Improving a Dunbier

[TREVELLY]

Here are a few things I have done to make my trailer better.

Firstly I decided I did not want trailer and boat stolen so I added the helmet lock.

It has duel benefit of keeping the trailer on the toe ball in transit too.

I added stainless abloy padlock as the lock with the hitch is light weight.

[TREVELLY]

Then I decided after a couple of incidents at ramps getting assistance from crew who did not understand winches that I should make the outfit so I can launch and retrieve solo.

So the first thing I did was to add to the front a roller outside the roller the boat snubs up to. This is useful at launching time as I get the rope from the boat and take it down through the d shackle at the front of the boat then wind it around the roller once so when the boat takes off down the trailer it doesn't drag me with it. I can easily slow the boat launch speed single handed and without fear of launching myself with the boat - they are pretty fast on a rollered trailer.

I also added a boat catch to secure the boat upon retrieval time. I did find however the boat did not always align with catch as it tracked off line enough to be a major pain so I remedied this by adding "V" guides at the frant and rear of the boat - it aligns perfectly now with wind, current or unbalanced load.

A couple of things I did at the winch post too was to add a stainless clip so when the boat is driven onto the trailer and caught by the boat catch I can just attach the S?S clip to the boat to secure it then drive up the ramp and fix the boat securely with turnbuckle. I attached the s/s clip with a rated shackle using permanent thread lock and then cutting off the wings that allow the d shackle to be undone - not completely theft proof but certainly not an easy take either.

I also put a piece of wood dowel through the turn buckle to stop it rattling loose on trips. I had it come completely undone on a trip from 1770 and the winch strap broke too, so the only thing left keeping the boat on was an unrated D shackle that was distorted and fractured by the time I got home :o

[TREVELLY]

Another item worth showing is the wheels. The trailer comes with cheap Chinese bearings and spring loaded grease mates - so I replaced the bearings with quality japanese or US bearings and the grease mates replaced with dura hubs and bearing oil.

As you can see in the picture with the front disc brake hub, the water got in and started to rust the bearings.

[TREVELLY]

A late addition to this thread to wrap it up.

Some things I did not cover but think should be here.

Firstly it is a good idea to have a spare on the trailer - on a mount to secure it and with a theft deterent - I got a cover with mine too - helps protect the spare from UV.

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I think it is a good idea to have lock nuts on the boat wheels too - and definitely use the one's that do not have key mechanisms - mine seem to be fine with time.

I did find the nuts that came with the trailer corroded readily and have replaced them progressively.

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[TREVELLY]

And finally have a look over the electricals - I found some work that Dunbier can not be proud of.

The wiring to the LED side light shows here clearly to have a long string of exposed wire outside the waterproof joint - how is that supposed to work!? This light has faulty wiring that when the wires are split the copper wire just becomes exposed - hence it is rubbish and should not have been used. It was obviously not going to last long on a trailer to be submerged frequently. Not a big ticket item but really just shows something you do not expect to see as workmanship put forward by Dunbier

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I respliced it and put liquid tape over the splice then four layers of almagamating tape over it. This light will need replacing soon I recon.

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The other side was done well and as it should be. I did still tape it up with the amalgamating tape to be sure.

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[Pelagic 660]

Trev,

Nice work.....the v guides look heavy duty, where did you get them from? I have a similar prob with it not coming up centre everytime....I think it must be my 90kg on 1 side as it is always low on the starby side.

Cheers,
Trev Oh your wifes not called Kelly too.... (got that from your avatar)

[Dignity]

Trev, a lot of good work there, thanks for sharing. I would look at redoing the wiring on the lights though. Have you sent Dunbier any pics of the wiring, I am sure they would appreciate a heads up also it may not have been like that when it left their factory but the wiriing got damaged in transit and was shoddily repaired by the boat yard. Just a thought, although why anyone would usse lights that need to be spliced where they are going to get a soaking is beyond me.

[TREVELLY]

Cheers Guys,

Yep wife is called "Ella" - "Elly" is close enough :)

The guides added were from Dunbier - they are part of the new glide series - not cheap at $240 a pair with brackets - so front and back was $480. Bit of an ouch but figured it is worth it as it works great now.

Dignity, I hear what you are saying, but the hole in the guard for the wiring means a splice had to occur, also the wiring travels long inside the aluminium frame hollow section, and as you can see they did a good job one side with a proper waterproof spice but clearly the other side with wire hanging out and just taped over with normal tape is a bit poor. To separate the wires the wire was torn from the plastic around it - simply it did not sit middle and centre of the plastic, so faulty wire that should not have been used. I am tempted to put this to them for a reply. They were pretty good to deal with for the guides even if they did send me all the wrong sized bolts - too short to go through the bracket and then the plastic guide that sat on the outside of the guide - no matter $20 and a trip to hardware fixed it too.

