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fairpractice
13-02-2008, 02:17 PM
hello all. am about to order a stronger "off-road" trailer to use on corrugated dirt ..like parts of cape york road system
THE QUESTION do i specify slipper springs or shackle springs.
maker reckons slipper.....more action.. boat dealer reckons shackle better for corrugations.
boat is 4.8 platey and weighs about 1100kg

any opinion welcomed thanks john

Chimo
13-02-2008, 02:33 PM
Hi John

I don't know the answer but if I were you I'd contact King Springs on the Gold Coast and ask the experts.

Cheers
Chimo

Noelm
13-02-2008, 02:37 PM
I guess this is sort of like the 2 stroke V 4 stroke thing, they both have their pluses and minuses, if you are doing a lot of rough roads, a pair of Shocks can also be a good investment, but if it is a one off, then go for whatever you like, slippers are as simple as they come, shackles are a tad better, but more complicated (but not enough to worry about) slippers can "slip" out when you don't want them to, shackles can "flip" inside out, neither are a great drama, but a bloody pest if it happens.

PADDLES
13-02-2008, 03:46 PM
g'day john, when i had my tinny i used to tow it on a few rough roads and even did a cape york run with it. i had a heavy duty trailer with slipper springs and never had a problem with the springs. the things that died on the corrugations were the brackets holding up the rollers/skids. Don't rely on the bolts holding the skids/rollers up, set up the trailer and then weld the pins into the brackets. tie down the hull as tight as possible to stop it rubbing on skids and wearing the alloy. don't be scared to chuck a spare spring in the truck either they're cheap as.

fairpractice
13-02-2008, 08:44 PM
hi all thanks for useful advice. it's amazing what little things can fail even on long haul bitumen travel. will probably go slipper but with good tie down and secured roller fittings....thanks john

SunnyCoastMark
13-02-2008, 10:11 PM
Hey John,
When I sell a trailer to a customer who is doing a lot of off-road work - especially on corrugated roads - I will ALWAYS advise them to go for shackle springs.

Shackle springs ride better, take a lot more punishment than slippers & if they are set up correctly they should not turn over.

Stay away from shockies - They are more of a gimmick on trailers and just end up being something else to break down.

The only negative with shackles is more maintenance as there are more moving parts i.e; shackle plates, pins & bushes. Good news is it is an easy job to replace them.

If I was setting up a trailer for myself to do a lot of off road work - I would have shackle springs - no question.

I hope that helps.

Mark

Dan5
13-02-2008, 10:17 PM
Mate give dave a call at voyager trailer's Darwin,he make's a true H/D boat trailer with an independant coil spring option.I have used these trailer's before and they are exellent for badly corrogated road's.Dan.......

Why Not
13-02-2008, 10:28 PM
John, make sure you've got the keel supported well. Most trailers have the bare bones and don't cut it up here in the NT. I've got a Voyager trailer which has a dozen rollers under the keel. I've lost count on the amount of wobbler rollers I've seen on the side of the road here.

Also get a motor bracket which suports the motor, not one of those cheap ones that go from the trailer to the motor. I've got a Stainless Steel bracket which gets pinned to the motor/transom point and supports the motor solidly. I then use tie downs from the bracket down onto the trailer.

Sometimes the pot holes and rutts get the best of you and you need to know your pride and joy is going to survive the journey

Why Not

SunnyCoastMark
13-02-2008, 10:37 PM
Mate give dave a call at voyager trailer's Darwin,he make's a true H/D boat trailer with an independant coil spring option.I have used these trailer's before and they are exellent for badly corrogated road's.Dan.......

Agree with Dan in that Coil springs are good for corrugated roads, and probably the only time I would think about shockies as well.

Only issues there are 1) cost - and - 2) they generally add a bit of height to the trailer, which of course can make launching a bit more difficult - especially when there are no boat ramps.

Mark

Noelm
14-02-2008, 07:50 AM
there is a company near me that makes only car/truck springs, they make them to suit any application and size, I can ask him for his thoughts if you like, it does not mean it would be the be all to end all, as it will be only HIS thoughts, but I guess they might have a bit of a clue, they made up a special set of slippers for my Trailer that was forever giving trouble with the tandem setup, and to this day, it has been trouble free, but the springs need replacing now and I am going to see them tomorrow.

Flex
14-02-2008, 10:01 AM
Take Paddles advice and lock in your uprights. they WILL move or fall down if you dont. Drill a small hole and bolt em in, or weld a small piece of flat bar to the uprights and movable part. Best advice you can take IMO.

Other things to note, Get yourself a treg coupling. Dont go up there with a basic ball/hitch setup.

and check for stones in between your skids/boat often or you can wear a hole in your boat.

fairpractice
14-02-2008, 07:10 PM
hi all thanks for the extra advice..there is something for all trailer boat owners in this thread...I guess we all have learnt the hard way at times.
Bellco in brisbane will be my choice of maker and will go with roller keel and shackle springs.
Thanks for your help john

Dan5
14-02-2008, 07:16 PM
Mate i had a look at the belco's recently and i was pretty happy with what i saw,the current trailer that have now it a oceanic and i'm not really impressed with it.I am already changeing/remaking thing's for it after 6month's with little use i doubt it would survive a decent dirt road.Dan..........