[mwood7800]

My Magic tilt was just plain crap, the toursion bar axel only made it 2.5 years and most of that was freash water, it must have been dipped in zink pain , not hot dipped galv.

also the fenders started falling off the first 3 months.

 

[X-Shark]

On the spare tire... we mount ours onto the side of the winch stand. There are some companies that mount the spare directly off the i-beam near the winch stand. But so far we haven't received any complaints in regards to the current location. Per the other posters, we have just recently started pricing our trailers with the Spare Tire included.

I have seen several types of mounts like this.



Thinking about safety only here. The one I have on my Hi-Tech cants the tire out at the top. It inturn has a plate on the inside that when the wheel is tightened up it rubs the rim on the inside. Note that it is a spare hub style mount, but with the cant and that plate the wheel can NOT spin.



A lot of spares do spin.



These spares are put in a spot that make them conducive to use as a step to climb over the bow.



Have one that spins and it's a accident waiting to happen for this use. Have one that doesn't and is locked in steady and it makes a good step.

 

[johnsonbeachbum]

hardyboy (2/5/2010)

BIGRIGZ (2/2/2010)I like to have tall guide-ons with the lights mounted up high on the guide-on (makes backing the trailer really easy and especially after the trailer drops off the ramp), good spots to anchor straps on the frame, good spot for a spare tire. maybe there's more things I prefer in a trailer.... I'll think....



an underwater light in the center of the trailer would be pretty cool for night loading.....

We can install lights at the tops of the guides; however, it has been our experience that guides are typically the first item that gets "taken out" / damaged on a trailer. And I know that most of your are careful with your boat and trailer... but there are those out there who tend to tear stuff up more quickly than other. Now say you snap the guide in half... or even just take off the top few inches... visualize what happens to the wiring. Needless to say... repair work can become tedious and daunting, for the Owner or for us. But yes, this is an option. We plan to add this our 'Upgrade' package.

Maybe consider how the tall guides are to be mounted. Mine are the radius bent aluminum tube with pvc schedule 20 with pipe over that.

The horizontal leg is u-bolted to the frame rail. But if I come in to hot or not lined up well with my squared off bow and hit a guide on, it "gives" and is pushed forward as it rotates in the u-bolts mount. Afterwards I can push it back into the original position and nothing is worse for wear.



We like the underwater light in the center for night loading. But again, we see this as an item that may get torn up easily. We are looking into this though, in addition to reflective stickers/markers. conspicuous tape is a D.O.T. requirement by law.

 

[Jack Hexter]

I would not own a trailer without forward keel bunks. Makes it SOOOO much easier to load. Hit the bunks, straighten the engines, and add power

 

[fisheye48]

would like for a company to anwser their phone or return pm's called and pm'ed hardyboy aka tomahawk trailers....nothing...having the same issue again on a less than year old trailer...starting to get very aggervated...need some anwsers or service some kind of quick!

 

[hardyboy]

fisheye48 (2/9/2010)would like for a company to anwser their phone or return pm's called and pm'ed hardyboy aka tomahawk trailers....nothing...having the same issue again on a less than year old trailer...starting to get very aggervated...need some anwsers or service some kind of quick!

Sorry for any inconvenience. I had been planning to respond to all posts over the weekend, including PM's. Technically... I probably need a secretary to keep up with all my calls, emails, PM's etc. Regardless... life sometimes gets in the way. The wife is 6 months pregnant and has been fighting a sinus infection... thus I have been taking on a lot at the house. You should have a call from me by day's end. Thank you for your understanding.

 

[fisheye48]

hardyboy (2/9/2010)

fisheye48 (2/9/2010)would like for a company to anwser their phone or return pm's called and pm'ed hardyboy aka tomahawk trailers....nothing...having the same issue again on a less than year old trailer...starting to get very aggervated...need some anwsers or service some kind of quick!