[TREVELLY]

Oh and one thing I mean to say too was if anyone wants free the grease mates I took off the trailer (there are four), plus some of the bearings for spare they are welcome to them - just have to pick them up from me at Petrie.

All yours Pelalgic - see you soon ;).

[johncar]

Some good work there Trevelly. Good to see guys take the effort to make sure that their trailers are in great shape and doing the job well.

My new (9 months old now) trailer is one of the Dunbier Ally 6.5 glide series and my first Alloy trailer. Naturally had a few teething issues getting it set up better to suit the boat and how I want to use it.
I think that compared to other trailers I have owned, mostly Mayfairs, it stacks up well and I have to compliment Dunbier on their excellent after sales help in assisting sort out my concerns.
I have also given them feedback on minor issues to look at in their build process and they have also been very approachable and appreciative of the feedback.

After many years of boating, I am under no grand illusions about being able to buy something that is perfect (would be nice in an ideal world) but I am overall happy with the Dunbier I purchased and with their good support have been able to get it closer to what I want.

My Front hold down chain/turnbuckle as photo below. The single turnbuckle has a 12mm lock nut so it can't loosen in transit. It is balanced pulling the shackle to the boat straight down so the boat can't move in any direction. Prior to boat launch its just one easy operation to loosen the turnbuckle and hang the shackle onto the old standard chainlinks that hang on the winch post.

http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt187/johncar/Tournament%202100%20Walkaround/BILD1714-1-1.jpg


http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt187/johncar/Tournament%202100%20Walkaround/BILD1707.jpg

I added additional wobble rollers to each side making a total of 38 rollers being 12 more than the standard version which I have also fine tuned to equalise the weight per roller as even as practical.

http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt187/johncar/Tournament%202100%20Walkaround/BILD1705.jpg


In the Pic below I had to add packers under the centre roller support rails where they sat on the cross members to get greater clearance for the centre rollers against the crossmembers in two locations as they weren't rolling freely. Pulled all the pins out while I was at it and greased them with triple guard grease.


http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt187/johncar/Tournament%202100%20Walkaround/BILD1704.jpg

There are other little adjustments and moving things around to make it work better and few little things yet to do such as replacing the centre roller pins with stainless steel when I can affor to buy the steel, plus replace all the split pins with SS type.

I have also replaced the standard MIC Bearing savers with genuine made in US Bearing Buddies, which work much better. My bearings still look and feel good with no water ingress so I will see how they go, but I think I will feel better with MIJ replacements, but I don't usually travel far so not a biggy at present.

A couple of the crossmembers were leaking at the welds and slowly filling with salt water so I have temporarily sealed them with Sikaflex and seems OK now but will probably weld them up properly one day.

Overall a good trailer though and many guys wouldn't bother or even be aware of the needs for the mods I have done, it just me being anal. So I am not being critical of it, just showing some of my mods if anyone interested.

Also don't mean to hijack your thread Trevelly just thought that it may be appropriate here and of some interest to you.

[TREVELLY]

Hi JC,

You haven't hijacked the thread - your trailer is good info for others reading this post - good on you.

The trailer is good, but with everything needs improvement.

I took your advice and put to Dunbier the lights were fitted with poor faulty wiring on one side and I would have to replace it and showed the photos. And that I had recently bought from them other accessories to add to the trailer such as the guides which work well.

The reply was I could go back to where I got the accessories and buy a replacement light.

I went one step further than I normally would bother here to give them the opportunity to make good.

I am not interested in waving this thread infront of them to push anything.

An $8K trailer and a $5 part - I would have just posted it out.

I have bought two replacements off ebay for $8 each that are better (8 LEDs and tinned wire) than the Dunbier cheapos (4 LEDs and plain copper wire) and will replace both lights. Infact I bought three and will keep one spare.

It aint worth the hassle.

JC I will also replace my rusty split pins on the boat trailer rollers with s/s - worth doing I recon.

Also I will go over the trailer and spray some cold-gal paint on the welds and cuts to the galvanised steelwork as these are starting to rust now.

Next major overhaul to the trailer will see electric Kodiak brakes added - they should take care of future maintenance issues.

[LittleSkipper]

Gidday one & all!

As this topic is on Dunbier Trailers could someone kindly tell me what type of stud pattern they have? Ford or Holden?,my Dunbier Trailer is a 2010 model with 13 inch wheels.

Wayne.

