a trailer for my 'Fish

K

kgregg

New Member
I just bought a 4x8 foot utility trailer from http://redtrailers.com/. Have you ever heard of these trailers before? I wanted a utility trailer instead of a boat trailer so I can use trailer for other light duty towing jobs around the house. I made a boat cradle from 2x4s that I use to store 'Fish, mast, and boom above the parked cars in my garage. It should be a trivial matter to lower the 'Fish onto a flatbed 4x8 trailer, secure it, and go.

Did you sail over the weekend? We had ideal sailing weather here in MD.

Kevin
 
the only problem I can foresee is that the trailer you bought is sprung for use as a utility trailer at a max of 900 some pounds. Your fish plus gear weighs about 150-175 pounds. This means your trailer will be like a rock going down the road with the fish. It will really bounce around alot. You need some weight on the trailer to get the springs to budge. Other that that, you should have no difficulties. I'm going a similar route with a flatbed and a rack for 2 fish with a 300 pound capacity dilly trailer.
 
Tim Polaski said:
You need some weight on the trailer to get the springs to budge.
Click to expand...

Tim-
Good observation. Had not thought of that. How many cases of beer do I need on tailer to get total weight up around 900 lbs? ;) Kevin
 
kgregg said:
How many cases of beer do I need on tailer to get total weight up around 900 lbs?
Click to expand...

Well that would depend on whether you bought cans or bottles.

It will only take about 30 cases of cans, not too bad! Although I'm not sure what you will do for the ride home! :p
 
FYI: I bought a VERY similar trailer (identical except for the coupler rail design) from Harbor Freight in Allentown PA for $150 less than redtrailers.
It's also a joke to read that it takes only two hours to assemble!
I don't have it on the road yet so I can't comment on its performance. I'm building the rails now.
Fred
 
Fred-
I'm a bit ticked off at Harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com/). On Mar 30, I ordered what sounds like the trailer you bought from them. I got email saying it would take 7-10 business days to deliver it. Last Fri (Apr 15), still no trailer delivered to my house. I go to their web site and join online chat session with customer service rep. I find out that they are sold out of EVERY trailer and have no idea when they can ship me a trailer. (Would have been nice to hear this news a few weeks ago!). I cancel order with them and found redtrailer.com web site. When did you buy your trailer? Kevin
 
Kevin,
I bought the trailer on 4/7/05. I live in NJ so I called the only store near me in Allentown PA and they had one in stock and I picked it up. It was the 1400 lb load model with 12'' wheels. The one you're getting has a different coupler rail which can be folded separately from the support rails. If it's any consolation, it looks like yours will be a lot easier to fold in an 8' ceiling area. Take your time assembling it and leave all the bolts loose until a section is fully together, then tighten them.
Have fun.

Fred
 
I own a trailer like this and have used it a bit for transporting my Sunfish without any problems. However, long ago I replaced the wheels with 12" wheels and tires and I don't inflate them fully which allows extra suspension give. However, if you're traveling at high speeds you'll want to check them often to see if they're getting too hot.
I'm in the process right now of completing a system for carrying my Sunfish in the bed of my pickup with the use of a bed extender bar. I'm looking forward to using this system because the suspension will be more compliant for the Sunfish and my utility trailer is always being used for utilitarian purposes!
Brad
 
kgregg,

Go to Tips and Tricks on the Class Home page. then check the Dickson Mark II Trailer. It should give some ideas on adapting a utility trailer for a SF.
 
I too have used a Sears 4' X 4' utility trailer frame and have used it hauling Sunfish
and Lasers and the like for about 20 years. I installed a 3/8" pressure treated plywood deck and then fiberglassed the deck with 6 oz. fiberglass cloth and regular polyester
resin and then built sides out of 3/4" PT plywood. The end caps are also 3/4" plywood but removeable, and I shaped the tops of the end caps to fit a Laser bottom and have inserts for the Sunfish bottom. The only major alteration I made was a longer trailer tongue made out of steel "U" shaped stock. The trailer was rated for about 600 lbs, so it has a fairly soft ride with a Sunfish and all gear in the box. I used this trailer
weekly in the summer and have driven it at highway speed for trips of up to 1,000+ miles, and it works fine empty or full.

Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
 
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