Trailers (@#@^$&&^%$*)

[Tomas]

So I posted this pic in another thread with the followup comment that it was corrosion. My problem, for sure but you gotta look at what happend on a "corrosion resistant" trailer for my 4.7 SR. The follow-up post shows what I found for a solution!

[Tomas]

[Tomas]

Well the springs are carbon steel, as makes sense. But attached to this aluminum trailer with galvanized fittings and fasteners were multi-leaf springs with structual light gauge carbon steel fittings that were screaming to fail from the first day they hit salt water. The 16ga. keeper in the first pic was all that kept the leaves together

Next post...solution in progress.

Tomas

[Tomas]

And what to look for in a trailer if you launch in salt water! Screw a bunch of multi-leaf springs. The attached shows a single spring member that avoids the problem of multi-leafs and their fittings.

The fact that the springs were "Made in China" was a good thing on my pocket, even here but, the fact that all four formed attachment holes were different diameters and the Delrin bushings needed to be shaved, driven, bored and otherwise abused to mount and get a s/s bolt through had me cussing in three different languages and wishing I knew some Cantonese!

[jwalker]

Tomas, you might like to reconsider the use of a stainless bolt in that application. A high tensile bolt, well greased, would be my choice.

That single leaf looks the business though.

[Tomas]

Yes, thanks for your comment on the bolts. Do you think that electrolosys between the galvanized steel and the s/s bolt is going to be a real problem? The bolt is shielded from the spring with a delrin bushing. I've already got galvanized attached all over the place to the aluminum trailer frame. My limited knowlege of that stuff says that aluminum is more likely to induce rapid corrosion in contact with other metals.

[fast fred]

Stainless bolts are grade 2, cuzz they are soft, grade 2 is not what you want holdin up your boat., grade 8 is what you want in thare.

[Tomas]

Originally Posted by fast fred

Stainless bolts are grade 2, cuzz they are soft, grade 2 is not what you want holdin up your boat., grade 8 is what you want in thare.

Ahhh So, it's not electrolysis but fear of shear. My gut tells me that given the load, the 1/2" diameter bolts, even grade 2 are sufficient. I had such an awful time removing the old bolts (thanks for the extra two inches of threads sticking out of the nut) that I felt from a maintenance perspective, something I had a hope of disassembling was the way to go. I don't do any highway driving here (there's no highways), just a short but very rough run down from the mountains to the ramp at Gallows Bay.

I'll ponder the selection further, thanks for the information...

[Tomas]

I decided to stick with the Stainless. My truck, in seven years averages only around 5500 kilometers a year and the boat makes probably 60 trips a year to the ramp, a distance of less than 3 kilometers at 5-20 mph. It was war getting the corroded bolts out of the rig (I don't have access to a torch) so even if I need to pull a sample bolt once a year to check for fretting, that's a bargin.

For heavy boats at highway speed I agree that Gr. 8 would be the way to go.

Job done, trailer fixed, wind blowing like STINK.

T