[TREVELLY]

I can't say with complete conviction TD but when I replaced the bearings on the stub axles the seals I used were definitely the ford ones - as you can see in the picture here they are the seals with the larger diameter hole.

[LittleSkipper]

Thanks Trevally!
If the seals are Ford then I can't see the stud pattern being Holden type, it would be like removing a 351 Cleveland and trying to fit a 253 Red.;D Thanks again!

Wayne.

[Greg P]

Trev - with your spare set up rather than just mounting the spare to the boss like that- might be worth changing that to a full hub set up if you are doing some towing kms. Always handy to have the full hub/brg/seal ready to go if something comes undone and despite all maintnenace sometime the proverbial just happens.

Looking good though. How do you find that solo catch system? The other one looks far simpler for solo use but I cant mount it on my sealink due to the winch post set up.

[bigjimg]

690896908869087Trev if you have the Dunbier tyre keep an eye on them.Look for blisters appearing on the side walls if you have them.I made wobble roller covers out of 100mm poly pipe for mine as the boat sometimes went off track and the stem would ride over the steel before it re-centered.Also fitted 2 12' keel rollers to the cross members to catch the bow as she launched,would ride on them launching and retrieving,Dunbiers answer to this caused damage to the boat and had to be repaired.Glad your happy with your mods but for me,and honestly i wasn't going to post on this subject,if I was in the market for a new trailer this brand would be that far down the list............I'll see if my skills are worthy and take some pics of my mods and post them up.Jim

[Jarrah Jack]

Just a comment on Johncars alloy trailer. I like the center roller setup and the guides as it covers all the hard edges no matter how the boat is lined up. Are there dissimiliar metals touching where the gal clamps are touching the alloy...a potential area for corrosion down the track. Also I wonder why there are no gussets where the cross members are welded to the main frame. I guess only time will tell with those things.

A good thread all up Trev.

[tenzing]

690896908869087Trev if you have the Dunbier tyre keep an eye on them.Look for blisters appearing on the side walls if you have them.I made wobble roller covers out of 100mm poly pipe for mine as the boat sometimes went off track and the stem would ride over the steel before it re-centered.Also fitted 2 12' keel rollers to the cross members to catch the bow as she launched,would ride on them launching and retrieving,Dunbiers answer to this caused damage to the boat and had to be repaired.Glad your happy with your mods but for me,and honestly i wasn't going to post on this subject,if I was in the market for a new trailer this brand would be that far down the list............I'll see if my skills are worthy and take some pics of my mods and post them up.Jim

Hey Jim Nice mods that you have done. Very clever with the HD poly too!
I was lazy and just used the poly cover stuff you get from Dunbier even though it was a mates leftovers.
We have made a few mods , added rollers etc too.
Lights and wiring are gone and rust has been removed and touched up. Removed and replaced all brake lines calipers disks winch, and wheels / tyres.Replaced all rollers.
I am obsessive about my cleaning and maintenance and all this on a 4 yr old trailer!!
Grand Marlin has done a beaut little refurb recently and that'll get a bit more life out of it, but They wont be on my shopping list next time

Cheers

Brendan.

PS the new roller arms came with a blue teflon shield on them.

[bigjimg]

Know what you mean Brendan about the required amount of maintenance.Mine has just gone 3yrs and so far a complete set of tyres,disc pads,extra rollers.brake cable,washers,split pins,all lights,mudguard,boatboard stem rubbing strip at bow entry to trailer,winch rope,refurbed winch,jockey wheel.If you ask the Missus how particular I am with my gear she'll tell you.I have a particular brand in mind when this one gasps its last breath and if the rust gets in it won't be cut out and repaired it will be retired.FMS.Jim

[johncar]

Just a comment on Johncars alloy trailer. I like the center roller setup and the guides as it covers all the hard edges no matter how the boat is lined up. Are there dissimiliar metals touching where the gal clamps are touching the alloy...a potential area for corrosion down the track. Also I wonder why there are no gussets where the cross members are welded to the main frame. I guess only time will tell with those things.

A good thread all up Trev.

Good questions Jarrah Jack,
Yeah it's coming up to a year old with about 20 saltwater dunkings, with normal washdown and maintenance still all looks like new. I don't think there are any major issues with the Ally and Galv steel together unless it was permanently in water or something. I keep it clean and dry between outings and spray a bit of inox around all those contact points anyway.

The connection of the crossmembers although not clear in the pics is quite solid as they have cut the end around the lower internal edge of the I-beam main frame which creates a lot of connection points. I do a lot of structural work and don't think gussets would be needed there, but I keep an eye on all parts of my trailer anyway so any weakness there would be easy enough reinforced if ever needed.
Thanks for your observations.

