A question about trailers

[Parthery]

So in the I am an idiot department. You have heard me complain about my trailer, this one is on me.

I'm a newbie and I just got schooled. I had my trailer in one spot, hooked it up to move it so my guy could trim the bushes so I had a wider spot to back into. I just hooked the ball, didn't do anything else because I was moving it maybe 150 feet.

Here is the screw up. I tried to back and the brakes locked up. I tried again, they locked up. I thought the trailer was the problem, I had googled, there are trailers that have a manual way to not let them lock up. I looked, my did not.

So I was super frustrated and sent an email to my dealer and the trailer guy bitching them out. And then Barry told me you have to have the electrical hooked up to back up. Yep, he is right. I had to eat crow for my dealer and the trailer guy. If this helps some other newbie, go you. The whole experience made me wonder what else do I not know? This boating thing is a steep learning curve, every time I think I know it, I get schooled in something I don't know.

The good news is you know your backup solenoid is working. It did exactly what it was supposed to.

 

[Shannon C.]

Yep..

 

[luckydude]

The good news is you know your backup solenoid is working. It did exactly what it was supposed to.

Yeah, I was just posting because I sort of feel like I know what I am doing and then this happens and I'm an idiot. I'm hoping someone down the road searches for trailer backing up locked up and finds this thread and goes huh, I should plug in my electrical connector.

I had no idea about this, my dealer didn't tell me, I looked for a trailer manual, if I got one I can't find it, this just seems like the school of experience. My buddy knew but he's been doing this for at least 2 decades.

I'm brand new. This just reminds me I have no idea what I don't know. And I'm the guy that docks fast, has the boat on the trailer fast, no drama, I thought that made me sort of good but no, there is more to learn, always more to learn. The good news is I like learning, the bad news is I have no idea where I am on the learning curve.

 

[McCann5225]

I can’t imagine a trailer company testing, Let alone “crash testing” with a boat aboard. Just had the closest thing.
60-65 mph and had to dynamite the brakes. Tournament 19 on a Shorelander tandem axle roller trailer.
Boat never moved.
And, no, I didn’t need to change my shorts but the a-hole who pulled out might’ve had to.
I did spend half a day tweaking the trailer when I got it so the boat set in it nice. Setting up your trailer is key as well. Having the winch way up on the post multiplies the force. I can’t see a tall post without some sort of bracing
I can imagine some dealers get the boat onto a trailer and just check the box and move on.

 

[Holokai]

So in the I am an idiot department. You have heard me complain about my trailer, this one is on me.

I'm a newbie and I just got schooled. I had my trailer in one spot, hooked it up to move it so my guy could trim the bushes so I had a wider spot to back into. I just hooked the ball, didn't do anything else because I was moving it maybe 150 feet.

Here is the screw up. I tried to back and the brakes locked up. I tried again, they locked up. I thought the trailer was the problem, I had googled, there are trailers that have a manual way to not let them lock up. I looked, my did not.

So I was super frustrated and sent an email to my dealer and the trailer guy bitching them out. And then Barry told me you have to have the electrical hooked up to back up. Yep, he is right. I had to eat crow for my dealer and the trailer guy. If this helps some other newbie, go you. The whole experience made me wonder what else do I not know? This boating thing is a steep learning curve, every time I think I know it, I get schooled in something I don't know.

Backup solenoids can fail. If you have surge brakes you can insert a bolt through the coupler to prevent it from compressing thereby locking out the brakes; not recommended for normal use but good to keep a nut and bolt handy for emergencies. Size of the bolt will depend on your particular surge actuator. Measure and purchase accordingly. The bolt will go in the slot/hole circled in red.

 

[Bloodweiser]

Speaking of trailers, I’ve started to notice my 900lb aluminum trailer floats. Weirded thing, when I back in to pull the boat one side is up floating .
Any ideas? I thought maybe I’m going in too deep. But never seen this in all my days

 

[magicalbill]

My friend had an aluminum tandem rig that floated as well. I would back it into the Ohio River at the ramp so he could drive his Rinker on. Before he could get the boat lined up, the trailer would drift downstream with the river current.

I had to pull it out and back it in just deep enough that the fenders stayed above water. Water would get under the fenders (wheel wells) and float the thing.

Sink yours the same way. Keep the fenders from submerging, crank the boat up enough so that it's weight will keep the trailer from floating, then back it down a bit more to make it easier to winch on.