Sorry for any inconvenience. I had been planning to respond to all posts over the weekend, including PM's. Technically... I probably need a secretary to keep up with all my calls, emails, PM's etc. Regardless... life sometimes gets in the way. The wife is 6 months pregnant and has been fighting a sinus infection... thus I have been taking on a lot at the house. You should have a call from me by day's end. Thank you for your understanding.

Thanks for all your help on the phone!!!!!:clap

 

[SonShine Fishing]

I bought a mid 70s Float On trailer and completely refurbished it. All cross members are aluminum. All fasteners are stainless steel. Every location a bolt passes through aluminum the hole is filled with silicone. When you dunk the trailer water finds its way into the hole and causes corrosion. Silicone keeps the water out. Lights are LED with tinned copper wiring. I have keel bunks, guide poles are 2 inch OD polished 304 stainless steel exhaust tubing bent 90 degrees at the bottom and clamped in place. If something hits them they will rotate in the clamps. There is 2 inch PVC pipe slid over guide pole, acts as a roller on rub rail. LED marker lights on top of pole. We have loaded in severe cross winds, the poles have a little spring action but will not bend. I have plastic bunk slicks instead of carpet. I back the trailer down the ramp, my brother drives the boat on until it is firm against the winch stand, I pull the boat out of the water then connect winch strap, safety chain and rear straps. Boat does not slip back without winch strap. If loading by myself I step on diamond plate aluminum mounted on top of tongue to enter or exit boat. Draw bar is extra long to keep tow vehicle out of water. Torsion axles with Kodiak disc brakes on one. Speed limit is 35 mph from my shop where boat is stored to the two ramps I use. If I trailered above 45 mph I would want brakes on both axles. It was a lot of work to get this trailer right but is super easy to use. Rebuild was 4 years ago. Only repair was right LED tail light leaked and the LEDs went out one by one. I used a set of race car wheel scales to come up with a loaded weight of about 5500 pounds including trailer. Cobia tower makes it 13 and a half feet tall. I tow with no problem with V6 powered Astro van.

 

[X-Shark]

I have plastic bunk slicks instead of carpet. I back the trailer down the ramp, my brother drives the boat on until it is firm against the winch stand, I pull the boat out of the water then connect winch strap,

Your a braver man than I. I never recommend undoing the strap until the boat is over water and I'd never pull out without the strap hooked up...Especially with bunk slicks!





To many boats have been pre launched on the hard. Never by me.

 

[hardyboy]

MGuns (2/2/2010)<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">I have a tandem axle Magic tilt and the lug nuts have rusted and become extremely difficult to take off. The brakes rusted completely shut in spite of rinsing after every use and I had to take them off. The hubs are rusting badly. I?ve had this trailer for approximately 4 years.

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Sorry for the delayed response. But we want to respond to everyone as you each have different trailer experiences.<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">MagicTilt does have a large presence in NWF.<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Lug nuts can be a bear. Once or twice a year, when you've got the wheel off to service the brakes, replace any nuts that are rusty. Take a wire brush and knock of any corrosion from the studs and/or squirt them with anti-seize lubricant (replace studs if need be). A cheap maintenance effort that will save you from ever being stuck roadside and in need of a blowtorch to get your flat tire off.<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">I think we can all agree that brakes on boat trailers result in headaches down the road... it's just a matter of when (see thread on rinsing trailers in off topic). For those who are wondering... to upgrade to stainless steel brakes on a Tomahawk would be an add of $550 per axle.<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Hubs are going to rust; the nature of the beast. You can clean them up and paint them with cool seal (aluminum roof coating) to give them a little more life. Hubs just don't come in salt-water friendly material.

Need a new 5 lug hub? $35/ea ...6 lug hub? $45/ea ....Bearing Kit? $18/ea We can install or DIY.

 

[hardyboy]

SaltAddict (2/2/2010)I have a magictilt. Removed the drum brakes after one year. Moved the tail lights to the top of the guide posts. Side lights were useless after a year. Switched to a two wheel front jack. I know it would increase cost, but anything that can be aluminum or stainless would be better than galvenized. Shelling out the extra $ in the beginning is better than the $ and headache later. And I agree with uping what is considered standard.

