hub bearing and brake question

[robert843]

Hmmmm... Do I want aluminum bunks? At first it seems tempting (after all, no rotting wood, nothing to replace there). But then I am thinking (and on a weekend--oh, the horror)...

What happens when the carpet wears out? You just scrape on the aluminum? Eeek. I think for that I would rather wood.

Also, when loading, the wood gives a little as you hit it. I don't know that the aluminum would have the same give. Seems like a rougher load. And more carpet wear.

Am I missing something here?

There is no carpet on the aluminum. It uses a soft rubber compound of some type so no carpet to replace on those. The front bunks are wood with carpet and should be the only bunks you are really hitting at any speed by the time the rear bunks engage you should already be barley moving as you would have already engaged the front bunks. I'm not sure of the compound used on the rear bunks what it is but @DieselCamel new boat came with the same material on his bottom bunks and I saw his new trailer last week end it was pretty sweet and the boat floated on and off of it with ease. If you are hitting the rear bunks with any speed you are either way off target of coming in way to fast on these trailers.

 

[Bruce]

@robert843, @DieselCamel's new Cat is twice the price of a 240 and I am guessing built with thicker and heavier materials. At some amount of pressure a point load will damage a fiberglass hull. The factory trailers have flexible bunks using 2x6 boards laid flat. Those 2x6s deflect to support the hull. The aluminum bunks will not deflect (bend). I worry that if the aluminum bunks are not precisely shaped to fit the hull that our hulls would need reinforcement to avoid damage. This is the opposite of the plastic bunk boards that deflected more and created pressure points at the bunk mounts which caused excessive gelcoat wear.

 

[robert843]

You guys got me currious so I had to look it is topped with a soft non marring vinyl material probably something similar to this.

 

[bronze_10]

I see what @Bruce is saying but my new trailer has two 4x4 bunks in the back to support the weight and two Nirmal wood bunks in the front to center the boat... the wood is softer than aluminum but I doubt the 4x4 flex much.. I guess they may compress some but like the other have said.. it don't really Come Inot contact with them until almost on the bow stop.

 

[fairpilot]

The thought has crossed my mind. I want one with aluminum bunks as well.

View attachment 36131

where did that trailer come from. I like it, and I think if you inspect your bunk carpet when you launch boat aluminum would be fine. How much does a trailer like that cost??

 

[robert843]

@robert843, @DieselCamel's new Cat is twice the price of a 240 and I am guessing built with thicker and heavier materials. At some amount of pressure a point load will damage a fiberglass hull. The factory trailers have flexible bunks using 2x6 boards laid flat. Those 2x6s deflect to support the hull. The aluminum bunks will not deflect (bend). I worry that if the aluminum bunks are not precisely shaped to fit the hull that our hulls would need reinforcement to avoid damage. This is the opposite of the plastic bunk boards that deflected more and created pressure points at the bunk mounts which caused excessive gelcoat wear.

If the material used is slicker and slides easier pressure is then reduced as well. On the hull truth guys have been using this for years with great success I have not seen anyone say a bad thing about it yet. This used to be reserved for high end boats and trailers I bet it becomes more common over the next several years.

 

[robert843]

where did that trailer come from. I like it, and I think if you inspect your bunk carpet when you launch boat aluminum would be fine. How much does a trailer like that cost??

Charleston trailer is where I saw it.

 

[fairpilot]

You guys got me currious so I had to look it is topped with a soft non marring vinyl material probably something similar to this.

looks like a great product, but I believe it will trap water under it and the wood will eventually rot, on the aluminum bunks this stuff would be great

 

[Bruce]

If the material used is slicker and slides easier pressure is then reduced as well. On the hull truth guys have been using this for years with great success I have not seen anyone say a bad thing about it yet. This used to be reserved for high end boats and trailers I bet it becomes more common over the next several years.

The problem is not in loading and unloading, it is with trailering down the road. The flexible wooden bunks cradle your boat. A rigid aluminum bunk is more likely to result in damage when you hit a pot hole, cross a railroad track or catch a tire on a curb.

 

[Wayloncle]

The problem is not in loading and unloading, it is with trailering down the road. The flexible wooden bunks cradle your boat. A rigid aluminum bunk is more likely to result in damage when you hit a pot hole, cross a railroad track or catch a tire on a curb.

The give in the original bunk design makes sense to me, like you said it cradles the boat. Most of the aluminum trailers I saw had what looked like 2x10's standing on edge. I suppose they work fine but it sure seems like it'd be rough on the hull.

 

[robert843]

The problem is not in loading and unloading, it is with trailering down the road. The flexible wooden bunks cradle your boat. A rigid aluminum bunk is more likely to result in damage when you hit a pot hole, cross a railroad track or catch a tire on a curb.

I would say no more so then the 4X4 bunks I see on tons of trailers. I would imagine any jar hard enough that the torsion axle or springs didn't support enough for something like that to happen would snap a 2X4 piece of wood thus probably causing damage to your boat or worse the boat rolling off the side of the trailer. It could be argued the exact opposite way but I have never heard of anything like that happening on Aluminum bunks. I have how seen what I mentioned happen on wood bunks first hand I had to help someone else on the side of the highway get their boat Jerry Rigged back on there trailer due to a bunk snapping from a hard jar boat was completely off the trailer and sitting on the middle of the highway. Even in that situation their boat only had road rash on the hull no serious holes if his boat can land and drag on concrete surely it can handle sitting on an aluminum bunk.

 

[DieselCamel]

There is no carpet on the aluminum. It uses a soft rubber compound of some type so no carpet to replace on those. The front bunks are wood with carpet and should be the only bunks you are really hitting at any speed by the time the rear bunks engage you should already be barley moving as you would have already engaged the front bunks. I'm not sure of the compound used on the rear bunks what it is but @DieselCamel new boat came with the same material on his bottom bunks and I saw his new trailer last week end it was pretty sweet and the boat floated on and off of it with ease. If you are hitting the rear bunks with any speed you are either way off target of coming in way to fast on these trailers.

Mine trailer has these installed on the 2x6's works good so far

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001E...unk+slides&dpPl=1&dpID=41O2-svyJ7L&ref=plSrch

 

[waterboy]

Talking about the boards cradling your boat and flexing, etc., let me share some insight from my recent board change on my trailer. When I unbolted one of the front boards (long ones), as soon as I picked it up, it broke under it's own weight. Don't think for a minute that there is flexing and cradling by these boards. If that was the case, mine would have broken long ago from loading the boat and cradling the boat when on the trailer. The only support points are at the brackets. I see no reason why the aluminum would not be fine and cradle the boat OK.

Just my observations from a recent board change.

 

[fairpilot]

I think the aluminum would be fine, our boats are lashed down with rear straps and pulled tight at nose. I dont really see boat bouncing enough to cause any damage. If we hit pot hole and bumps big enough to bounce the boat enough to hurt it, I would be more concerned with the trailer suspension breaking.

 

[robert843]

Well shop called today price was not as bad as I thought for the work done. The replaced the brake lines, both rotors, both brake calipers , all hubs and bearings $652 total. So with new tires I bought a week ago hopefully the trailer is good for a while I'm assuming bunks will be next.