Replacement trailer frame?

[smokeonthewater]

Have talked to folks at etrailer and trailerpartsdepot and no dice there.

 

[Lou C]

I was thinking of doing something like this with my old '94 Load Rite.....what I found was that L/R will sell you every part via their catalog EXCEPT the frame rails, there may be legal reasons why they don't do this, the frame rail on the left side has the vin# and what about the certificate of origin? My thought is the vin has to stay with the original frame so you are in effect legally building a home built trailer with their parts. Might be a liability issue for them.

 

[Scott Danforth]

35' Aluminum tripple - $3200 http://tampa.craigslist.org/psc/bpo/5153926575.html

30' with guy looking to trade for smaller trailer http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/for/5131520218.html

brand new http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/fod/5114960394.html

 

[smokeonthewater]

Thanks for the thought Scott but I can't afford anywhere near that kind of money... Heck the boat was only 3k.... Trailer needs to be well under 1k....

I am absolutely not interested in buying a trailer OR selling this one....

 

[Scott Danforth]

Just to put it in perspective. My new to me $400 tandem axle galvanized trailer so far has accrued $500 in repairs, and will get another $600 in brakes, and $200 in bunks and brackets. If the admiral sees this, she will kill me.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Hate to make a pest of myself BUT---(biggest little word in the world) A longer tongue is the answer!

The existing tongue appears to be only about 3 x 3 square by 3 feet long. Buy a piece of 1/8 inch wall 3 x 6 by 7 or 8 feet long rectangular tubing, a couple of keel rollers for the stem, and Bob's your uncle.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Lol... I payed $175 for this one with a rotten boat on it and payed $40 to get rid of the boat after scavenging about $250 worth of gauges and misc hardware from it. That's -$45 in my book.

Then I put new fenders, and coupler on it...

By the time I get the electric brakes done and get the frame longer I expect to have about $500 in it... Will be replacing a few rollers too.. Prolly another $100.

Still have room for new tires n stay under 1/3 the cost of buying a comparable size and condition (IE new) trailer.

If it costs me way more than I expect it'll still be much less than buying a trailer.

 

[MTboatguy]

Kevin,

In looking at your picture, my suggestion would be to double sleeve two new 3-4 foot sections at the back end and put a new cross piece in and leave the current cross piece where it is to help beef up the new support system for the boat. How good are your welding skills? Of course a double sleeve if properly installed and welded up can be very strong, we used to modify our trailers like this when I was in the service and we needed a longer one for a specific types of loads. Of course you will need to extend the tongue on the trailer as well to maintain the correct balance of the trailer. Properly done, welding can actually be stronger that the original steel. The machine shop my Dad used to work at did it all the time with stuff for their customers. Also remember if you do the welding, you will have to match your rod for galvanized metal and you will need to wear the proper respirator as welding on galvanized metal release fumes that are toxic.

 

[smokeonthewater]

I can weld anything short of the crack of dawn or a broken heart....

That said I'm probably not gonna extend the current frame.

 

[MTboatguy]

We used to carry some massive loads on trailers that we extended that way. That said, if you don't want to, then measure out the length you need and have a metal shop do them up for you and replace the frame rails on this trailer, take it a part and put it back together with the new side rails. You should be able to buy 3" galvanized tubing at one of the local metal shops. I know I can here where I live and it is really not all that expensive.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Yep but the curved part at the front is the kicker.

 

[MTboatguy]

Yep but the curved part at the front is the kicker.

Not really, most good quality metal shops should have an adjustable jig to do this exact thing, just need to make sure and verify the correct angle and most of the jigs now a days are computer controlled, so they just program in the specifications and bend away, normally only takes a few minutes to do, last time I had square tubing bent it cost me about $20. Start calling around to your local metal shops to see who has the ability.

Of course you could figure your total length needed and about 2 inches, then cut the proper angles and weld it back together, which is what many of the trailer manufactures do these days.

 

[Frank Acampora]

No Title

This is a 6000 pound or so capacity trailer with a 3 X 4 rectangular eight foot tongue of .080 wall thickness. Tilting too. Unfortunately I am going to salvage the tongue and the rest is going to scrap.

Of course, if you say it can't be done, then it certainly can not be done. However if you say you will try, you just might be surprised.

 

[smokeonthewater]

I'm not saying it can't be done.... I'm saying I choose not to do it.

My keel would be into the tongue so I'd have to raise the boat higher... It's already going to be hitting trees while towing.

 

[MTboatguy]

Kevin,

For some reason, you seem to be quite resistant to any of the ideas that have been offered up in this thread?

 

[smokeonthewater]

I'm only resistant to welding or buying a trailer.

I mentioned in my first post that I had a line on a place to get tubing bent but was interested in finding parts that I could simply buy and bolt on.

I don't want to sound ungrateful but I didn't ask how to lengthen the trailer or if I should replace it..

Most of the time the answer to sell and replace is the best one but being that I need such a long trailer it doesn't work here.

Also in my opening post I specifically said I could just lengthen the tongue but prefer not to.

I understand that all those suggesting simply want to help and I DO APPRECIATE that.

That said... I'm asking if anyone has ever come across a source for replacement trailer frame rails.

 

[MTboatguy]

Kevin,

In reality, boat trailers are really pretty simple items, and having new frame rails fabbed up, is not that big of a deal, especially if everything bolts together, you are not trying to make it wider, just simply longer to accommodate this boat, if you don't want to weld and you don't want to lengthen, then that leaves pretty much one thing, have new frame rails made and then bolt it all back together and be on your way.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Yep OR buy them.... That's the plan ;-)

 

[Government cheese]

I see you are in a pickle with this. I thought my trailer was short.