Boat trailer issues...

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Aug 2, 2003
Threads
66
Messages
3,797
Location
Naples/Big Pine Key, Fl
20' aluminum Magic tilt. I have never had as many issues as I have with this thing, today when pulling the boat out I hit a small pothole very slowly. Apparently it was enough to bend or flatten a fairly new spring pack because my rear shackle has a much steeper angle than the other side and it caused the fender to rub the tire. I can't get pics right now and nothing else is obvious, does this sound even possible? Boat's on right, nothing else is different but the shackle angle.
 
Did the bolt snap allowing the spring to slide a few inches up inside the shackle ? I guess you coulda' flattend the spring..they don't make em' like they use to ya' know...

Pic would be helpful..and how much does the boat weigh?
 
Boat is around 2k, springs were rated for the load, I'll get pics tomorrow. I checked the bolts, they look good, no cracks in spring, I thought maybe the shackle flipped, tried jacking it up and using a pry bar but it didn't do anything, this spring was put on 3 months ago.
 
I looked at the pic in this thread.. https://forum.ih8mud.com/hunting-fishing/257820-new-me-boat.html

I don't know if its just the angle of the pic, but the trailer looks like it sits low or the axle is to close to the frame... or how ever you would say that. It looks like the trailer needs to be further away from the tires.




edit... i did a google search for that brand.. they look like low riders. I did see a thread in the florida forum where a guy posted pics of the welds breaking and the nuts rusting on one of those.
 
Last edited:
Reaching here, but could the axle have slid on the springs a bit (loose u-bolts)? Would contribute to fender rub and probably change shackle angle too.
Butt
 
If nothing broke,I would think you got a bad spring or rated wrong.I have had that brand trailer before and never had a problem with its springs. Mike
 
Reaching here, but could the axle have slid on the springs a bit (loose u-bolts)? Would contribute to fender rub and probably change shackle angle too.
Butt

I'm thinking this may be it or a bad spring, I'm working on it tomorrow. Nothing obvious though, the arch in the spring looks like the other one, it's just the angle of the shackle that's different. My trailer guy is out of town, I'll take pics and post them.
 
yeah exactly what I was thinking, it's happened before. I'm gonna go try and beat it flat and order new ones, very hard to see but just enough to cause an issue.
 
Found a big crack in the hanger, ordered new hangers and bolts. Thurs I'll be replacing everything, always check all your axle hardware if you boat in saltwater.
 
I have replaced all bolts on my trailer with stainless and now I have no problems. My McKee Craft came with all stainless bolts and screws from the factory. McKee's are just high quality boats and made to last 4ever. X2 on washing everything down. I always stop at the first car wash and spray down trailer and boat. When I get home I do maintence and another thorough cleaning. My trailer is 6 years old with no rust so far.

lol, now the bracket that holds the helm to the console broke from rust, Ih8boats.
 
the helm brackets that come as kits are all bare metal, they don't come any other way, I looked. It took maybe 30 minutes to change it out. I use stainless except where I can use hot dipped galvanized such as areas that may actually not come in contact with the water. I do spray the trailer down when I wash the boat but I'm on the water 2-3 days a week on average so it's exposed alot, like much more than most people who use their boats once a month.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom