# welded vs bolt together



## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

As long as the nuts, bolts and washers are a large
enough diameter to deal with the stresses, they're fine.
The old magic-tilts only had one bolt to hold the trailer to the tongue.


----------



## gheenoe (Dec 27, 2009)

Aluminum welds can crack with age.


----------



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

one of the trailers I'm looking at is the magic tilt B16xw which is bolt together, but is wide enough to hold the next boat I'm planning on building  At $815 it's the cheapest trailer I've found thats wider then 48 inches


----------



## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

if your dunking it in saltwater make sure the hardware is at the very least galvanized or you'll be back to square one in a few years   btw, have you checked on a ramlin trailer yet? i'm thinking one of those would look sweet sitting under my sled


----------



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

everything I see on ram-lin is painted, do you have a link to a site that has there dealers or products?


----------



## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

ramlin.com


----------



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I called ramlin and spoke with a dealer, no go, there trailers are about 200-300 more then the compairable magic tilt or continental trailer. I'm going to look at the magic tilt again tomorrow and see if I can bargain them down.

one last question, alot of the new trailers I've been looking at have rust on the leaf springs already, is this normal? and should I be worried about light surface rust on the springs? I don't understand how a new trailer gets rust without being dunked in saltwater?


----------



## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Leaf springs are a cheap spring steel.
Stored outside, condensation and rain cause rust in a few days.
Rinsing with the hose will do the same thing.
I spray with some form of lube to extend their lifespan.
Immersion in salt water accelerates the problem, big time.
Replacement springs aren't very expensive.

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&source=hp&q=trailer+leaf+springs&oq=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=Rtx9S-LEDJGVtgfzv6ykBQ&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCgQrQQwAw


----------



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

you weren't kidding, those are cheap. ok so the rust is normal even in a new trailer. Well I may come home with a new one in the morning.


----------



## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

there are a few anti corrosion sprays on the market, you might try hosing your springs down in one of them they will last longer but like brett says , they are pretty much going to rot out sooner or later and are pretty cheap to replace when they do, good luck and post some pics if you get it


----------



## snooknreds2 (May 5, 2008)

3/8" bolt holding on the tounge.  A 3/8-18 bolt has an effective cross sectional surface area of 0.0775 in^2

A grade 8 bolt of 3/8-18 is rated for 120,000 Psi. So 120,000psi* 0.0775= 9,300 Lbs

But keep in mind that there is really two surfaces that are providing this shear strength (the bolt touches the trailer on both sides of the tongue where it goes through, both left and right)

So the real shear strength of a 3/8-18 grade 8 bolt is 18,600 Lbs... Theoretically anyways


Below is taken from http://www.derose.net/steve/resources/engtables/bolts.html

Size  Nominal diameter, Stress Area, Grade, Proof load ksi, Clamp load lbs, Assembly torque( dry ft*lb), Assembly torque (lubricate ft*lb)
Size 5/16"
5/16-18 0.3125 0.0524 2 55 2162 11 8 
5/16-18 0.3125 0.0524 5 85 3342 17 13
5/16-18 0.3125 0.0524 8 120 4718 24 18
5/16-18 0.3125 0.0524 9 145 5701 29 22
5/16-24 0.3125 0.0581 2 55 2395 11 8
5/16-24 0.3125 0.0581 5 85 3701 19 14
5/16-24 0.3125 0.0581 8 120 5225 27 20
5/16-24 0.3125 0.0581 9 145 6314 32 24
Size 3/8"
3/8-18 0.3750 0.0775 2 55 3196 19 14 
3/8-18 0.3750 0.0775 5 85 4939 30 23
3/8-18 0.3750 0.0775 8 120 6974 43 32
3/8-18 0.3750 0.0775 9 145 8427 52 39
3/8-24 0.3750 0.0878 2 55 3622 22 16
3/8-24 0.3750 0.0878 5 85 5599 34 26
3/8-24 0.3750 0.0878 8 120 7904 49 37
3/8-24 0.3750 0.0878 9 145 9551 59 44


----------



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

wow ok so what I get from this is if I get hit by a truck the bolt might snap? I'm ok with that


----------



## B.Lee (Apr 29, 2008)

Whatever you buy, when it's new, take it home and paint all the raw steel (springs, bolts, etc) with grease. That surface rust will never appear again, and the springs will last almost forever. Cozmolene (sp) is better, but unless you have a military connection, it's not as easy to find as wheel bearing grease.


----------



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I already doused it with rustoleum anti rust, it kept my old trailers bolts in good standing for 3 years when I sprayed it on every 6 months or so. 
I got the trailer home and started messing with it, changing the bow stop, swapping chains.....Then I realized the bunks are about 1/4 inch lower then the fenders, No big deal I figured I'll just adjust them. Well the front support brackets aren't adjustable,errr . So after fishing tomorrow I'll have to but a couple new brackets to remedy the issue, until then I'll just ride without the fenders.