[johncar]

Just a comment re maintenance and mods to boat trailers into salt water.
I have owned various brand trailers and built a couple myself and deal with many VMR and mates trailers over 30 odd years of boating. I don't remember any of them being maintenance free and in fact all required fairly regular attention to keep them in good shape.
Another problem is BMT packages particularly in the past dealers have skimped on the trailer and it has been all to often inadequate for the boat they put on it and don't worry I have gone to battle with one of Brisbanes biggest dealers over this issue and won because I proved that the trailer was overloaded by 650kg+, yeah that's right 650KG+!!. Inadequate rollers and everything else.
They had to supply a much bigger and better rigged trailer same brand though. The new one was great and almost twice the price.
The thing is that all too often this is happening because it's often the part of the package that gets the least attention.
It's a bit better now because builders have to rate their trailers and plate them accordingly, but there are still shortcuts with not enough supports, guides, rollers, cheap brake components, winch and cable etc. But you as a buyer can over ride that if you specify what you want and yes you will have to pay extra.

Now in support of any of the brand builders, they have a range of trailers and priced according to their quality/complexity and they like any product are built to a price and really from what I see most brands are all much the same, a reasonable product for the price. I can't see any future in criticizing a product if you chose it, it just means to me that it is perhaps something that has not lived up to your expectations or you were not giving it much attention when buying the BMT. The only way you will get something better is to either pay more for a better quality and setup model or have it custom built to your specs.

Of all the trailers I have bought I am pretty happy with this current one certainly no worse than any other and if the Ally holds up, it will be better no doubt. It certainly looks better so far.
It's a bit of a rant sorry but I just believe in accepting my own purchasing mistakes and not blame any particular brand who may have had no say in what got put under your boat.
If anyone has a maintenance free trailer and perfectly setup for any boat you can buy off the shelf I'll walk to Moreton Island.

I have learnt that maintenance, modifications and fine tuning trailers is pretty much the norm and no way around it if you want to keep your trailer in good shape and doing its job well, and I expect to do these things as it comes with the territory of owning a boat trailer and dunking it regularly in salt. How you have your boat rolling on and off is more of a personal preference.

[TREVELLY]

Great feedback guys,

Greg, the boat catch versus boat latch - I thought the boatcatch looks a lot more sturdy and up to some impact - it has worked really well once I added the guides to centre the boat. The catch has little tolerance for misalignment so it is critical to be centred. I had the boat align itself only half the time without the guides. The final straw for me was at Noosa ramp solo winching the boat on as the ramp was too shallow for a drive on and the boat did not centre so in the dark, in the rain, in the cold the boat sat off centre and I was trying to lever it sideways to get the catch to work and get the boat on properly - never again!! The guides work perfectly, they cost me $485 for two pairs complete from Dunbier - pretty expensive - you may be able to make by sourcing elsewhere - I saw the plastic extrusion online yesterday for $25/metre when looking for the LED replacement lights from a trailer accessories place.

Greg, I hear what you are saying about the complete assembly on standby for the unexpected. I am counting on keeping an eye on the oil in the durahub through the clear window it has - so if the oil is milky then I can fix before failure. I keep spare bearing anyway ;). But what you say I would do for sure if I just had the spring loaded grease bearing mates as there is less warning.

Jim, I recon after three years and having replaced all the things you have I would be a bit disallusioned too. I see with the Dunbier the aluminium frame looks good with the outer "I"-section and crosslinking aluminium box-section, but I agree the rollers and other attachments will need replacement and maintenance regularly. If I had the desire to spend the extra $4.5K ($12.5K) I would have bought the Duralum trailer as it has fantastic brakes (kodiak), axles, springs (no leaf) and no galvanised steel parts to deteriorate - all aluminium. I do spray the trailer all over with fresh water and then with salt-away after each trip - should help. And now spraying into the brake regions with inox too.

Jim, I take your advice on the blistering tyres and will keep an eye on them. Must admit I was disappointed when I removed the wheels to find the tyres wearing heavily against the plastic mud guards scoring them - axles a couple of inches longer to avoid this would be handy.

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JC, I agree with what you are saying generally about you get what you pay for, but also think manufacturers are getting just a little too stingy and compromising some fundamental quality requirements - ie plain copper wire rather than tinned wire - it becomes a false economy and will jump back and bite them. Noble dealership did the same with the new boat I was sold and it needed fully rewiring a couple of months from new - that is not smart - a note with Noble manufacturer is they were told about this and now do the wiring in the factory to avoid the "hillbillies" stuffing up final fit-out of the new boats - of course they were not interested in taking on the stuff up of their dealership though - and once again not worth the hassles, just another fix up you wear - shouldn't happen but does.

