Purchasing A Trailer

N

n4lbl

.
Oct 7, 2008
307
Well, I'm purchasing a trailer and I know even less about trailers than I
do my Vega. My concerns are both the mechanical configuration and the
hodge-podge of state laws in the U.S. While I am agonizing more about
brakes than anything else I am looking for any comments, criticism, and
suggestions.

First, I want lift on/off and I don't care to self-launch. A bow stop
seems unnecessary.

I really desire disc brakes. Apparently an electronic controller (on the
trailer, not the brake controller on the towing truck) is very expensive.
What I think I want are disc brakes with a surge controller. (Just in
case, if you don't know what they are you can see
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4913651_surge-brakes-work.html ). What
concerns me is that apparently some states (Iowa?) seem to require the
ability to operate the trailer brakes independently of the towing truck's
brake pedal. Should I care?

The alternative is drum brakes with an electrical controller. That is 1)
cheaper, 2) controllable separately from the brake pedal, and 3) lacks the
heat dissipation and mechanical simplicity of disc brakes.

Thoughts??

thanx,,,
Alan[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
 
D

dougpol1

.
Feb 13, 2010
528
I have towed tailors with heavy loads but never a boat of any weight.
If I were you I would take into consideration where I would be hauling
the boat. If you live in the mountains or hilly country I would concider
disk breaks as they do not heat up and expand the drums causing break
fade. I would also plan on using engine breaking when going downhill
especially with drum breaks. If your truck has disk breaks they will
not fade which could mean you would be breaking the trailer with the
truck if the drum breaks on the trailer fade. Trailers have been pulled
all over the country with drum breaks so it's more a matter of knowing
what you are doing and the limitation of your breaking system. I
think! Doug
 
M

mageekenneth

.
Oct 25, 2008
168
Albin Marin Vega Bogue Chitto, Miss
the brakes don't have to be anything special as long as the trailer weight rating will accept the load being hauled, then the breakes installed should be adequate. the tow vehicle is more of an issue than the trailer breakes. does it have the towing capacity for the weight...trailer + boat, add extra for all fuel and gear aboard. boats are taxed proportional to their weight, so any Gross vehile weight usually in tonnes for a boat will be the bare minimum. can your tow vehicle handle the tounge weight (downward force on the rear of the vehicle) on most trailers you could shift the load to adjust the amount of tounge weight. if you slid the load rearward past the center line/fulcrum of the trailer axels , then the load on the vehicle bumper or tow package would begin to lessen and lift..and if you moved the center of the load forward of the trailer axel centerline/fulcrum, then the tail end of the trialer would begin to rise and more
downward force would be exerted on the vehicle connection point. you aren't gonna be able to move the boat forward or aft, since it will be in some sort of fixed position craddle. so just make sure you buy a properly constructed well designed trailer that offers support to the hull of your vega at the same points where it would be lifted by a crane, into and out of the water. i wouldn't worry about the requirement of iowa unless you plan on trailering there, i can't see how their requirements would come into play, unless you tagged/registered the trailer. your home state would determine the requirements. more importantly than the breaks is the condition of the wheels and number of axels. you can always drive slower or choose alternate routes to avoid steep inclines or the need for having to try to stop short, but a trailer sits idle/unused for long periods of time and the rubber on the tires never flexes and stays pliable. weather / dry rot
tires are the biggest issues. with a top heavy, or high center of gravity load like your vega the last thing you would want would be a blow out, so just make sure you check the tires before towing, and when parked use some kind of sunscreen to protect the tires. heavy duty garbage bags work good for this.K.L.Magee

From: n4lbl alan.schulman@...
 
W

Whiskerpole

.
Jun 26, 2015
39
HUnter 29.5 RVYC Victoria, BC
I have a trailer that was custom made for a Vega. Tandem axle, electric drum brakes.

It is 25 years old, but was only used once when the original owner towed the boat from Lake Ontario to Victoria, BC. Brakes, lights, wheel bearings all in good shape. Needs new tires for any long distance hauling.

I'm using the trailer as a boat cradle while I finish the boat restoration. I'll be launching in May, and after that the trailer will be for sale.

If anyone is interested, let me know.

Bob
 
N

n4lbl

.
Oct 7, 2008
307
I'm not concerned about the towing truck. I've got a recent 3/4 ton pickup
with a so-called tow/haul transmission which is supposed to provide engine
braking. The truck also has large disc brakes. Every time I leave home I
drive 1/4 mile slightly downhill, then 1/3 mile losing 200 feet. That is
probably the worst gradient I'll see in the 1,500 or 2,000 miles to the
east coast.

I will also need to back up ~400 feet on my driveway with some modest up
and down. As long as I can disable the surge brake that'll be doable, if
agonizing.

Thank you all.

Alan
 
T

tim_klynn

.
Feb 12, 2008
337
The trailer I use has electric drum brakes. Towing the empty trailer from CA to CO, I encountered a lot of ice on the mountain highways.
I kept the speed down and used the brake controller manually to apply some braking to the trailer, with less braking on the truck, on the down grades.
Towing the Vega from NY to CO, I was concerned about the mountains in PA. It turned out that I didn't really even have to use the brakes
on the down hill sections, as the wind drag on the Vega kept the speed down to around 55 mph without much braking required.

I like the idea of disc brakes, but have found the drums work fine. -Tim
________________________________
From: n4lbl alan.schulman@...
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, April 1, 2012 1:52 PM
Subject: Re: [AlbinVega] Re: Purchasing A Trailer



I'm not concerned about the towing truck. I've got a recent 3/4 ton pickup
with a so-called tow/haul transmission which is supposed to provide engine
braking. The truck also has large disc brakes. Every time I leave home I
drive 1/4 mile slightly downhill, then 1/3 mile losing 200 feet. That is
probably the worst gradient I'll see in the 1,500 or 2,000 miles to the
east coast.

I will also need to back up ~400 feet on my driveway with some modest up
and down. As long as I can disable the surge brake that'll be doable, if
agonizing.

Thank you all.

Alan
 
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