Advice please on launching trolley

[Quayside]

My 6.6m/850kg RIB is under construction. It will be kept ashore on a concrete slipway and launched into salt water, for each occasion it will be used, using an electric powered winch (i.e. not using a vehicle). I need a trolley or trailer for this purpose - I do not need it to be capable of use on a road. The trolley will therefore move up and down the slipway on the axle wheels and the jockey wheel. The boat manufacturer has proposed an SBS 1800EL road trailer.

Does anyone have any suggestions or comments?

Many thanks

[Trailer Guy]

I supplied some launching trolleys (i.e. unbraked) to a company in Guernsey a while back, based on a large, single axle, roller coaster road trailer. Do you want me to dig some details out?

[Quayside]

Yes please, that would be very helpful

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Quayside

My 6.6m/850kg RIB is under construction. It will be kept ashore on a concrete slipway and launched into salt water, for each occasion it will be used, using an electric powered winch (i.e. not using a vehicle). I need a trolley or trailer for this purpose - I do not need it to be capable of use on a road. The trolley will therefore move up and down the slipway on the axle wheels and the jockey wheel. The boat manufacturer has proposed an SBS 1800EL road trailer.

Does anyone have any suggestions or comments?

Many thanks

Seems like a really bad spec for your application if it will genuinely never be towed by a vehicle or go on road.

Brakes unnecessary and just going to rust and seize giving you a headache.

A tow hitch you will never use makes it easier to nick.

It's over specced weight wise for what you want, seems unnecessary for a launch trolley, although possibly a positive on road.

The jockey wheel is crap for what you are planning.

If being used only on smooth surfaces I'd lean towards smaller wheels as can get boat deeper for less winch length. Again on road big wheels have benefits but on a nice slipway not the same.

Not sure if the 1800el is double axle or not, but if you are pushing around a compound (assuming you can't leave at the very top of the slip) then two axles will make turning hard work.

Personally I'd investigate made for the job rather than from the catalogue your boat builder happens to have a deal with. It should be no more expensive (possibly a good bit cheaper) and actually better for your very specific job. Road trailers are a stack of compromises.

[Trailer Guy]

Agree with the above, you definitely don't want brakes and the associated coupling etc. They do an 1800el in both single and twin axle derivation, but as said I think they're both a tad over-spec'd.

I'll dig out that info for you.

[Quayside]

Thanks, both.

I look forward to details of alternatives

[Hightower]

Do you need Ball bearing races for this type of launching trolley? Wouldn't bush and shaft bearings be more reliable or would it be too difficult to move around the yard by hand?

[9D280]

Brain dump:

- How far in wil lthe winch go? There;s an argunment for bunks & just float it off if you don't have a hitch to rust & sieze.

- does the yard have a tractor to manoever it around? a 6.5M boat is going to be in the region of a ton or so by the time it's sat on a trolley. => use road wheels with bearings unless you have propulsion

- you can get "yard" hitches (i.e unbraked but rated to lots of KG)

- similar theme the grease in the bearings won't ever warm up if it's travelling 20 yds each journey, so much reduced bearing water ingess issues

- If it's a fully submersible, bunk trolley you could probably weld the whole frame up for about £300. (and can design it with the bunks so it sits lower relative to the ground - road traiers need to clear stuff like speed humps, kerbs etc....

- back to the weight, chances are unless you can get solid rubber tyres you'll probably need a 13" wheel otherwise you will be paying silly money for small dia high load rated tyres.... (e.g I was quoted £150 for a 500Kg rated 8". At that point I replaced the trailer.)

- ref. Pol's small wheels I might disagree slightly - a solid slip will still have stones sat on it, cracks in the concrete, drainage channels etc. Bigger the wheel, easier it will handle these inconsistencies.

[bedajim]

If you had a 50mm stainless bar bolted to your launch trailer as an axle and made some hubs to suit mini wheels with oil lite bushes you'll be fine.

Drill the end of the bar for some large R clips or washers and bolts

For the jockey twin 8-10" wheels on the same type of setup

Works a treat

Jim

[BumbleAbout]

Just be aware that bigger trailer wheels may float when you may want to immerse them to recover the boat (bunks imply submerging but rollers maybe not) ...

[bedajim]

Originally Posted by BumbleAbout

Just be aware that bigger trailer wheels may float when you may want to immerse them to recover the boat (bunks imply submerging but rollers maybe not) ...

Yes these maybe a little overkill

FORD NEW HOLLAND TRACTOR WHEELS AND TYRES | eBay

[BumbleAbout]

I rest my case

[Quayside]

Thanks everyone, for your very helpful comments. I've been feeding back your points to the boat builder, so now we're talking about a more bespoke trolley, with no brakes, a meaty point to attach the winch line and a pneumatic jockey wheel (the largest it can be on the leg) - but we have retained bearings on the main wheels. I'm waiting for final details, but I suspect the quote is going to be more than if I hadn't started from here.

All up weight is about 1150Kg, with the force required up the slipway calculated at about 400kgf - and I will be using blocks to align the pull to the centre of the slipway. The winch is rated at 1000Kgf.

[Poly]

Sbs actually make something not a million miles from what you might want (and cheaper than the 1800el trailer) http://www.sbstrailers.com/product_d...uctDisplay=405

[Trailer Guy]

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