----------



## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

do you have the contact info on the ramlin dealer you spoke to? i am seriously wanting a nicer trailer for my f&f  something that will allow it to sit as low in the trailer as possible allowing me an easier launch  if that doesnt work out were there any places you spoke to that sold nice aluminum trailers you can recommend ?


----------



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Basically all the ramlin dealers in 100 mile radius were all airboat dealers, none of them stocked light weight trailers and when they looked at ordering them the bill came out to like $1300 for the same trailer I just got. I'd give up on ramlin, even at the customer service level they didn't give me a good feeling as it took me 3 calls to get through and 10 minutes for the girl to figure out where the dealers are.
I wasn't looking for aluminum so I can't really comment on them, I did see a few from magictilt that were really nice where I got mine from at outcast.


----------



## brew1891 (Dec 10, 2006)

> do you have the contact info on the ramlin dealer you spoke to? i am seriously wanting a nicer trailer for my f&f  something that will allow it to sit as low in the trailer as possible allowing me an easier launch  if that doesnt work out were there any places you spoke to that sold nice aluminum trailers you can recommend ?


You might try calling Kevin at Orange County Boatworks (ECC) about a Ramlin. ECC puts them on the Gladesmans. I have a Ramlin and absolutely love it...best trailer made IMO. When I called one time they put me right through to someone in charge that answered all my questions.

Other trailers along that line is the new Continental Custom line and the AmeriTrail trailers.


----------



## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

> > do you have the contact info on the ramlin dealer you spoke to? i am seriously wanting a nicer trailer for my f&f  something that will allow it to sit as low in the trailer as possible allowing me an easier launch  if that doesnt work out were there any places you spoke to that sold nice aluminum trailers you can recommend ?
> 
> 
> You might try calling Kevin at Orange County Boatworks (ECC) about a Ramlin. ECC puts them on the Gladesmans. I have a Ramlin and absolutely love it...best trailer made IMO. When I called one time they put me right through to someone in charge that answered all my questions.
> ...


 i emailed kevin today and he tried to push me towards the one thats under the inshore special, never mentioned anything about a ramlin even though i specifically asked about one, i'll hit him up again. i agree, the ramlins are bad a$$


----------



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

If ramlin works out for you great, but I wouldn't buy one now just because of the customer service I got from them. Personally I just care that a trailer is functional and does it's job, I like to do more with less.
Now if I had unlimited money around and wanted something really nice I'd go with an aluminum continental. They picked up the phone everytime and the girls who answered know every answer I needed including custom set ups. I just didn't have or care to spend the money on anything expensive this time around.


----------



## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

just wondering if it was continental you spoke too or an "authorized dealer" :-? i was not impressed by the customer service i got when i called ramlin either and this will surely weigh in on my final decision :-/


----------



## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Just a bit of personal experience with aluminum trailers...
Any time aluminum comes in contact with steel
galvanic corrosion takes place. Unless serious attention
is spent checking for problems on a regular basis
disasters can occur. For example, I watched a boat
and trailer separate from the tow vehicle on the
Palmetto Expressway one morning in South Dade.
The connection between the aluminum frame and
the galvanized steel tongue disintegrated at 60 mph.
Luckily the trailer and hull stayed up-right and slid to a stop.
Unluckily it was on the down slope of the bridge over SW 56th Street.
It was a nasty situation even after FHP showed up.
I had a tow chain in my truck and the boat owner and I, 
after removing the trailer tongue, threw a few wraps
around the aluminum trailer frame and his hitch and dragged
it clear of the pavement. Inspection showed that the
aluminum of the trailer I-beams had corroded away
at the locations of the through bolts that connected
the steel tongue to the aluminum frame. The bump
going over the bridge had been enough to shear the
remaining aluminum.
On a busier day it could have been a lethal disaster.


----------



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

> just wondering if it was continental you spoke too or an "authorized dealer" i was not impressed by the customer service i got when i called ramlin either and this will surely weigh in on my final decision


I called continental directly, as I did magic tilt also before going to the dealers, both were very helpful. When I called ramlin directly the girl on the phone knew nothing about anything. Plus continental and MT have places all over that I can get service at if I need any warranty work done.


----------



## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

> Just a bit of personal experience with aluminum trailers...
> Any time aluminum comes in contact with steel
> galvanic corrosion takes place. Unless serious attention
> is spent checking for problems on a regular basis
> ...


anybody who knows me knows that i'll never have it long enough for a situation like that to occur especially if i buy it brand new  ;D


----------

