Floating Trailer Issues
 

I have a Hi-Tech Marine aluminum trailer which always floats. While I can overcome the issue by standing on it while the lady loads it I was curious to what others do to keep it submerged.

Best idea I have thought of was to get old lead diving weights and fix them to the frame. I searched for a commercial product and couldn't find anything available.

Ideas?

I had the same problem with an aluminum boat lift. Two solutions, change out the wood bunks to aluminum bunks, or add more weight, I went for the 2nd and added concrete. Good luck

buy two pvc tubes about 6 inches in diamater and about 4 feet long, fill with concrete and strap to the insides of the wood bunks

This is why I prefer a tandem trailer....

Eastern Metal Supply has a square tube material that is designed just for trailer bunks.

Here is their PDF

http://www.easternmetal.com/pdfs/ems...plete_BOAT.pdf

WTF are you talking about? :bong: :drink:

Several posts on this topic with good solutions.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...earchid=336617

Dumbells and U-bolts worked for me.

All the above will work. We have a easy no cost process. Back in the trailer in but not so far in that it floats. Drive the boat about 1/3 way up the bungs and the driver walks down the trailer with the wench strap in hand & connects. Driver eases the trailer into the water while you are cranking in the winch strap....pretty easy. Wife can't help?...maybe your girfriend can. :D

I back up slowly to let the air bubbles escape from the trailer cross members and other nooks. Then I can go all the way back. Sucks when the trailer floats under the dock!

I have a bunch of lead in round shape and bar shape that I need to sell for heck of a deal. Probably have 250 lbs or more.. We melted it into the corners of race cars to acheive perfect weight balance. PM me if interested

Had a customer with the same problem. He made an aluminum bracket in the shape of a U and bolted it to the sides of the trailer near the rear. On those brackets, he would hang John Deere tractor weights that would go on the front of a tractor. You take them off when not needed. Worked great.
Eddie

I bought a new trailer LOL, really a frustrating thing especially when loading in a current, I had a builder tell me once to back in water and go have lunch, once the wood soaks up a little water there like lead weights LOL

Wonder if my triple axle Manning will do this in salt water. It did not on the sea trial but that was fresh water, isn't salt water more buoyant?

I have load master triple and trailer never floats. Fresh or salt... always heard that up north, ppl prefer steel for that reason, but my alun never floats. I back in just enough to cover fenders and front bunks with no issues and drive boat up.. latch and crank i f needed.

Your trailer will not.

The only ones that do it are the aluminum bolt-together trailers with long/large wood bunks.
Often the frames are quite short in comparison to your Manning; as they end them right after the axles and use the wood bunks to extend off the back to meet the transom. This is part of their cost cutting technique; again--all pending the manufacturer. Some are built better than others.
Triple axle trailer more likely than a tandem.
16" tires on aluminum rims, more likely than 15" steel rims. etc. etc.

I have a Owens and Sons Slide-On Aluminum trailer that was custom fit to my 20' Cigarette and the only issue is that it wants to float. Lucky for me, I currently boat in fresh water and it does not float as much as you boaters in salt water. The best method other than add 100's of pounds to the trailer is use this method that is recommended. I generally launch and retrieve my boat without any help and this method works great after you practice a few times. If you take your time and get the boat started on the rear of the trailer you can usually back down only one time and you are all set. I do not ever power load my boat and very comfortable handling the boat alone. This might be more challenging with larger, heavier boats but should be a breeze if your wife(not) or girlfriend gives you a little help. Enjoy the weekend and safe boating!

Also 2 extra tires filled with air..

Floating trailers ... ... . what's next, flying boats?? lol

if you have the guide poles cap off the bottom and fill them with sand and put a cap on top..

Sorry Brian... Trailer... NOT Trainer. I was typing from my phone.... AND - 4 tires have a lot less buoyancy than 6. Do the math.

Thanks for the recommendations!

I have a tandem with no guide poles. It is a "bolt together" trailer. I can see how the long bunks in addition to the four tires don't help. The trailer holds a Sunsation 288 so there is plenty of wood to add to the bloating issue.

I've tried backing in slowly, dunking the entire trailer and pulling out, and many of the other recommendations from above. I'm not a novice but would like to think I exhausted every solution before bolting weight to the trailer which seemed to be the best solution outside of buying a steel trailer.

Seeing that I boat in only freshwater I could go either way!

The removable weights sound like the best solution for you.

I had the same problem years ago, I bolted a block of steel 4" x 4" x 36"ish across the
very last frame rail the width direction of the trailer. Problem solved

Jon

All you need to add to the trailer is 100 lbs, maybe 200 tops.

Feel free to click though the links on the other threads via the search I posted above. In previous posts, I showed a few pics of how I fixed mine with a couple of these [ATTACH=CONFIG]510382[/ATTACH] U-bolted inside of the I-beams at the aft end of my trailer. Several coats of paint on the dumbbells, a couple strips of rubber (old floormat or mudflap) and a 2-SS U-bolts and you will have your issue fixed for $125 bucks; and you will not even notice the weight difference.