Top new trailer set up tips.

[BigE]

Hi Ausfishers

Just bought a new tinka multi rolla for the signature. Forcast is ordinary on sunday so going to take her down and swap her from the old trailer to the new one.

so im looking for the top tips an tricks to setting up the new trailer for the best results.

Thanks in advance
BigE

[FNQCairns]

Put it under the boat, when placed on top the rollers get to be a waste of time.

Nah sorry i got nothing, sounds like it will be a fine ride for the sig.

[FishHunter]

Put it under the boat, when placed on top the rollers get to be a waste of time.

Nah sorry i got nothing, sounds like it will be a fine ride for the sig.

My Tinka should be here next week so will be watching this with interest

[dan12345]

just make sure the rollers dont contact the planing strakes of your hull, can cause the boat to come up off center or twist a bit as u winch or drive it up,thats bout all i got

[BigE]

Thanks dan.
Ive added some pics

[peterbo3]

If you can put it off for a week get all the internals on the new trailer coated with Tectal or a similar product. It will be the best $200 or so you will spend.
My trailer is over three years old with ZERO signs of rust inside the beams.

[BigE]

Any suggestions on where to get it sprayed with tectal?

[dan12345]

mate i see in the pic your trailer has some keel rollers, take a rope or piece of string an strectch it from the rear roller to the front roller you want there to be a slight angle to wards the rear of the trailer whislt trailer is on the car, makes launching much easier if ur keel rollers are set up properly

[marto78]

Make sure the side rollers are at the same heights on both sides of the trailer to make sure the boat comes straight onto the centre post and make sure all the of the bolts are done up tight, it can be painful if one of the front rollers drops a bit.

[Jarrah Jack]

The tectyl is a good thing bigE but it doesn't make the trailer look that good but neither does rust for that matter. Grand Marlin may know someone who can do the job for you. One thing with a freshly galed anything is that the process leaves an oily residue that can make it difficult for anything to adhere to it. There residue doesn't last long after a few washdowns.

Also washing the trailer down each time you use it helps a lot regardless.

[SUPERDAFF]

Hi Ausfishers

Just bought a new tinka multi rolla for the signature. Forcast is ordinary on sunday so going to take her down and swap her from the old trailer to the new one.

so im looking for the top tips an tricks to setting up the new trailer for the best results.

Thanks in advance
BigE

BigE

Greetings brother - there's a stack of things which can be considered:

First, something that no-one does, but should. Get your winch re-set to the right-hand side of your trailer. (You can't just turn it around - the cogs have to be re-sleeved). That way you never have to step over the drawbar when winching (i.e. shin hits on drawbar and head hits on bowsprit). You'll never have to straddle the bar when winching. Likewise, if your car ever slips on the ramp you don't have to jump the drawbar. Very importantly, you never have to put your arm across the winch wire. I came up with this idea after a dear friend lost her thumb (well, she didn't actually lose it, she knows where it went), because something went wrong and her boat became a runaway down the trailer into the water. Sliced her thumb right off. Stand beside your trailer and go through the moves in your head. You'll see that 'no', you don't have to wind backwards, and 'no', you don't have to be looking away from your boat. Once you've done it this way, you'll never have it any other way.

Trailer wiring - make sure it is set to the right-hand side of your car. That way, you back up to the trailer, get out of the driver's door and again, you don't have to play hopscotch with the drawbar.

Protection: Almost drown the entire trailer with your preferred protectant (fish oil, commercial rust preventer fluids, etc). Buy one of those 6 litre, pump-action sprayers from a hardware store (perhaps $20) and use it to spray the boat. The spray wand will reach into every nook on your trailer. Think about environmental impacts i.e. where your trailer is going to sit when you do the spraying - keep spray away from children, gutters, roads, areas that feed into the water system etc. Next door neighbor's curious dog will learn the hard way - so be it.

Trailer bolts - undo every one of them, spray them with protectant and then do them up again. Prevents them from rusting and then snapping off when you try to undo them in two years' time to reposition your rollers. Mark original positions with a carpenter's pencil just in case you're doing this while having a hundred beers.

Settling - you boat will settle on the trailer after the first trip or two. Check and realign the rollers and re-tighten the bolts.

