Modifying a 1975 Trail-R-Craft

[ratdude747]

I was able to get the trailer adjustments made during yesterday's outing. I was able to move the boat back 6.75"... which looks like this:



As for the specifics, first, the transom strap angle is now correct and there is plenty of drive-to-roller clearance:



The transom position on the bunks is correct as well:





I was able to move the axle set the full 6.75":





Tongue weight is still correct and similar to before. I didn't notice any change in handling.

I'll also note that the trailer brakes did help a lot.... and did save me on the way up Friday night. Had some bonehead cut me off on the freeway...

Next step will be to (eventually) add boat steps. Seems that Trick Step makes what I want (and hey, an Indiana company too!)... I'll have to save up for it. Board EFX will make one in white that matches better though... so I dunno. TBD.

Finally, a new item... seems my Bass Pro winch is starting to get loose/fickle when winching. Another "save up for it" item since unlike when I bought said winch, I have better options (or heck, I could go wild and put an electric winch in, now that I have 7-way trailer power available!). Hmm...

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

Board EFX will make one in white that matches better though... so I dunno. TBD.

It would be pretty easy to prep and paint the Trickstep to match your trailer better. You don't have to spend big bucks on automotive paint, some rustileum will do since it will have a good quality factory paint to go over.

put an electric winch in, now that I have 7-way trailer power available!). Hmm...

We get some weed control boats that have electric winches. Those things are really hard on the equipment, I wouldn't recommend one.

 

[JimS123]

I could go wild and put an electric winch in, now that I have 7-way trailer power available!). Hmm...

I put a Powerwinch (brand) electric winch on in 1984. Had one on every boat since then. It's a joy to launch and retrieve my boats.

 

[ratdude747]

I put a Powerwinch (brand) electric winch on in 1984. Had one on every boat since then. It's a joy to launch and retrieve my boats.

Funny enough, there is someone who has a used one for sale on eBay that is in my same town... A model 235 (1500lb like mine), supposedly working for $150 OBO. I may toss them an offer... I'm all about vintage stuff!

 

[JimS123]

Funny enough, there is someone who has a used one for sale on eBay that is in my same town... A model 235 (1500lb like mine), supposedly working for $150 OBO. I may toss them an offer... I'm all about vintage stuff!

A 235 is REALLY OLD. My 1984 was a 912. The X12 models have been in use for at least that long. Last year I replaced my jetski winch with a used 712 for 200 bucks. Not that I needed it, but just because I'm old and don't want to crank any more.....LOL.

Before you pursue the 235 google "parts" just to be on the safe side.

 

[ratdude747]

A 235 is REALLY OLD. My 1984 was a 912. The X12 models have been in use for at least that long. Last year I replaced my jetski winch with a used 712 for 200 bucks. Not that I needed it, but just because I'm old and don't want to crank any more.....LOL.

Before you pursue the 235 google "parts" just to be on the safe side.

Powerwinch still has the manual for it. It's attached... The 235 is the 1500lb version of the 3500lb 935. Manual is copyright 1995... not exactly new, but certainly newer than 1984!

I wasn't going to offer a lot for it. $100 maybe. First thing is seeing if they'll do local pickup (as it wasn't a shipping option listed, but many sellers will if you ask directly despite not having as an option).

I don't care if it's old... if it works and is mechanically sound, then we're good. Even if the emergency (manual) handle is missing, I can probably buy or make something to suffice.

One thing to consider is electric... and this is where there may be a problem. The connector isn't an issue (looks generic enough if the cable isn't included, or I mod it to be hardwired). But, the trailer power/ground circuit currently is a 12 gauge cable on the truck with a 20A fuse; the stock cable has a 30A breaker per the manual. Typically, 30A usually needs 10 gauge wire in these situations... otherwise, the fuse panel I added under the hood can accept auto-reset breakers (as I've done with the trailer brake controller) and it has a 10 gauge power/ground connection to the battery. The trailer cable, FWIW, has 10 gauge power and ground if memory serves, so no issue there. Maybe 12 is OK since it's not a continous load... I'll think on that one. Worst case, I redo the truck cable to 10 gauge (easy enough)...

Edit- found a used 712/912 on eBay that had the stock 40' harness with it (Wholesale Marine of all sellers, go figure)... that harness is clearly 10 gauge:



And it is a "60A" Harness... has two 30A breakers in parallel:



So for "30A", 12 gauge is probably fine, just swap the 20A fuse for a 30A breaker?

 

[ratdude747]

Seller took my offer. No cable included but I'll figure something out.

 

[JimS123]

I believe the plug is pretty universal for them. The same one has fit all of my units going back many years.

If you don't have the handle, a Crescent wrench should work in a pinch.