I think the Dunbier will serve me well with time, it will need constant maintenance and that is to be expected - I do intend to upgrade each item that needs replacement, so expect in time a very good trailer. Probably get stolen then ;D

[bigjimg]

Johncar critisism is given where it is due,and believe me it was totally due in my case.I am not in the business of dishing out a rollicking just for the hell of it,if something is piss weak then a spade is a spade.As for maintenance i am all over it,just mentioning what has been overhauled in the time frame given,not pointing the bone at anything or at any product in particular.Like I said I wasn't going to comment on this subject but the Heading for this Thread got the better of me.My trailer gets the boat from point A to point B safely only because I made it that way....My work trailer was custom built by FMS and they will be building my next boat trailer,the way it should be.Jim

[Edick]

Hi
Looks good.
I also took the pins holding the rollers on cause these are gal and replaced with stainless
The gal ones lasted about 30 launches and then I lost a roller
Amazing for such an expensive trailer they wouldnt spend a few bucks on these.

See u have a boatcatch. Other than the alignment issue are you happy with that and did you consider boatlatch instead ??

[TREVELLY]

Edick, yes it is rediculous that manufactureres get so stingy with such small things - I bought enough s/s pins today to fix up the trailer rollers - total cost $25 - so why do they persist with these sorts of cost savings - I recon it is simply because as Aussies we adopt the she will be right and just fix it.

It would be good if they just took pride in their product including the details and promoted and advertised it.

I did fix up my post above which read "boatsnatch" rather than "boatlatch" - anyway yes I did look at that one as it will fit just under the winch and not require as much done as with boatcatch. I looked at it at a couple of boat shows and ended up with the "boatcatch" as I recon it is a heck of a lot more solid and not likely to bend during a misaligned drive on and the pin holding the boat on the boatcatch is short, stocky and rock solid into thick retaining shoulders. And finally I did not like the idea of getting onto the boat and driving the boat forward to release the catch - what if I want to manually let the boat launch? Just my thoughts, as my boat weighs 1.5t and I recon the "boatlatch" is not strong enough to handle it.

[johncar]

Good points made and I think that we as customers share half the responsiblity in ending up with cheap and nasty. The culture of not having a proper written specification of what we want quoted and then going from shop to shop trying to get the best deal, the customer is just creating pressure to force quality downwards.
Yes a light fitting or a bearing buddy or a winch cable may singularly be small cost items but when you spread that across the whole trailer or boat it adds up and becomes a more expensive option, most customers unfortunately go with the cheap deal from what I have seen. Where does this culture leave the good quality builder? well low volume sales or profit margins and ultimately out of business I expect.

Interestingly my experience with sales staff in general, they expect us to only want the cheapest price and they almost never seem to upsell unless I specifically say, "I don't like the look of the trailer, what other models or suppliers do you have?" They may start giving me some better options then.

So how many of us really go in to a dealer and say "I don't want the standard trailer and I am happy to pay for a high quality one" and then specify exactly how you want it built right down to the type of cable used and the thickness of the galv coating and the grade of steel used etc, then be prepared to pay the extra $K's. I would say very few indeed, so we get what we get when we leave it in the dealers hands all the while we pressure them for a lower price, and that unfortunately is the culture we all help to create.

If you don't get what you paid for and specified in writing then you have a case to argue.

When buying BMT second hand well you are usually buying someone elses cheap deal.

The last trailer I built myself I recall ended up costing just as much as if I had bought a new one from Mayfairs, I know they have better buying power for their materials but still, I was surprised and wondered how they make a profit.
This current Ally one I knew had a few things I wanted to improve but I went in with my eyes open and budgeted for the extras and no complaints. It is what it is, and when I am done I will know what has gone into it, with no bad feelings toward the dealer or the builder.
If the whole thing just started to fall apart I would think differently but I doubt if that is about to happen. If it does I will let you know..

I really am stealing your thread sorry Trevally, I'll try to shutup..

