craddle trailer

[fondymike]

A couple of weeks ago I asked about turning my craddle into a trailer in order to save on storage fees. I found the photo and thought I'd submit it here to solicit comments. One that comes to mind is; shouldn't a 4400lb. boat have two axels? I only have two miles to trailer it twice a year and it could save me $350 not to mention it would be in my backyard to work on it.

 

[Rick Webb]

Not Necessarily

You can get trailer tires rated up to #2540. For what you are looking at doing a single axle trailer has some advantages.Check the link

 

[Clayton]

Probably need two axles

Rick,With the boat weighing in at 4400 lbs, the single axle may be an alternative... The only problem is you have to factor in the weight of the cradle and all of the extra stuff on the boat. Consideration also should be given to the weight of the motor, batteries, water, etc... I would probably try and go with 2 axles, that is if the cradle was heavy duty enough to take the shock loading the road would dish out. (Think flexing from driving over a curb or hitting a pothole.) My 26.5 is 4400 lbs, the boat on the trailer ready to go down the road is just over 7000. You may be able to beef up the frame on the cradle to increase the stiffness and add axles, but I would definately go with two.Good Luck,Clayton

 

[Rick Webb]

Good Point Clayton

Somthing to consider.

 

[Wanderer138]

Got brakes?

I was going to add a second axle to my trailer for some redundancy in case I had a blowout. Then I learned that a trailer with two axles MUST have brakes on one of them. I also learned that each axle is only rated at 3500 lb, even though the tires may be rated for a higher load. In my case, the boat and trailer weigh less than 3000 lb, so instead of a second axle and brakes, I bought new tires and a tire pressure gauge.PeterH23 "Raven"