 

[Willy-C]

Backup solenoids can fail. If you have surge brakes you can insert a bolt through the coupler to prevent it from compressing thereby locking out the brakes; not recommended for normal use but good to keep a nut and bolt handy for emergencies. Size of the bolt will depend on your particular surge actuator. Measure and purchase accordingly. The bolt will go in the slot/hole circled in red.

View attachment 15184

I do this when using a tractor to move trailer.

 

[Holokai]

Speaking of trailers, I’ve started to notice my 900lb aluminum trailer floats. Weirded thing, when I back in to pull the boat one side is up floating .
Any ideas? I thought maybe I’m going in too deep. But never seen this in all my days

I’ve heard of more than a few aluminum trailers floating when reversing in to retrieve; not good combined with a surge at the ramp.

You can try backing the trailer in less but might have issues with loading the boat. I use the top of my trailer tire fenders as a reference as to how far to back in and have also considered marking the side guide/bunk posts as a quick reference for different ramps.

I ordered my trailer with oversized aluminum side I-beams to try an add more weight to keep it from floating; its around 1200-1300 lbs unloaded. Maybe change to load range D tired with heavier sidewalls if backing in less doesn’t help?

 

[DennisG01]

Floating... it's the tires (air) that cause the trailer to float. The fenders, themselves, are not buoyant. However, if there is air trapped under the fenders, then that would add to the buoyancy. Next time you back in, pop your head underneath and look - or feel with your hand. You may be able to tweak the fender lip with a wrench to let out the air or even drill a hole in the top/fwd section of the fender.

Lockout solenoids... there are different styles of "pins/bolts" that can be put in there - it all depends on the manufacturer and model of the coupler. I do recall seeing one brand that had no adaptation to put a pin in - however I was able to jamb a 2x between the backside of the ball receiver and the trailer tongue.

Mccann... glad to hear you had a "positive" experience... so to speak ShoreLand'r makes great trailers.

 

[RussGW270]

@luckydude - imagine my trailer.. same issue, but my F-150 worked so well, it pushed and pulled the boat around even though the brakes were locked up.. lol. We did not catch it till my friend was pulling the trailer with me on the boat...on the lake.. not working... and him unable to move the trailer. The weight kept the trailer down, so the truck had power to pull or push.. when the boat was off, the trailer would fold up heh.

Annoying, but easy fix

R

 

[magicalbill]

Dennis:

I had a galvanized tandem for my 232 Guilfstream and it never floated when I dunked it. I assume it stayed submerged because it's heavier than it's aluminum counterpart, counteracting the tire buoyancy??

I never considered that the tires were what was floating the trailer since it only happened to me with the aluminum trailer and not the galvanized one.

 

[DennisG01]

Dennis:

I had a galvanized tandem for my 232 Guilfstream and it never floated when I dunked it. I assume it stayed submerged because it's heavier than it's aluminum counterpart, counteracting the tire buoyancy??

I never considered that the tires were what was floating the trailer since it only happened to me with the aluminum trailer and not the galvanized one.

Yup - you are correct. Your Gulfstream trailer probably weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,600 to 2,000 lbs. Quite a bit heavier than an aluminum. Most times an aluminum stays put - but there's some type of magic scenario where the combination of the amount of tires/fender shape vs the actual weight sometimes is just enough to float it. Weird, for sure, though!

 

[magicalbill]

Indeed..The first time I watched my friends aluminum trailer float downstream on the Ohio River, I scratched my head in bewilderment.

Your right..My galvanized Gulfstream trailer weighed in at 1900 lbs on the Cat Scales at the local Pilot.

 

[luckydude]

I bought these and they fit just right:

Amazon.com : Noa Store Lock Out Key for UFP Surge Brake Trailer - Magnetic with Heavy Duty Strap - Side Brake Lockout Bracket Compatible with - A-60, A-75, A-84 (Pack of 2) : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Noa Store Lock Out Key for UFP Surge Brake Trailer - Magnetic with Heavy Duty Strap - Side Brake Lockout Bracket Compatible with - A-60, A-75, A-84 (Pack of 2) : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

And while I have bitched about my trailer here, I have learned some good stuff about it. I don't have buddy bearings, I have a sealed system that has a 5 year no questions asked warranty. That's a big upgrade from my previous trailer. I'm slowly coming to like this trailer, and I'm quickly coming to like the people behind it, they are stand up people.