[tenzing]

Hi Johncar.
(Not a rant at you but just venting about trailers in general)
I concur with the sentiment,but I believe the wording "suitable for its intended purpose"is used by our friends at consumer affairs.
If a boat trailer is designed to launch boats into saltwater, and retrieve them, and is advertised and sold as such, Then it should be able , both by design and manufacture to perform these duties for a reasonable period with suitable maintenance.
By the sounds of it a lot of us experience problems with many brands of trailer. Keeping manufacturing costs down is really not a defence if the product is not of a suitable standard.
It is quite amazing that we accept that most trailers require a fair amount of disassembly and corrosion protection before they are used for the purpose for which they are sold.
I think that we are far too accepting of this situation because most of the brands come with similar problems and weaknesses.
Cheers
Brendan

[bigjimg]

I guess if manufactureres of trailers did a real good job in getting them perfect for the application where would that leave us tinkerers.I personally like to add my own mods to things,gives me something else to do on days like today when it's blowing its ring out.I've got another add on going on this week,should be done by thusday,I'll take a pic.Jim

[tenzing]

Know what you mean Jim
We decided to go anyway and headed off to sunny coast.
One of the Zarsoff brothers was out there. Inthis case it was Bluey Zarsoff.
Cheers
Brendan

[Dan5]

I've been reading this thread and i agree that most mass produced trailers are really not up to scratch.
I was in the market to buy/build a new trailer so have been checking out all of my options.......Not one factory trailer even came close to what i'd call ready to use with most trailers requiring minor if not major re-work or modification to do their intended purpose properly and suitably.

In my case its even harder to get a trailer fit for use off the show room floor as i know i'll be doing most of my towing on unsealed dirt roads.....

I ended up going with a locally built trailer off of a manufacturer that specialises in custom trailers.........And believe it or not came in around the same price for a much better built product with standard features that were only expensive options from the mass produced manufacturers.

So it does definatly pay to shop around and have a good look at what your paying for and to compare apples for apples.

Dan

[johncar]

For those who don't like to scratch their boats.
Well I scratched the other woman a few weeks back while launching on my own, I just let it back on a rope and held it a little short and wind and tide moved the boat towards the trailer and the barely connected as I pulled the boat back to the beach but that is all it took and a sharp saw tooth like burr where the tail light brackets were ground and nicely rounded off the corners but not smoothed off adequately at the factory. I checked out a few other trailers since and yes they all had sharp edges worse than mine just waiting for the right time to do their damage.

So yeah a gelcoat repair job and now polished off those nasty corners properly and added rollers for better protection. I will possibly even make it more fool proof and recess those bolt heads soon.

http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt187/johncar/Tournament%202100%20Walkaround/BILD1939.jpg

http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt187/johncar/Tournament%202100%20Walkaround/BILD1942.jpg

[TREVELLY]

No good at all Greg - thanks for the heads up.

Have a look at post 2 this thread at winch mount and the end cap there on bolt shown would work well on your bolt head.

[johncar]

Yes Trev, thanks, that's what it needs and I'll be doing a further upgrade on that soon. I am just surprised with all my years launching/retrieving boats I don't remember it ever happening before. And most trailers seem to have similar protrusions over the lights. First time for everything I guess.

[bigfella23]

Up front , i work for Dunbier. just like to update regarding a few things on this blog.
Mag wheel nuts- Chrome plated ones are used only on the mag wheels , we are desperately trying to get a non rust type but struggling to obtain currently.
Wiring- Definitely did not come from us with either that wire or the tape join ! The offside with the sheilded wire and waterproof sheilds are ours.
LED lights- These are LED industries from Melb(made OS) and are considered among the best in the industry , definitely not crap as described. The new (from June11) are completely sealed tinned harnesses from the light right to the plug. Designed for us by LED industries.
Stud pattern-All are Ford , they give us a 1/2 stud rather than 7/16.
Hope this is not considered "pushing our barrow" , just wanted to clear up.

[TREVELLY]

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Bigfella23 if you look closely and read carefully you will see the first pic in post 5 is how I got it with the wires exposed outside the waterproof joint - not the taped joint as I repaired it till I replaced the light. For clarity here is a close up of your joint - it is what it is. Read post 8 and post 11 too.

Good that Dunbier now use tinned wire light to plug not the plain copper wire from the light to the plug on mine. Copper wire is okay if sealed - get a small stone chip in the plastic exposing the wire even slightly and the wire will corrode rapidly - tinned wire will not.

The lights - I describe them as I see them - non tinned wire very thin at that - poorly joined and corroded - the light replacement I got has thicker tinned wire and more LEDs and waterproof as well. The photo speaks for itself. Put simply I got a better light for $7

Yes this trailer did come new from Dunbier.

I ordered new boat, new motor and new trailer from J&B marine. I specifically ordered the Dunbier aluminium trailer.

Thanks for coming on and putting your point.

I would really like to know where to get wheel nuts that last as well - these rust real quick.

