Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by egerrity on 07/06/11 - 10:08 AM

Hello All
I hope the July 4th weekend was a good one for everyone.

After trailering my 17 Montauk about 150 miules this weeeknd and relaunching at home I noticed some issues with my trailer.
I have a 2007 Load Rite bunk with keel rollers. I have been very happy with the trailer, especially with how the boat sits on it. I have been noticing over the past year some things are getting nasty. The trailer is used in salt water and gets rinsed everytime its in or out.
Anyway, the rear keel roller has split and the "rod" is rotted out and rusted through. As a matter of fact the "U" bolts that hold the keel rollers on have rusted pretty bad as well. They look to be galvanized but not great quality.
I just need some feed back on what to replace the rollers with that might last longer... Same with the "U" bolts.
Thanks

Posted by mustang11 on 07/06/11 - 11:12 AM

I overhauled my trailer during the past winter. I did the rollers, roller rods and caps, bow stopper, leaf springs, u bolts and axle plates all for pretty much the same reasons. I had to order from several different sites because I couldn't find one that had all the parts with the measurements and specifications needed.

Since my trailer is an 80's Cox, there was no hope really for finding parts by model. I had to take measurements of all the existing hardware and purchase replacement parts by matching sizes.

With a Load Rite, you may be able to get parts made for that model. If not, you can order parts with the correct measurements from sites like eTrailer. I have had good luck with them and the quality of the parts has been good as well.

Posted by egerrity on 07/06/11 - 1:02 PM

Thanks for the info. I guess in a perfect world I should get the Stainles steel Pins and the better "yellow" keel rollers, even though the bottom is painted? Looks like they will last longer.
Anyone have any pointers on puttting the end caps on the pins?
I also lost one of my bearing buddies on the trip home. They seemed tight when I hammered them on. They have plenty of grease. What would cause this? Overheated hub? There seems to be no damage to the hub on first inspection.
Thanks

Posted by blindeman on 07/06/11 - 2:00 PM

Yes to the Stolz rollers and SS pins! I had to replace a stern roller pin that was aluminum because it bent and caused the roller to stop rolling. It literally chewed up the keel to the point where I had to do some gel coat repair.

As to the yellow Stolz rollers... the black ones mark up the hull as they get older. The Stolz ones do not.

Bruce

Posted by Turpin on 07/06/11 - 2:05 PM

if your talking about those "oneway" washer or caps, I used a socket (deep well gives you more to hold) sliding it over the cap (just big enough to fit over the cap) and smacked the crap out of it with a hammer til fully seated. Yes it can be a pain to get started but this is what worked for me.

Posted by mustang11 on 07/06/11 - 2:48 PM

I second the stainless steel pins. You can't really wash the inside of the rollers when you get home from the launch, but it's a place salt water will have direct contact.

You can also try vice grips to hold the side of the caps while tapping them onto the pin. You just have to hold it as straight possible for each tap, any significant angle and it will knock it back off again until it is actually seated.

As for the bearing buddies, it is possible to have a hub that is slightly over or undersized due to tolerances in manufacturing. This is more likely on older trailers, but if this happens regularly you may want to try another brand to see if you can find one with a better fit for your trailer or individual wheel.

It is also could have worked loose on it's own. I tap mine regularly to make sure they stay in. I doubt you did any damage or overheated anything if it was a short trip. If one falls off, there is usually enough grease left on there to keep everything running smoothly until you replace it.

Brian

Posted by gacto on 07/06/11 - 5:05 PM

#10

I agree with Phil, eastermarine.com is one stop shopping so to speak. Luckily they are about 20 min from me, and I still find any reason I can to go walk around in there. If it's for a trailer, they have it! Also have a pretty big marine section.

Posted by cmeichler33 on 07/06/11 - 8:28 PM

#11

If you want to go local Trailer City has a location in Hempstead and and if you look online they have other locations on Long Island. They have everything you'll need and at a good price.

Posted by kamie on 07/06/11 - 10:53 PM

#12

go to championtrailers and get the stolz keel rollers and use SS rollers with cotter pins. It is so much easier to pull them and squeeze some grease on the rollers than using the PAL Nuts

Posted by egerrity on 07/07/11 - 5:54 AM

#13

Thanks again for the info. I like Kamie's idea for the SS pins with cotter pins.
I also want to replace some the "u bolts". I am inclined to get SS u bolts. Will these mesh well with the galvanized trailer frame? The current ubolts look great untill you look at the ends with the bolts and washers. All rusted!! Maybe these were inferior u bolts? The question is; Galvanized or SS?