On the side lights... whenever you have an outage 1st check the fuses on your vehicle. Or there is the handy little gadget that plugs into your trailer connection on your vehicle and lights up to let you know if all is well or not.(Also keep in mind that bulbs do blow out.)A lot of the time,salt has gotten between the wire and the metal... youcan clean up the connection with a wire brush.Tomahawk uses LED Submersible Lights on all of our trailers. We honestly don'tever have too many callsfrom our clients having issues with their lights. We have LED brake light kits at our shop for $35. LED side lights at $12/ea.

 

[hardyboy]

X-Shark (2/2/2010)When I first talked to Brad @ Hi Tech many years ago I had a full legal pad spelled out as to what I wanted in a trailer.

He was the only one that said...."That's the way we build them."

Since that time he and I have become good friends. I've sold a bunch of his trailers for him.

I have also bought parts from him to add forward Keel bunks on trailers that were not equipped that way. Those customers Love them now, due to the trailer being setup correctly for the boat and making it easy to load and unload.

The only thing that NO trailer manufacture does is do a good wiring job to make it last. The use of Scotchlocks is abundant in the trailer business.

But the last time I talked to Brad the subject came up again. He said not a problem to solder and shrink tube the whole system. But it's a extra cost, but it is available.



X-Shark, thanks for all your posts; you seem to have a good handle on boat and trailer repair.

For the record, we have a similar 'Standard Package' to that of Hi-Tech. And inour opinion, of course, we build an equal or better product than that of our competitors down Hwy 98.

All of our trailers are equipped with forward keel bunks (of course unless the client doesn't need them based on their boat type or doesn't want them). Our boat trailers are built custom toeach boat; although we can supply "adjustable" bunks, we build a majorityof our forward keel bunks with holes drilled to match the needs of the boat. Less holes equates to astronger structure.

We shrink tube all fittings at the back of the trailer; however, we do utilize 'scotchlocks' at the side of the trailer. Here you have one wire connecting perpendicularly to the middle of another wire. Yes, you could solder/shrink this location... but it would just plain look bad (our opinion of course).But yes, do-able at an added cost of time and material.

 

[hardyboy]

snapperfan (2/5/2010)

hardyboy (2/5/2010)
We typically deal with larger boats that don't require anchor straps.

That will get your customer a ticket in the Keys.

I think we may be talking about two different things. There isstrap with each winch on every trailer that is the "anchor" point. I was referencing the additional anchor straps on the frame for smaller boats that may lift off their trailer when going over serious bumps in the road, etc.

 

[hardyboy]

Killin' Time (2/3/2010)I'm with Bobby. WIRING. I am not nor do I want to be an electrical engineer. My trailer is an 06' and I would rather chew my own leg off than deal with another light out. Every time I move the boat I spend time redoing something. I know I should redo the whole thing, but it would be nice to not buy a 3,000 dollar trailer and have to fix it. Soon as I hook to it, another wire gone to corrosion, and of course with kids ready to go, another quick fix. Feel free to use my trailer as a prototype to any solution you have.

And again a sincere thanks for caring about the customers.

As the wiring comments seem to be up there next to the brakes drama... we will be brainstorming some ideas and attempting some of your suggestions to see if we can find a better way (we'll let you know when we are ready forthe 1stguinea pig). See our post from earlier this evening on the steps to run through on your next light outage.

 

[hardyboy]

fishin' fool (2/3/2010)I have an 08magic tilt aluminum trailer. I have had a few minor problems with the brakes and I am experiencing an intermediate ground issue-but may be related to the truck wiring. (I haven't really tried to track it down yet) Only stating here so you can keep these things in mind to make yours better.

I would have loved to see an option for a fixed wash down system (such as http://www.trailerspa.biz/).And, I am sure that it is an option, but a longer tongue (or whatever it would be called) would have been nice too.

