Trailer question

[Vince]

I called another dealership, he said the 10k trailer is over kill for that boat, he would sell me the 8725, he said putting a boat on an oversized trailer is bad for the trailer as the wheels are canterd and that the boat weight brings the wheels into the right angle

 

[Vince]

And yes I will not be trailering this boat more than 50 miles ever, the most will be 30 miles in a day, and only a hand full of times a month. The boat might find a slip in a year or 2 also

 

[Vince]

Another trailer co. Told me they put a 31 foot Parker on a 8400# trailer and it was fine. Parker is also a heavy boat

 

[leeccoll]

And, for the most part, a boat is a boat is a boat. There's really nothing "out of the ordinary" with a Grady that would make this difficult.

Yes, typically 5% to 7% is correct for boat trailers. It's higher for 5th wheel type trailers. However, having a little more tongue weight is not necessarily a bad thing if the truck/hitch is rated for it. In the picture, it looks like you have standard surge brakes... which means adding a weight distributing hitch gets a little tricky - it would certainly be easy if you had EOH (and there are other benefits with that).

One thing I'll pass along... don't get caught in "having" to get the boat right away. You're going to have the trailer for a long, long time - make sure it's right. Maybe pay another dealership to come get it?

That last line is some very sage advice

 

[Vince]

I'm not against paying more but only if I need to pay more because the boat requires it, not because I'm being persuaded. Like I said this boat might find a slip in a year or 2.

If at the end of this deal, if I'm only 500 away from getting a triaxle, do I get the tri or stay with the tandem?

 

[family affair]

Congrats on your boat. I have been looking hard for over a year now for an Islander, and that one was tough for me to pass up... especially if it is in as good of shape as the photos look.

Anyway, back to the trailer. I've done a lot of research to set up an Islander on a trailer. Dont do the tri-axle. The 8600 will work great if set up properly. Whoever set up the trailer in your photo doesn't know what the hell they are doing. Run. The 5-7% tongue weight should work well for you as long as your ball mount height is correct.
Like Dennis said, take your time. The right trailer set up properly is well worth the wait in the long run.
Good luck.

 

[DennisG01]

If at the end of this deal, if I'm only 500 away from getting a triaxle, do I get the tri or stay with the tandem?

That's a tough one to answer for you. You've just got to do what works best for you and the way you anticipate using the rig.

If you want to stick with this company... Did you ask them about moving the axles forward? Don't burn any bridges with them just yet - just tell them that you would really prefer to stay away from a tri-axle and if they could help you figure out a way to do that, it would be most appreciated. The key is, you're asking for their "help", not telling them what to do.

 

[Ky Grady]

I went to Diamond Marine website and looked at the trailer without your boat sitting on it. Those axles are on leaf springs and look to be mounted to a plate held on with U bolts. They can be moved forward to better balance the load. For short runs, the 8725 should be OK for your use once correctly set up. For long distance travel, I'd either go for the tri-axle or a different brand, heavier built tandem. Venture brand trailers are a lighter built trailer from what I've seen.

With Parthery's calculation, you will be over on the 8025 trailer, the 8725 would better suit your needs once it's set up correctly. Venture and Vantage are the same trailer, I reached out to them and asked. Each trailer dealer has to set the trailer up to the boat, the manufacturer ships them set on a factory setup, once on the ground, dealer is responsible for setting trailer up for the boat.

 

[Vince]

You guys are awesome, I'm here now wish me luck

 

[Paul_A]

Everyone has their preferences but life is easier with torsion axles in my experience.

Stainless hardware is a great upgrade as well as Kodiak brakes and isolation anywhere steel is in contact with aluminum. Good luck!

 

[Vince]

So the 8725 is the winner, the boat supports hold the boat further back over the wheels. Tongue weight was 488 which is almost 7% of the weight. The service manager was fantastic ( seems more knowledgable than 35 years of sales manager) had the boat off the tri and on the tandem in under an hour. I'll be heading home in 10 min, 2 hour ride home with the biggest load I've ever trailered

 

[DennisG01]

Good deal.

Biggest load... give yourself TWICE the room in front of you that you think you need. And remember... as long as the rig stays behind you, you're good... if it starts to pass you, then start to worry!

 

[Ky Grady]

Further back over the wheels??? Make sure the back of the bunks are even with back of boat, needs to be fully supported on the bunks.

 

[Lt.Mike]

Further back over the wheels??? Make sure the back of the bunks are even with back of boat, needs to be fully supported on the bunks.

By the time you wrote this he was already on the road.

 

[Ky Grady]

By the time you wrote this he was already on the road.

Probably so.

 

[Vince]

I'll send a picture tomorrow, but I laughed my ass off with that last line Dennis

 

[Vince]

the bunks stop short of the trim tabs, the triaxle bunks were under the trim tabs

 

[DennisG01]

I'll send a picture tomorrow, but I laughed my ass off with that last line Dennis

Sounds like you made it back without incident - that's good.

 

[Vince]

Yes, all good

 

[Vince]

she home