[johncar]

Strange things happen I guess, When I went for an inspection of my BMT last year my Alloy Glider series trailer was sitting under the boat with the non standard things I specifically asked for and looking fine. I was later told that my trailer was yet to be delivered??, that had me scratching my head. Anyway no big deal, they must have needed mine for something more urgent, so long as it ended up right.
When the boat was near ready at the dealership I went and checked it all over and there she was, Alloy Glider trailer with white painted steel wheels!!aghhh!!. So not sure what was going on there either but it seemed a bit strange, but it could have just been a mistake at the Dunbier factory. I initially thought that is may have been optional for it to come either way but the Dunbier spec definitely stated Alloy wheels and I also made a point of it when ordering the trailer that they were definitely to be Alloy. Anyway they got changed over without any fuss.
It's a good trailer and all I have done is fine tuned it and made it more to my personal requirements. The wiring and connections look OK and sealed up with heatshrink connectors, if I have a hint of any problems though I will just replace the whole wiring harness, it's not a big job for me being a retired electrician and I have a drum of tinned wire somewhere in the shed. Standard copper shouldn't be a problem either so long as it is all sealed properly.

Hey bigfella23 thanks for the heads up, might be firing the odd question your way, hope you don't mind.

[dnej]

45X45 square axles are Ford,1400kg. 40X40 square 1000kg, and 39mm round 750kg are Holden,and use LM bearings.
With the turnbucles,the lock knut is a good idea,and I use a wing nut, so you can easily adjust them. One on each end
David

[TREVELLY]

Did a couple more things to the trailer recently firstly the dolly wheel that came with the trailer had a solid wheel which when in for repairs the boat was being cranked up and the solid wheel exploded - so I went for the fantastic steel dolly wheel replacement which would be great right?
The nuts and bolts rusted in only a few months
9159491593

I replaced them with stainless nuts and nylock nuts (one at a time) - stitch in time save nine approach on this one.
9159591596

[TREVELLY]

The other item was I was having enormous trouble trying to get the boat on and off the trailer - especially off when launching to the point that I had to submerge the trailer sufficient to almost float the boat off the trailer - ridiculous for a roller trailer.
Time to jack up the boat off the trailer and do some maintenance on the rollers.
91598
Now most of the rollers look fine but some of the inner rollers at the back
91599
The spindles holding the rollers look as it they have never seen grease - surely they would (should) be greased when built?
91601
The problem my boat was having being a deep V the boat applies a lot of sideways pressure to the rollers and the rollers were pushing against the washers. The washers were dry and corroded so they were acting like a lot of little disk brakes not allowing the rollers to spin.
9160291611
I would have the boat in reverse with motor flat out and it was locked solid on the trailer - embarrassing at launching time.
Anyway I removed each roller and put grease to the inner face, outer face and spindle face and reassembled with stainless steel pins.
916009160391604
One thing of note when removing the old pins I found it easiest to cut the pins as short as possible before pulling through.
9159791605
Yes it would have been an easier job with boat launched and then work on trailer without boat on but I was not interested in launch and retrieve plus trip to ramp plus needing a wash down again for boat and motor and needing the tie off boat at ramp and work on trailer at the ramp, so I just worked under the trailer at home.
Reckon I will have to be a bit more careful next launch as it will want to race off the trailer.
Mongrel of a job but happy with result.

[bigfella23]

Hi/
Dunbier team here.
I saw the join that was not done properly, as discussed , it was not sent out like that , each join is shrinked at the factory.
I have had no concerns over my desk , not sure which staff member the poor advice came from , but please contact me at any time to go through.
Bigfella 23

[propdinger]

Bigfella i bought a dunbier trailer 6 years ago and 2 of my lights never worked from day 1 (infact blew fuse) 1 side light and left rear so i am sure they do leave factory not always done right as the wires on mine were pinched when done up. anyway i fixed mine and after that they work but i can tell you they do leave like that. infact one of mine on my new trailer (with led ) is stuffed right now its about to be cut off and replaced.
just letting you know it does not always leave there with the job done right

jeff

[Jarrah Jack]

Wouldn't stainless washes work better Trev?

Good to see Bigfella back. We give him a hard time sometimes but hopefully he takes a few things on board. I like my dunbier super roller but I had to spend a lot of time making small improvements as well.

[johncar]

Wow, Tevelly I can certainly understand what a mongrel job that would have been. Pretty sure I would be dropping the boat off me not being very flexible these days.
I don't think it is common for any trailer builder to grease any rollers actually or none of mine have ever been and I have bought a few different popular makes. I have always disassembled them and done them asap from new.
I have never greased the wobbles though but hit them with a squirt of inox occasionally. I would think a silicon spray should work OK as well.
Well I hope your boat flies off now as it should.

