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This has probably been done before but any info would be greatly appreciated. I am beginning to plan for a beach camping trip on Fraser and I intend to tow my 6M Plate Centre Cab with a 100 series V8 Cruiser. Info on Trailer clearance, Tyre size, Tyre pressure, game plan to get over any tricky areas, and launch procedures. I would really like to see any photos of successful trailer setups.
The planning is in its infancy and would be open to meeting any Ausfishers who are also intrested in a possible camping and offshore fishing trip off Fraser in the future.
Hi Meherio
a couple of photos at this thread at the Toyota Fishing Expo http://www.toyota.com.au/toyota/even...1_1106,00.html
I believe 270 boats entered this year?
Indian head can get soft if no rain for a while
How much beach towing have you done?
How often do you beach launch?
Murf
the previous photo note the snatch strap on the front
he also has alloy checker plate sheets under his boat trailer wheels to stop them sinking into the sand
I just drag the ally up the beach and reverse the trailer under the boat but that could be a bit hard with your size boat
and another photo of Indian head
Murf
I've towed the odd box trailer and camper trailer up the beach but nothing around the 2Tonne mark.
The beach launch will be my maiden, so it'll be worth a look for a bit of entertainment value.
I would definately try beach launching several times to iron out the bugs before traveling up Fraser.
watch other people with similar boat sizes and take in all the good points and remember some of the donts.
QLD people use the extended draw bar a lot and for your boat i guess would be a wise investment
deflate tyres down to about 20psi depending on tyre size and style. i went down to 15psi to get through Indian Head on 245/75 Coopers on Hilux. 15psi was way too low on the single axle trailer totally overloaded 5.3m ally as when we hit a sharp edge on the chain boards i smashed the side out the rim.
2nd gear low range usually to get through the soft stuff and get a good run up keeping all the momentum up that you can. keep it going untill on hard sand, dont stop once commited but once stuck dont try to dig to China either get a snatch out or drop off boat and snatch it through
keep all your recovery gear very handy
best to travel with someone else for you can tow each other through or get pulled out if your bogged gettting the boat out of the water.
in saying this you can drive through sometimes in 2WD if the sand is damp
just be prepared and most of all enjoy the experience no matter what Fraser throws at you
You will love it
Cheers Murf
What would the minimum clearance have to be? I have a stock standard Redco trailer, which is low at present but will put the springs on top of the axles which I think will lift it 100mm.
Ahh!
putting the springs on top of the trailer axle will present a whole new set of problems. When you are retrieving the boat and its sitting on hard sand can you get the tow eye of the boat over the rear roller on the trailer? your boat is bigger than i have experience with on the beach and others should have some helpfull info.
is it a tilt trailer?
if its a duel axle trailer i believe that they will tow better on the sand?? can anyone confirm this?
i have about 250mm clearance under the axle and about 300mm under the rear of the trailer and the only drag marks i leave behind are from the wish bones on the Hilux front suspension , your trailer will have a wider track than the cruiser so it will sit up a bit higher as it rides out of the car tracks up on the sand.
a mate took his 5.6m ally to Fraser with a tilt roller system on the rear of his trailer and it was low , everywhere he went he did a lovelly job of grading the tracks
is the cruiser an auto? i test drove an auto Hilux on the sand and wish i had joined the old lady / Taxi drivers club the turbo lag on the new hilux is shocking on the sand anything under 1500rpm and theres nothing there, its either spin the wheels or slip the clutch any other feedback on this????
cheers Murf
Hi again
another thing I thought of last night was to cut off any protruding roller posts that hang below the rear crossmember of the trailer. reason is that when you exit off the chain boards there is usually a drop and the rear of the trailer can land on the boards.
i have seen a mate leave the rear cross member of the trailer behind on the way out for a weeks fishing and it made the beer dissapear quicker than planned as he couldn't get the boat off the trailer.
Murf
Thanks for all the info, I have been looking at all my roller posts and they are low.
One other question would be, how much sand and crap gets into the bearings when launching and retrieving. I would imagine it would be a fairly abbrasive environment with the trailer sinking into the sand as the waves wash around the axles. Is the trip home going to be a nightmare with bearings failing?Bearing in mind I live on the Sunshine Coast, so I won't be driving to around Australia to get home.
hello Meherio
i believe that if the seals axles bearings are maintained and in good condition then no sand should get in. i would do the standard bearing check and seal relacement before you go ( an hour spent on the trailer before you go is better than a nightmare on Fraser.)
a $20 set of bearings under the seat is good insurance along with the tools to change the bearings etc. but if done properly before you go there wont be a prob.
we do 99% of our launching off the beach, a mate has bearing buddies on his trailer and after 2 years the bearings are still perfect ( he only has a 1km run to the beach lucky mongrel ) launches about twice a week ave
its all very easy with a little prep and a little know how
its all good and the weather is looking perfect for the weekend CARN'T WAIT to get amongst the big snapper
cheers Murf
Dooes look good this weekend, I'm thinking of fishing Saturday Arvo into the night after work. Sunday looks good to so I might back up like a bloked dunny.
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, your trailer will have a wider track than the cruiser so it will sit up a bit higher as it rides out of the car tracks up on the sand. 
, everywhere he went he did a lovelly job of grading the tracks 