When I had only 1 towcar I had the cable wired right to the battery, with the plug in the trunk. It worked for both boats. Now I have 2 vehicles and 3 boats, and I didn't want to wire both cars, so I have a 12V battery in a battery box, with the cable permanently wired and the cable wrapped around the cover. So I just put the box in the trunk of whatever car I'm driving that day.

I'm not usually into used electrical stuff, but I DID buy one last year because it so cheap. It appeared to have never been mounted and it didn't have a cable either. So when I picked it up I brought my battery setup with me and made sure it DID run.

 

[ratdude747]

Got the winch. I'll write more later, but for now, it seems mechanically sound (cable has a bad spot right by the hook though) but the mount holes don't line up with my existing winch mount. That said, it does fit my car hauler, so if nothing else, I can use it there and consider this a future project for that trailer.

 

[ratdude747]

Pictures:

Winch was delivered to my boat...



It does fit on the winch mount (and still allow the safety chain to work)... but no holes line up:



If I drilled new holes, one option would be to use the mouse ears in the winch so I could remove it and use it on my car hauler:





(My Father-in-law, the previous owner, fabricated that mount to use with a harbor freight winch; the bolt heads don't clear but the pattern is right).

Is redrilling a winch mount like that OK to do? Or is that going to weaken things too much?

Electrically, the switch is sticky (isn't fully momentary) and looks to have been cobbled (original switch is a rotary, not this janky feeling paddle switch). The power socket is also a bit worn (cover snapped off). May end up redoing both; the parts are available but pricey. It's a pretty standard connector hole and mount screw size though, so I could do something a bit more generic and make my own harnesses (if using the mouse ears, then I'd have harnesses on both trailers, allowing the winch to be used on either as needed)

Mechanically, the "emergency handle" is a standard boat winch setup... but for testing I was able to use a 3/4 wrench (and later, socket on a cordless drill). They also had the cable spooled backwards (underhand, not overhand)... fixed that. It doesn't free spin well, but the gears aren't well greased (but they didn't look chewed up at least). The cable has seen better days (a few filaments frayed about 2" from the hooks), but those are still made it seems. Edit: Not so sure, since Powerwinch doesn't make a 1500lb winch any more it seems. Generic cable/wire rope can be bought in that size and rating more than likely, but if going there, I might be just as well off to chop and recrimp a new hook since the fault is right at the end. I'll need cable crimping tools anyway... I dunno. Edit #2: Seems that various placed have a 20' 1500lb Powerwinch cable (Powerwinch P7188500AJ)... so they are still available if not still made (many places show it as discontinued). If I end up using this winch, I'll probably just grab that and call it good.

In any case, this'll be a somewhat long term project. The existing winch is by no means dead, but I don't like where it's going long term. Maybe I do something different and this becomes dedicated to the car hauler... I dunno. But it was too much of a coincidence to pass up!

 

[ratdude747]

Doing more research... lots of reports of bad luck using 7-way power directly for a winch (as opposed to using such to charge an auxillary battery). Even for a "small" 30A winch like this.

Also, the cable used is a bit of an oddball 7/32" size. Swage tooling for such (needed to replace the cable, even a factory replacement) is pricey; all the cheap tooling I'm seeing skips that size.

I'm thinking that this winch is probably going to be a project for the car trailer... Having enough gotcha's that I'm not convinced I'm barking up the right tree. That trailer's breakway battery (and wiring setup in general), while better than how I bought it (no battery, wiring was a rotten mess of wire nuts and iffy chassis grounds), having done my boat trailer, there's things I'd redo on it; an upgraded battery box with enough power to run the winch (and double as the breakaway battery) would make sense.

Instead, I may look for a better quality manual winch. Fulton XLTs look like a good choice (not over the top like an F2)... but more research needed (edit- seeing mixed reviews there too). Just something that isn't a flimsy piece of **** like this Bass Pro one is seeming to be. Edit- Dutton-Lainson's DLx1500FC looks nice. Same idea as a Fulton XLT but made in USA... and fewer reviews of bending sideways?

 

[FLATHEAD]

You’re throwing good money after bad. For the same money or a few dollars more you can buy a brand new winch. Lots of new options up to 6000lb for under 200$

 

[ratdude747]

You’re throwing good money after bad. For the same money or a few dollars more you can buy a brand new winch. Lots of new options up to 6000lb for under 200$

For the boat trailer, any future manual winch purchase would likely be new unless it was a very specific case I stumbled upon. I'm pretty certain that the electric winch will not be going on it after all now that I've slept on it.

For the car hauler (where the electric winch would make more sense), that's beyond the scope of this thread and forum. I will say this, If maintainable/serviceable and up to the given task, I'll take old but not junk well made stuff over new cheaply made junk any day.