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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Trailer Launching Wheel

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Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/19/2012 : 18:56:49

Hi all, does anyone use this? I book marked this link a long time ago from a discussion on this forum. Upon referring back to the link it doesn't specify if the wheel spins. My idea is to flip this the other way on the trailer and use this to help launch with an trailer extension. Does anyone know if the wheel spins on this thing?

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=3710&familyName=Trailer

Thanks all!

Ben
Beneteau 361
Viking Kitty
Columbus, Ohio

Edited by - on

shnool
Former Capri-25 Tech Editor

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USA
1032 Posts

Response Posted - 10/19/2012 : 18:57:58

That sure looks like a bearing hub. Boy that's priceless link if it is! Great find!

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 10/19/2012 : 19:14:01

I'm pretty sure that's the same hub we use, and if so, yes it spins. We have ours inverted as you plan & it works well for doing strap launches.

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dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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4593 Posts

Response Posted - 10/19/2012 : 19:14:42

There was a big discussion about these a few years ago, and one forum member reported using one with great success, and posted pictures. It looked great. It is both a spare tire carrier and spare hub carrier. The hub does in fact turn. I would not want to have to turn it over to use it as a launch wheel, just lower the trailer enough so that the tire touches the ground. Also, it will only work if you have enough room on the straight forward portion of the trailer to mount the carrier and for the wheel to turn freely. Unfortunately, I couldn't use the idea because my trailer had very little "tongue" in front of the A-frame portion of the frame.

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hewebb
Admiral

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USA
761 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2012 : 04:52:25

I use one that has a wheel mounted on a center crank down post.(similar to an A frame jack but heavier) The wheel pins on the post so you can remove it for travel. I do not have a photo but can get one if someone wants to see the installation. Works well.

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Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2012 : 06:10:26

Thanks guys, some of the folks at my club are at a loss as to how to do their strap launches since the Army Corp of Engineers recently updated our ramps. The grooves used to be very close together and shallow, allowing for a robust trailer jack, such as a Fulton two-wheeled version, to be used; but now the grooves are much further apart and much deeper, so the trailer jacks are being torn up by anyone attempting that method.

DavidP, why would you not want to turn the unit around so the wheel is lower? For my own purpose I don't strap launch but have an extender. Without a wheel support there is understandably a lot of pressure on the extender and my thought was to use this method to take the weight of the trailer. I can't do that though, unless I flip the unit around.

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zeil
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1314 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2012 : 09:35:09

This may work for you...

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dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2012 : 10:38:51

Henk has the one I was thinking of. As for turning it around, I just thought it would be a hassle to unscrew 2 U-bolts, flip the carrier over, and re-screw the U-bolts. Zeil's tire carrier is awesome, IMHO.
Since I didn't have room for a tire carrier on the trailer tongue, I used 2 trailer jacks on the front of the trailer to assist strap launching, and it worked well on our trailer.
Hey Henk, who made your trailer? I wonder if their tire carrier could be purchased as a kit.

Edited by - dmpilc on 10/20/2012 10:43:50

zeil
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1314 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2012 : 12:37:20

Using a 9ft extender at a variety of ramps, some in less than desirable condition, the reversible spare wheel is an essential part of our standard "Trailrite", trailer.

Wheel hubs are available at trailer and automotive outlets. A local welding shop will be able to fabricate the simple clamped-on reversible extension at a reasonable cost. Cold liquid galvanizing containing 95% zinc will blend-in and provide excellent protection

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shnool
Former Capri-25 Tech Editor

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USA
1032 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2012 : 17:50:01

The last picture confuses me... do you remove the wheel when you trailer down the road? Some of the other pictures show the hub higher than the frame, and the tire reaching JUST below the frame... This makes sense in a lot of ways, because it helps get the trailer more parallel (theoretically) to the water surface as the trailer goes down the ramp (which is at an angle from the surface).

This is my biggest issue... our ramps are so steep that the back of my trailer is deep enough early, but the neck of the trailer is close, but not close enough...

Either way this is ALL good info, and I want a cheap, non-welding solution for my steel frame trailer, as mine is not galvanized, nor do I want to pay the cost to have someone weld (cheap).

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Buzz Maring
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1768 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2012 : 18:17:06

I think this is what y'all are looking for: http://www.trailrite.com/prod05.htm

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zeil
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1314 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2012 : 19:26:28

Glad that "Trailrite" now includes this excellent option... it wasn't available some years ago

As Paul mentioned a few days ago in another thread that the "Old Boat Magazine", is a good source for information, DYS projects, facts and great stories.

A full description of the reversible wheel attachment will be published in the "Good Old Boat Magazine", in this or next month's magazine as submitted by undersigned

To answer John's question
1) You'll notice a slight, approx. 4" bend from the trailer to truck hitch which allows for sharp, sudden, downhill ramp curves
2) Without the boat on the trailer the wheel just touched the pavement. This allowes the user to make smaller swings with less wheel friction for maneuvering and parking etc.

John, it would be helpful to a lot of people if you could make/design an economical prototype of a no-weld version

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Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Response Posted - 10/22/2012 : 12:28:14

Buzz, that exactly what i need! However I should have thought of this a month ago. I just called Trailrite and they don't keep them in inventory, but rather build one when an order is placed. It takes about a week for Trailrite to build the unit. And it's $560. Pretty steep. I might still get it though. Gonna noodle it over a bit. Thanks for the link. :)

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GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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4304 Posts

Response Posted - 10/22/2012 : 18:51:02

$560 is highway robbery! There's about $30.00 worth of tubing, $200 at the most for the wheel and hub, and another $100 for a welder to put it together. If you measured and cut the pieces before going to the welder you could probably get it done for $50.00

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hewebb
Admiral

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USA
761 Posts

Response Posted - 10/23/2012 : 04:56:25

Spare Hub & Tire Carrier
Includes 5 stud pre-greased hub with bearings. Heavy duty steel carrier mounts both spare hub and spare tire. Designed for UHI 1,750# hub with 1-1/16" and 1-3/8" bearings. Fits all trailer frames up to 3" wide and 4" high. Security holes for optional cable and lock.

http://products.tiedown.com/category/tire-carriers

I got to this link from the Jamestown page. I did not find a price. They did have a page to request information.

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Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Response Posted - 10/23/2012 : 06:53:18

The problem I see with the unit on the link you provided Hewebb is that the Trailrite trailers won't accommodate the unit. I looked at my trailer over the weekend and there's no room on the trailer forward of the bow support to accept the Spare Hub & Tire Carrier that you linked and that I posted at the beginning of this thread. If you notice on the $560 Trailrite version, the unit is secured to the trailer aft of the bow support, and onto the 4"x4" center frame support. The wheel then extends out beyond the angled frame of the trailer.

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