Tyre valves - get the ones with the little hex nut on top and nip them up with an 8mm spanner. Keeps the valves dry and clear. A dab of Vaseline won't hurt .. on the caps.

Number-plate - unbolt it and fix it to the trailer with a hinge. That way you won't bend or snap it when you clip a gutter backing out of the driveway. Needs to be able to fold forwards and backwards.

Jockey wheel - always at the end closest to the car, jockey handle closest to the boat. (No snapped off winders. Similarly, if you have to bridge a steep gutter or dip, the wheel will act as a roller.

Roller connecting arms. Fit the section of arm between each set of rollers, with a teflon cover (the blue plastic-like material you see on the side skids for aluminium boats). That way you'll avoid damage if your boat ever comes up a little crooked, as might happen at a shallow ramp exposed to surface chop (Wello Point ramp for example). Just attach them with cable ties.

Bearing buddies or an oil-filled system. Do it or buy more bearings than the rest of us.

Replace the standard D-shackle (winch-post chain to boat's bow eye) on the chain with a rock climbing shackle - snap it on, snap it off - no more trying to fit a fiddly pin through a hole when things are lined up a very annoying millimetres out of sync. Safety snap-ons for the same reason where your trailer's chains are hooked to your tow bar.

Lock - buy something that will let you lock your trailer to your car (helmet lock, iron bar lock, padlock. Chandleries and those shops which sponsor Super V8's have a range of them).

Cable ties - use them to tie the boat's safety chain turn-buckle to the trailer when travelling long distances. Will make the turn-buckle less likely to vibrate loose. Just snip them with side-cutters when you are at your destination. New ones for the trip back home.

Wiring - trailer to car. Use some flex hose over the electrical wiring (it's the same sort of flex hose that is used on your bilge pump, or from your salt-water pick-up to your live bait tank. Like a shrunken vacuum cleaner or the pool cleaner hose). Protects the wiring, prevents road grazes to the wiring etc.

Winch handle - the deadliest thing on a trailer. Get it notched with a lock pin so it can never fly off when you neighbor drags the winch wire back with the unsecured handle spinning at 1000rpm.

Hull protector screen - contact David Green at Greens Marine Stainless at Yatala and get him to make you a vee screen for the front of your trailer. It will protect the front of the hull from stone damage when towing. If you have a 4WD, it will probably fit in the back of your car at the ramp, otherwise, (and no thanks to the courts for letting repeat offenders continually go free), you'll need a lock so it can't be stolen.

Driving - pick the worst weather you can i.e. when no-one is going boating and take your fishing buddy/wife/girlfriend/daughter/whomever down to the local ramp and teach them how to back the trailer down. Never, never, never, never, never, ever raise your voice or make a smart-arse comment during this session. Buy them beer, dinner, wine whatever afterwards - show how much you appreciate their efforts. That way, even if it didn't work out, they'll be willing to have another go.

Finally, now that your trailer is perfect, sell your Haines and put a CruiseCraft on it and you'll be set. Enjoy
SUPERDAFF

[griz066]

BigE


Replace the standard D-shackle (winch-post chain to boat's bow eye) on the chain with a rock climbing shackle - snap it on, snap it off - no more trying to fit a fiddly pin through a hole when things are lined up a very annoying millimetres out of sync. Safety snap-ons for the same reason where your trailer's chains are hooked to your tow bar.


SUPERDAFF

Not sure what you mean about a snap on shackle ???? I wonder if it would be rated high enough if the trailer did come of the toe ball. Think I will stay with the D Shackle

[SUPERDAFF]

Not sure what you mean about a snap on shackle ???? I wonder if it would be rated high enough if the trailer did come of the toe ball. Think I will stay with the D Shackle

Griz

Mine's rated at 3 tonne which is higher than the standard D-shackle.

SUPERDAFF

[BigE]

S/daff
thanks mate a well thought out trailer set up ( i owe u beer) thanks again.

[Jarrah Jack]

Supergaff I prefer to use grease on all the trailer bolts and the same with the wheel studs. I've never used any spray ons but I can't see them lasting longer than quality grease.

Nice summary BTW and I'm already thinking of that hinge for the number plate.