owens and sons trailers?
 

does anyone own one and would you recommend it.i'm looking into purchasing a trailer for my 1998 26 sonic. also considering load master and south florida , any opinions?

I owned an Ownes and Sons tandem axle trailer (now belongs to Griff on this board) and had no problems with it. I purchased it through Ducky's Boats in PA. Granted, I only owned it for just over a year, but it seemed to be a well built trailer. The one I had was the aluminun I-Beam version. My only modification I made from the way they built it was to remove the guide poles and mount the tail lights low behind the fenders. I used it to carry a 28' Pantera and it did so really well.

www.duckysboats.com Ducky's Boats

www.slideon.com Owens & Sons

I found a picture of the boat on the Owens and Sons trailer.

I did extensive research prior to purchasing my last three trailers. The best you can buy is Rolls Axle in Plant City, FL. Before you buy call Dan and he can explain what makes his completely different. I usually find the number on www.bigyellow.com or any other directory.

I had one under my 30' Baja. The only problem I had with it was it was so light and had so much timber on it that it floated. No kidding. If I backed the trailer into the water and walked down the dock to get the boat, the trailer would float away and be 90° to the truck. I had to tie it to the dock for a while. Finally had to put about 400 lbs of sand in 6" pvc pipe to get it to sink. I would call them and ask if the one for the 26' will do the same thing. They did admit that mine would float.
Here is their website
Owens and Sons

I see the board gods have reduced the size of the pics now to 320X240. :(

I have one under my cat, seems to be holding up pretty good, bought it in 95, only problems I had are the brakes, good luck:cool:

I have heard they build a very good trailer. They use all stainless steel fasteners. If you use it in salt water, order one with the flush kit to keep the brakes, axles, and hubs from rusting out. Many aluminum trailers will float. Some people take the plastic covered weights from a weight set and drill holes through the frame to mount them. Torsion axles are a nice option too.

Tony,

This is the trailer that Eric/CheckmateF1 purchased:

http://www.americanboattrailers.com/

Great trailer, and he is very happy with it. They delivered it to within 80 miles. Count on the better part of a couple hours in setting up the trailer to fit the boat. Go for the upgraded rims as well.

A lot of Aluminum Trailers will float. My Rocket floated. It is not necessarily any one component that makes it float, but the combination of all of them. My trailer has big timbers on it, as well as aluminum I-beams, but I also have 4 huge 16" tires on very light aluminum ARE rims on there too. Before we refit my trailer with new timber, and front cradle bunks, I added 4-50 pound dumbbells, (with several coats of paint) to the inside of my I-beams, with SS U-bolts. I padded them against the trailer with cut to fit pieces of thick rubber from an old truck mud-flap. (The dumbbells are iron, and the trailer is aluminum. This poses a potential problem for dissimilar metals corroding each other. Also goes for if you use lead to add weight.) After the refit, I am down to 2-50 pound dumbbells, mounted inside the I-beams, right behind the rear tires. If you have square tube cross braces and axles on your trailer, remove the endcaps, and drill a couple holes in the bottom of each tube. This will allow them to fill with water when backed down the ramp, and drain as you pull away. This will also cut down on your bouancy.

The shipping company towed my Pantera 1375 miles from Ocean City to Omaha with no problems. Looks to be well built.

i have one under my 25 checkmate. i trailer my boat eveytime i use it and have had no problems with it. mine also floats but use it to your advantage i have won enough money in bets that it floats to fill my tank twice (haha the unsuspecting). i can see the problem with it floating in water with swift current though.

Mines a fastload - alum

floats like a big dog - a real pain in the ass to load -

unloading is cool - just drive away pretty quick........... if not it floats and turns sideways and runs over all kinds of stuff on the way out..........tough to see this at nite too.............

a buddy of mine has an owens a it looks too short for the boat...............the bunks hang WAY out in the back with no support.........

Next one i buy will be a steel powder coated ,nitro press, BOSS
Warp n Woof has one - its the nicest one ive ever seen ---------incl MYCO..............

I have a Owens & sons under my 24 ft Python Vector, good trailer mine also floats if you back it in to far. people at Owens & sons are reall good as well broke a guide pole called , they sent it COD recieved it the next day. i left my lights on the guides so they never go under water and dont burn out lights.

26 Sonic, I also did extensive research on this prior to purchasing a South Florida Trailers aluminum. I have found prices vary widley.i found Jay,Bruce,and Gail great to deal with. They do build a superior product and are very service oriented.excellent warranty on everything including brakes.And in case you havnt noticed they sponsor on this board.also if you check their web page they will list prices not many do that. I will try to attach a pic of mine. Thanks and Good Luck, Mark B.www.southfloridatrailers.com

Yeah they are pretty good trailers. I would get one.

you to not want a trailer that floats.

Hustler and MYCO make GREAT trailers

South Florida trailers....
 

I dont have any experience with their trailers but I have dealt with Jay on servicing my boat......and my experience with him has been excellent......aside from being knowledgeable about the industry he is a very nice person to deal with......And the trailers appear to be top notch.....Rich

Tony,

If you look on page 4 of the Readers Rides thread. CheckmateF1 posted a good pic of his American High Performance Tailer. Look for Red Checkmate behind Red Dodge.

what are the thoughts on Loadmaster trailers with disc brakes?

I got an Owens trailer for my 311SR1 Formula. Doesn't float. Fits the boat like a glove. I load and unload the boat by myself with less effort than I ever had with any of my <20' runabouts. Pulls like a dream. Torsion axles, flushkits on the brakes on 2 out of 3 axles (no brakes on 3rd axle on purpose - no way to jackknife in the event of a brake lockup). Huge, heavy duty caster jack.

Great price, great construction. I have no regrets.
M

trailer's
 

Completly of the subject but I love my Trial-Rite Inc.:D

I love my Owens. Loadmaster does not weld the trailers together. They are bolted together.