Trailer Advice

al40 · 23 June 2007, 22:34

Hi,

Just been tinkering with my Ribcraft 5.3 / Dixon Bates Rapide R2B49/RC trailer combination to try and get the nose weight down a bit (thanks to Kev who helped me with this depsite the pouring rain). Whe I got the boat I could barely lift the tow hitch and estimated it was well in excess of 100KG.

The boat was already positioned quite far back on the trailer and I didn't want to move it back any more so had to move the axle forward by about 1 foot so it's now butted up against the the middle swing bar. Noseweight is now hovering around 70KG and with some careful storage of geat etc I should be able to keep it below that!

So my questions:

(1) Does anyone know if there are any legal requirements for the position of the axle in relation to the trailer length etc? Obviously as the axle is moved forward, the rear end swing-out will increase.

(2) In terms of trailer stability, will moving the axle forwards have compromised the handling of the trailer significantly? Specifically the tendancy to snake.

Thanks
Al.

codprawn · 23 June 2007, 23:19

What are you towing with? Some Land Rovers can handle 150kg nose weight!!!

al40 · 23 June 2007, 23:23

Vectra. Max hitch weight is 75KG.

Simon B · 24 June 2007, 09:30

There was a formula posted a while back try here;

Polwart's Calc

You'll need to measure the current noseweight and lengths then substitute in the required nose weight

Simon B · 24 June 2007, 09:38

al40

As long as the trailer is the correct size for the boat (i.e. stern not hanging way off the end) and your nose and axle weights are within the spec of your trailer tyres, plated axle weight and your vehicle nose weight then you have fulifilled the legal side of things.

The rear will swing out out a little further but should still follow the towing vehicle (almost) Snaking isnt as common with boat trailers as it is with caravans and very tall trailers.

Biggles · 24 June 2007, 12:41

Al,

I have a 5.85 setup and have noticed that the nose weight is horrendous.

I'm going to get my trailer man look at but its been recently serviced and wasn't commented on.

It does mean the trailer won't tip up with the boat on whilst I'm walking round in it and it rides well on the back of my car. My car can handle a nose weight of 112 KG.

NR.

Nos4r2 · 24 June 2007, 12:56

My Dixon-Bate's got a fairly high nose weight too. I wonder if they set the axle up for the right nose weight when empty?

matt h · 24 June 2007, 14:52

not sure if this is any help ,but as long as i can get over a ton and get the trailer to slide out out around roundabouts then i know its set up nicely!!

al40 · 24 June 2007, 17:06

Thanks for the replies.

It does seem that the axle is quite far back on Dixon Bates trailers by default. It may be they are supplied to Ribcraft ready rigged in anticipation of the top spec boats (ie max weight motor off the back) - I got mine bare with no engine and hate to think what the nose weight was then! Would have though Ribcraft would balance them a bit more to individual boat config tho!

The boat fits perfectly on the trailer with the rear rollers just ahead of the transom so I guess it's OK.

I did notice how sensitive the nose weight was to loading. Even removing the anchor from the locker had a profound effect. Given the fuel tank is quite far forward, I expect fuel loading will also make a huge difference! Ordered a proper nose weight measuring thingy and also a 25l container I can fill with water to balance things out a bit if necessary!

Cheers,
Al.

RAZZER · 24 June 2007, 20:45

Hi
All the trailers are set up for each rig taking in engine, A frame, console config,
As you had a non engine package from us we could not set the trailer for you.

The axle can be moved to adjust the nose weight,however this is done by our factory trained engineers and we would suggest you seek advice from a NTTA registered trailer engineer as moving the axle involves re setting up the brake cable which if done badly could be dangerous for you and 3rd party!!

Dixon Bate have a technical engineer and don't be afraid to call upon his help if required.
Regards
Dorian

Biggles · 25 June 2007, 12:31

Dorian,

I personally always thought RIBCRAFT set up the trailers correctly. They seem to do everything else well so something so fundamentally important to safety should be high on the list of things to get right.

It just confuses us all that the nose weight seems to be so heavy. Are you at liberty to say how much you set the nose weight at ? This might be a good time to clear up a few misconceptions.

al40 · 25 June 2007, 12:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAZZER

Hi
All the trailers are set up for each rig taking in engine, A frame, console config,
As you had a non engine package from us we could not set the trailer for you.

The axle can be moved to adjust the nose weight,however this is done by our factory trained engineers and we would suggest you seek advice from a NTTA registered trailer engineer as moving the axle involves re setting up the brake cable which if done badly could be dangerous for you and 3rd party!!

Dixon Bate have a technical engineer and don't be afraid to call upon his help if required.
Regards
Dorian

This wasn't an attack - just an observation. From various comments from RC owners (both on this forum and in person), it does seem the nose weight is generally high on RC / Dixon Bate trailer combinations. Fuel loading is probably the influencing factor on this and as I have discovered, even an anchor has an almost 100% effect weight effect on the nose weight. As this is an open forum intended to help other RIBsters, other RC customers with similar rigs have replied which is helpful. I have neither complained the trailer was not balanced nor asked you to balance it. I'm perfectly happy doing this and have done so based on my individual setup. I simply expressed my surprise at the nose weight when I got the boat and expect it was well over 120KG (took 2 to lift the nose). Most cars have nose weight limit of 75KG

The brakes have been setup correctly (I just spoke to Dixon Bate to verify this). Bowden cable is set such that there is no "knock" on the car when braking. Brakes come on smoothly and progressively. With handbrake applied, lever is roughly vertical.

Hugh Jardon · 25 June 2007, 17:01

if your boat can take it i have found that it is good to put a couple of small sandbags in the front of the anchor locker, these can cushion the locker from the anchor but also they help to lessen the effects of fuel load on nose weight and boat handling. i typically break up a sand bag into various strong bin bags and then black tape them up to the desired shape. seems to work a treat.
it seems to help me as i carry a light nose weight on the trailer and it lessens the effects of fuel load

al40 · 25 June 2007, 20:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hugh Jardon

if your boat can take it i have found that it is good to put a couple of small sandbags in the front of the anchor locker, these can cushion the locker from the anchor but also they help to lessen the effects of fuel load on nose weight and boat handling. i typically break up a sand bag into various strong bin bags and then black tape them up to the desired shape. seems to work a treat.
it seems to help me as i carry a light nose weight on the trailer and it lessens the effects of fuel load

Yes, that's a good shout. Unfortunately I can just (and no more) fit my 40m warp, 5m chain and anchor into the locker. I'll try the 25l water container and see if that's enough to balance it out once fuel tank if full.

Will post results once I've towed it next weekend.

Thanks
Al.

RAZZER · 25 June 2007, 21:31

Hi

The reply was not meant to be defensive sorry if it seemed that way.

We set the trailer nose weight to 75 kg for finished boats this is the mid point for the general guidelines of 50-100 kgs of nose weight but many people have opinions on this.
The most popular engine on a 5.3 is the Suz 90 which runs out at 190 ish kg so the axle is set back on the trailer cope with the weight of the lump on the back.
The reason i mentioned about the cable is that if you move the axle you will need to set up the brakes again which can be a pain to get spot on.
How does the 5.3 go with a 50 on the back?
Cheers
Dor