around the trailer everything is gal and whats isn't is cold gal, the old disc's were perfect after 7 years despite not being gal, any water can get away fairly quickly and if possible wash everything down asap.
My problems with the elec drums were that they fell to bits but did get some heavier duty ones that seemed to hang in eventually, was told they only last max 2 years in salt so not worth the effort except as a short term option.
Good not having to worry about a light board anymore especially as I had it mounted too high, to give easy access to the transom and technically it was illegal.
The actuator was half price what the trailer mob tried to sell me in the kit but still $750 with breakaway and aussie made.
The rims and tyres were only $110, cant believe they can do them that cheap esp gal, the tyre place here wants more than that for similar tyres only, they apparently supply a lot of trailer manufacturers.
It's been a long job because I started it and then had to go away for over a month.
Made the winch removable which took a bit of modifying but works great now but use the same winch to get the dinghy in and out of the truck too and not left at boat ramps for someone to steal.

[Mac26Mpaul]

bloody awesome Bob. Looking forward to hearing how things go on your trip

[bartmac]

Your timely post reminds me of mine....must organise my new trailer...imported from Poland (Imexus 28 trailer) ...thought I would have rego problems but no went thru easy...was already rego'd so just a rerego...previous owner rego'd it as homemade!!...just need to organise some spares from Knott in Germany...which I have done before and not expensive and quick...amazing from the other side of the world quicker than a lot of Australian suppliers...and sails from US...the world is changing..........all that aside wish I was going away on my boat!!!!!!!

[Boblee]

Yes mine is registered as homemade as it is very different to the original, even most of the things like berths that look the same are new and in different places but the original trailer except for a few minor faults IMHO is great and definitely a good base to build on or just leave for short trips and if it was rated too much higher which I and many others need it would not fit in the regulations as well.
The basics that need upgrading are the tyres and springs and IMHO the surge coupling but yes you can get parts fairly quickly from o/s but not as easy as in aust especially when communication and transport is limited, I certainly feel happier now knowing that the trailer mechanics are easily available or adaptable without major changes but would have much preffered a single axle.
Glad they extended the bath at the galvanisers but still had a lot of problem and expense with the original paint as it won't come off in the pickling process so needs to be sand blasted and even then hard to remove.
Anyway she's all hooked up and ready to hit the road tomorrow morning to try and get to QLD ASAP and out of the cold, although beautiful days down here at present.
At this stage we will take up to three weeks to get to the Vic river for a week or two and then on to Wyndham probably for a month and either up to Darwin for the election (to help SFP) and hopefully drop into the Roper to catch some fish as the water temp rises to take home.

[bartmac]

You're skitting now...us poor folk stuck at work!!!!
With my trailer everything is Knott (check it WWW)...ie nothing else will fit...totally different to any thing I have ever seen...so will just order all parts x 2...and we wont be going the places you mention anytime soon Bob...maybe one day