Floating aluminum trailer; anyone???


A

aquaforce

New member
Does anyone have an aluminum trailer that floats? :eek:
I was ordering a trailer today for my next boat and the builder told me if I got the aluminum wheels that I wanted then the trailer would float. This sounds mostly bad but I've never had a trailer float. Is there any benefit to the trailer floating? ??? I would think that any current in the water such as in a river would pose a problem if the trailer floated.
Would guide posts overcome any float problems ???
 
Seems like the weight of the axles and brakes would be heavy enough to hold everything down. Is the trailer mfr. using alum. tubing?
 
Mine floats now.  When I first bought it and the Cypress bunks were still "wet", it would not float.  Now, on its 3rd season, and the Cypress has dried out some, it will float.

I always back my trailer till the water just laps at the tops of the fenders, perfect for my setup.  One day last year I kept backing up thinking I was on a level spot of the ramp, then realized the friggin' thing was floating LOL.   ;D

Not a problem for me, I never deal with any problematic currents, and I always go to where the water laps the tops of the fenders, and that just so happens to be the point that it just starts to float, and will stay LOL.

Bizzarre, but the flotation of the 4 tires, and the flotation of the huge Cypress bunks offsets the weight of the aluminum, stainless hardware, galvanized axles, and galvanized wheels LOL.
 
If I use steel wheels at 14 inches then the trailer will stay down. If I so much as go to 15" steel then it is back to floating so I guess my aluminum wheels are out if I don't want it to float.
Cypress bunks and the boyancy of aluminum wheels and hollow torsion axles will pick up a 1000 lb trailer easily.

I wonder if the boat could push the trailer down without a problem on a steep ramp where the water would be deep at the end of the trailer. Could the trailer float high enough to keep the boat from loading? Is that a situation for bottom rollers?
 
I've never truly seen a trailer float. What happens is , it is bouyant enough to have a tide or current across the ramp actually move the trailer to one side so when you go to put the boat on , it's not there. I wouldn't worry about not being able to float the boat on due to height. I'f you're in an area  with still water , you should have no problem at all.
Other factors that come into play are how steep th ramp is and how far in you put it. I usually stop with the front end of my fenders still out of the water and with 15x8" aluminum  wheels and 225R75 tires and cedar bunks , mine stays put. My torsion axles also weigh a ton. They are 5000 lb capacity. They were loaded into my pickup with a forklift and I used a cherry picker to get them out at home for installation since i converted mine.

P.S. my bunks are 4"x10"x16'
 

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206LSdrvr said:
Seems like the weight of the axles and brakes would be heavy enough to hold everything down. Is the trailer mfr. using alum. tubing?
Click to expand...

That is the same thing a guy at work asked. No. Aluminum channel. The only tubes would be the axles which are square tubing.
 
Mine has 14" galvanized steel wheels, twin galvanized steel tube torsion axles (3500#/each), Cypress bunks, stainless hardware, galvanized bunk brackets, aluminum everything else. Aluminum I-Beam construction. Still floats LOL.

No problem with the boat pushing it down. I have walked on it to crank the winch and that puts it under too.
 
I've got a Fastload single axle aluminum trailer with 15" galvanized wheels. Trailer weight is 550#. Never had it float even with the fenders completely submerged. I want to get a twin axle trailer sometime since I am running running about 400# below the trailers gross weight.
 
74Formula233 said:
Mine has 14" galvanized steel wheels, twin galvanized steel tube torsion axles (3500#/each), Cypress bunks, stainless hardware, galvanized bunk brackets, aluminum everything else. Aluminum I-Beam construction. Still floats LOL.

No problem with the boat pushing it down. I have walked on it to crank the winch and that puts it under too.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that perspective. I have a better idea of my risk factors now and I decided to go ahead and get the aluminum wheels even though the builder said it would float. Your trailer is floating and you have 14" steel wheels. The builder said those wheels would keep the trailer down but I see it doesn't keep yours down. Floating is floating no matter what wheel so I got the wheels that I wanted for a good look. I'll deal with the floating if it is problematic.
I could always fill the guide posts with lead. ;D ;D
 
Finished my trailer deal.
Ace trailer. 7000lb GVWR, Torsion axles, aluminum wheels, stainless disk brakes, cypress bunks, Aluminum beam frame. Guide posts, submersible lighting.
Delivered to my driveway next weekend, $3325.

Gotta pay the delivery driver $200 on the drop. Still cheaper than my gas and time to go get it. ;D
 
aquaforce said:
Finished my trailer deal.
Ace trailer. 7000lb GVWR, Torsion axles, aluminum wheels, stainless disk brakes, cypress bunks, Aluminum beam frame. Guide posts, submersible lighting.
Delivered to my driveway next weekend, $3325.

Gotta pay the delivery driver $200 on the drop. Still cheaper than my gas and time to go get it. ;D
Click to expand...

LOL, that's what MINE is ;D Ace. Bought it in 2004, couldn't have been happier with the quality, price, and options!

Even delivered up here to RI, it was $2820 with galvanized wheels, everything else you got, 5,000# drop-jack, 20,000# winch strap.....and a spare tire & bracket. But that was 2 years ago. Aluminum has gone WAY up in price, so the increase is reasonable as hell considering ;)

You'll love it!

As far as the floating, as I said before, it didn't start floating until last year. It took about a season and a half. I figure it was from the Cypress Bunks drying out just enough, making the trailer lighter than the 1,006# it was delivered. Not a problem. Also good idea you mentioned, about weighing it down somehow "thru" the guide posts! ;)
 
The guide posts are here but I left them laying on the dock at MD ::) ::)

Trailer is to short. Boat hangs more than a foot off the end. Ace is going to build another trailer and deliver it here. They are also replacing the guide posts that I left behind when I picked the boat up in MD. Great customer service.

If this trailer had springs on the axles I would still be trying to get back to Atl, Ga. I am very impressed with the way torsions handle an improper load distribution. Did not sway at 80mph and there is NO tongue weight at all. Have to put jack stands under the bunks to keep the tongue from flying up in the air.

Will be glad when the replacement comes. ;D
 

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I knew you'd like their trailers! As you said, great customer service too!

My Ace will be going with the boat to Sweden Thursday :'(
 
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