[TREVELLY]

Hi/
Dunbier team here.
I saw the join that was not done properly, as discussed , it was not sent out like that , each join is shrinked at the factory.
I have had no concerns over my desk , not sure which staff member the poor advice came from , but please contact me at any time to go through.
Bigfella 23

Hi Bigfella - as you say the join on one side is your work and on other is not - the answer is they are both the same join.
One has the wire which is a poor quality where the copper is outside the side of the plastic sheath.
Put simply it is poor quality wire put into your standard shrink join and sent out for use.
That is the problem.
Did I discover it and run to Dunbier for a repair? No I fixed it - but still noted it's presence as it is what I got from you.
You can see in picture below the join to one side is all good to the other side the copper wire sitting outside the it's plastic - pure and simply it is faulty wire that should not have been fitted.

[Chimo]

98641Hi Trev

If your lubricated trailer behaves like my Tinka with a Vag on it you might consider the hook and "8" setup used on the Vag to control it at launching.
The hook attaches to the back of the tow car offset to the centreline and the loop drops over the centre bollard on the boat bow. Speed of launch can be controlled with one hand so you don't have to put your drink down when launching.;D

Have a great Xmas, hope the little fellow is good too.

Cheers
Chimo

[TREVELLY]

One other item I have been using on the trailer is a "boat catch" and to be honest I love it - a fantastic device that allows me to retrieve solo.

98637

Now when I first set this up I put onto the trailer a stainless clip to be a guarantee whilst quickly recovering the boat with only the boat catch holding the boat in place until I got a chance to secure with more things as it just allowed a quick clip onto the front of the boat.

98638

Above you can see the clip hanging down and ready to connect to the stainless shackle - as it was in happier days before the stainless shackle fell of at sea and before last trip to 1770.

To paint the picture - we returned from 3 days at lady Musgrave with 3 boys and 2 dads and as we got to the boat ramp it became dark and stormy with winds and lightening hitting about the place. The rain was so heavy I said to the boys and David stay onboard the boat I will back the trailer down drive on and then once I get to the carpark rigging area then just get the boys out of the cabin and straight into the car so they are good and not wet for the long drive home.

I put the boat up on the trailer and the clip activated and held the boat. So I shut of the engine went over the bow and connected the clip. Driving up the ramp I felt a lurch from the back and knew straight away what it was. The "Boat-Latch" obviously wasn't fully secure and the boat was sliding off the back of the trailer - thank goodness I had the extra clip in place.

Once parked I had a look and yes the boat was back about 6" on the trailer and clip held the boat JUST!
98642

I have replaced the shackle with one which i think will be a lot better and not open up as it forms a complete loop - I do use 2t rated shackles everywhere and in this case secure it with a spanner and cut off the tag so it can not be removed without a grinder as was done above to replace failed clip.

9864398644

I think I was very lucky and dodged a bullet that the boat did not end up dropped on the ramps with kids and David onboard plus all our camping gear - would not have been pretty.

[TREVELLY]

Hi Trev

If your lubricated trailer behaves like my Tinka with a Vag on it you might consider the hook and "8" setup used on the Vag to control it at launching.
The hook attaches to the back of the tow car offset to the centreline and the loop drops over the centre bollard on the boat bow. Speed of launch can be controlled with one hand so you don't have to put your drink down when launching.;D
Have a great Xmas, hope the little fellow is good too.
Cheers
Chimo

Cheers Chimo,

What I actually do to stop the over 1t of boat dragging me down the trailer on launch is I have the rope wrapped around this blue roller once and it allows great control - thanks for the tip though as others may want to use it.
98645

And thanks for asking about the young bloke - he is fine and in great shape. Had a swimming carnival with his school last week and completed a 25m swim and was 3rd out of 6 swimmers - fantastic! -

98646
All the best to you and yours for Christmas Chimo

[Fed]

Trev I'm using one of closed loop clips but after seeing the other clip in your first picture I'm going back to a normal shackle.
Always had a bad feeling about it, big forces involved and now you've convinced me.

Controlled launching? Let it rip it's only water.

[Scalem]

I can't say with complete conviction TD but when I replaced the bearings on the stub axles the seals I used were definitely the ford ones - as you can see in the picture here they are the seals with the larger diameter hole.

Hey Trevelly, I have been down this road with my 2009 Dunbier duel axle. I have posted on this subject B4 and learned that the setup on my dunbier is holden HT bearings and seals with ford stud pattern and 13" Ford trailer wheels that they import from china making it a little harder to source, easy enough if you know where to look but not a wheel you can easily find at any wrecker or tyre shop in a little country town - which is why I have both lazy and braked hub spares prepacked ( one of each) on and in the boat should I need an emergency swap over. It's not really a correction, it appears that maybe mine a different to yours, might be a bit frustrating if you get the Ford seals and bearings where they are usually purchased together in a kit, only to find they are wrong ( as I did)

Scalem