Fishin' Fool - See our post earlier this evening as to checking your electrical/lighting problems. We do have one of those handy gadgets that I referenced that plugs into your connection on your vehicle and lights up to show youif your problem is within your vehicle or if it is the trailer(feel free to come see us).

We will have to look more into the trailerspa website (wasn't too impressed at first, for I was expecting more picture of their system on their site).

The size of the tongue is an important component and comes in many different sizes. We install the proper tongue for your boat trailering needs based on your boat's specifications.

 

[hardyboy]

X-Shark (2/4/2010)

We like the suggestion on the ground wires. We plan to see how this change may impact our costs for the extra material and labor.

While on the subject of wiring.

Why can't ya just put a 7pin round male plug on the trailer with brakes?

All my trailers have 7 pin round plugs weither they have brakes or not.

Heres the deal. Trucks come standard with a 7pin round female connector.

So why put a 4 pin flat or a 5 pin flat and then have to go buy a stupid adapter?

It's something else to keep up with and another place to loose a connection.

Just does not make any sense......unless you think that $4 savings [4pin flat to 7pin cost] makes sense for the aggravation.



Last one for the evening... and then hopefully I can wrap up all responses over the next day or two... and then allow this topic to slowly disappear into the PFF post archives. We do truly appreciate all of your comments, thoughts, and suggestions.

Not everyone has a big truck with a7 pin round female connector. But, we hope to provide all of our customers with a trailer that is suited to their needs... including the proper connector needed.

 

[X-Shark]

Hubs are going to rust; the nature of the beast. You can clean them up and paint them with cool seal (aluminum roof coating) to give them a little more life. Hubs just don't come in salt-water friendly material.

A little checking and you will see that hubs are available in Galvanized.





OLD:

NEW:

 

[X-Shark]

We shrink tube all fittings at the back of the trailer; however, we do utilize 'scotchlocks' at the side of the trailer. Here you have one wire connecting perpendicularly to the middle of another wire. Yes, you could solder/shrink this location... but it would just plain look bad (our opinion of course). But yes, do-able at an added cost of time and material.

I never use any one wire lights. IE: uses the frame of the trailer as a ground. I always have a seperate ground wire that is sealed from the elements.



And speaking of sealing from the elements. Once the insulation is nicked as in using Scotchlocks corrosion will wick up the wire. This in turn causes a higher resistance in the wire.



You wouldn't use Scotchlocks on your bilge pump. [I hope not?:crying] Because you want it to work. It is in a very wet environment and a safety item.



Well so are the lights on your trailer.



By sticking to a particular way of doing things and using specific LED lights. [Not all LED lights are created equal and do fail faster!]

I have eliminated boat trailer light problems, and no they are not stuck up in the air....out of the water. Mine are right on my trailers frame. [I own 3 boat trailers]

 

[hardyboy]

I somewhat figured you'd be the first to respond to my latest posts, X-Shark.



We've been in this business for a good while and we understand what is available to us and to our clients.



We only utilize galvanized hubs on our trailers.



The fact of the matter is that the 'galvanizing' will start to flake off after time... allowing rust to form.

 

[johnsonbeachbum]

hardyboy (2/11/2010)Lug nuts can be a bear. Once or twice a year, when you've got the wheel off to service the brakes, replace any nuts that are rusty. Hubs are going to rust; the nature of the beast. You can clean them up and paint them with cool seal (aluminum roof coating) to give them a little more life. Hubs just don't come in salt-water friendly material.



Need a new 5 lug hub? $35/ea ...6 lug hub? $45/ea ....Bearing Kit? $18/ea We can install or DIY.

They also make stainless steel hubs but they will set you back about $120+ per hub.



Also consider McGard lugnuts with lifetime warranty against rusting or chipping, etc. kinda pricey at $2.50+ per lugnut but the cost of one will be paid for after you replace regular ones five or six times.

http://www.mcgard.com/Home/MarineProducts/TrailerWheelLocksandLugNuts

http://www.mcgard.com/Home/MarineProducts/TrailerWheelLocksandLugNuts