Re: Trailer design question, yuloh news, etc.
Garth,
I installed my tandem spring hangers onto a pair of angle irons.
The trailer frame sits on these and lets you slide the trailer fore
and aft with a come-along. When you're happy, attached them with U
bolts so you can move them later - maybe you change motors, add
more/less fuel, etc.
On my Sneakeasy, the tongue comes to rest a couple inches off the
ground, so you didn't need to fool with a tongue wheel. One person
can roll the boat around (on level ground) like a 4-wheeled wagon.
The load on each axle is split according to your hitch heighth. If
you're worried about it, you can use the 3-way/triangular load-
sharing center hangers.
Gregg Carlson
I installed my tandem spring hangers onto a pair of angle irons.
The trailer frame sits on these and lets you slide the trailer fore
and aft with a come-along. When you're happy, attached them with U
bolts so you can move them later - maybe you change motors, add
more/less fuel, etc.
On my Sneakeasy, the tongue comes to rest a couple inches off the
ground, so you didn't need to fool with a tongue wheel. One person
can roll the boat around (on level ground) like a 4-wheeled wagon.
The load on each axle is split according to your hitch heighth. If
you're worried about it, you can use the 3-way/triangular load-
sharing center hangers.
Gregg Carlson
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "GarthAB" <garth@b...> wrote:
> Anyway -- I want to get my axle placement right the first time, so
> that once the boat is on the trailer, I won't have to try to
relocate
> the hangers.
>
> I seem to recall a figure of 55% back for axle placement, so as to
get
> about 10% of the total as your eventual tongue weight. So for a
tandem
> axle trailer, is it the first axle at 55% back, or is it the line
> halfway between the two axles that should be 55% back?
Hi Garth
At the risk of stating the obvious, it depends on where the weight is, once
the boat is on. There's a tendency to assume that because the boat floats
level on its waterline that the weight is evenly distributed, but a second
thought shows this is not necessarily the case. You can float a heavy stern
high with enough buoyancy under it.
That said, your boat's weight is probably pretty well distributed. 10% at
the hitch is good. The '55% back' sounds a bit loose, even for a rule of
thumb. If you're bolting rather than welding, then it's easy to stick a
couple of jackstands under the back of the trailer, crank up on the tongue
jack and slide the axle around. If you're welding then either some weight
calculations, or maybe an over-length tongue, trimmed back to suit? When I
did mine I did the calculations [not hard] and came out right on the money.
Not that I'm smart; This is an 'if I can do it, anyone can' story :)
cheers
Derek
At the risk of stating the obvious, it depends on where the weight is, once
the boat is on. There's a tendency to assume that because the boat floats
level on its waterline that the weight is evenly distributed, but a second
thought shows this is not necessarily the case. You can float a heavy stern
high with enough buoyancy under it.
That said, your boat's weight is probably pretty well distributed. 10% at
the hitch is good. The '55% back' sounds a bit loose, even for a rule of
thumb. If you're bolting rather than welding, then it's easy to stick a
couple of jackstands under the back of the trailer, crank up on the tongue
jack and slide the axle around. If you're welding then either some weight
calculations, or maybe an over-length tongue, trimmed back to suit? When I
did mine I did the calculations [not hard] and came out right on the money.
Not that I'm smart; This is an 'if I can do it, anyone can' story :)
cheers
Derek
I just had a steel trailer built for my Dakota which is 38' long and
weighs 7500 lbs. I used two 5000 lb. torsion axles. We bolted
them the correct distance apart for standard fenders to two (5" x
54"*) plates of 1/2" steel. The plates were then clamped to the
trailer frame with large C-clamps. We then could easily adjust
the axle location until we achieved the correct tongue weight.
Once this was done, then the plates were welded to the frame.
* (I don't remember length and width exactly, and the boat is in
my shop across town.)
Vince
weighs 7500 lbs. I used two 5000 lb. torsion axles. We bolted
them the correct distance apart for standard fenders to two (5" x
54"*) plates of 1/2" steel. The plates were then clamped to the
trailer frame with large C-clamps. We then could easily adjust
the axle location until we achieved the correct tongue weight.
Once this was done, then the plates were welded to the frame.
* (I don't remember length and width exactly, and the boat is in
my shop across town.)
Vince
I'm getting very close to buying the steel and all my trailer
components. (I've spent hours and hours browsing easternmarine.com and
usatrailerparts.com and championtrailer.com.)
Anyway -- I want to get my axle placement right the first time, so
that once the boat is on the trailer, I won't have to try to relocate
the hangers.
I seem to recall a figure of 55% back for axle placement, so as to get
about 10% of the total as your eventual tongue weight. So for a tandem
axle trailer, is it the first axle at 55% back, or is it the line
halfway between the two axles that should be 55% back?
Thanks for any help!
All best,
Garth
P.S. Other winter projects:
I made a 12' yuloh a week ago, laminating some 1x pine together with
Titebond II. I put a nice curve in the upper part of the loom by
simply weighting down my stack of clamped together pieces with a
cinder block, deflecting it by about 4" or 5". It has a 6" x 3'6"
blade. The loom is round now (after much planing and sanding) so
it'll fit into a standard 2 1/16" round oarlock. This may be too thin,
and if it flexes too much or breaks, well, back to the drawing board,
$15 poorer. . . . I may glass the whole loom, wrapping one long piece
of 6" tape around it, to make it stiffer.
Also, I cut out 10 lovely plywood ellipses 2" wide to be the "backers"
for my window openings, to give me extra wood to screw the Lexan into.
I have paper mock-ups of the window openings taped to the boat, and it
looks pretty cool. If I feel really brave, I'll go out there with a
jigsaw and cut the holes in the side of the boat.
Not much more happening here -- just watching today's 5-9 inches of
snow fall, and wondering when I'll ever get to go sailing . . .
components. (I've spent hours and hours browsing easternmarine.com and
usatrailerparts.com and championtrailer.com.)
Anyway -- I want to get my axle placement right the first time, so
that once the boat is on the trailer, I won't have to try to relocate
the hangers.
I seem to recall a figure of 55% back for axle placement, so as to get
about 10% of the total as your eventual tongue weight. So for a tandem
axle trailer, is it the first axle at 55% back, or is it the line
halfway between the two axles that should be 55% back?
Thanks for any help!
All best,
Garth
P.S. Other winter projects:
I made a 12' yuloh a week ago, laminating some 1x pine together with
Titebond II. I put a nice curve in the upper part of the loom by
simply weighting down my stack of clamped together pieces with a
cinder block, deflecting it by about 4" or 5". It has a 6" x 3'6"
blade. The loom is round now (after much planing and sanding) so
it'll fit into a standard 2 1/16" round oarlock. This may be too thin,
and if it flexes too much or breaks, well, back to the drawing board,
$15 poorer. . . . I may glass the whole loom, wrapping one long piece
of 6" tape around it, to make it stiffer.
Also, I cut out 10 lovely plywood ellipses 2" wide to be the "backers"
for my window openings, to give me extra wood to screw the Lexan into.
I have paper mock-ups of the window openings taped to the boat, and it
looks pretty cool. If I feel really brave, I'll go out there with a
jigsaw and cut the holes in the side of the boat.
Not much more happening here -- just watching today's 5-9 inches of
snow fall, and wondering when I'll ever get to go sailing . . .