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Scott Ashe
05-01-2015, 10:23 AM
Morning All,

Yesterday I managed to get out and get enough sandies for a couple of sandwiches. When we came in and I was winching my boat back on the trailer I was having a quick look at my rollers and they look like they are pretty worn, so my questions are how long would you expect rollers to last for (4.25M Allycraft /Redco Sportsman trailer & 5.5 years old.)

How easy are they to fit.(I realise my boat would have to come off the trailer) & how much should I expect to pay for them.?

My other thought was I could ask the boys at Wynnum Marine to fit them when I have my motor serviced probably around march.



Thanks
Scott

Dignity
05-01-2015, 10:43 AM
Scott, depends on your set up, if the rollers cant be dropped in situ then yes you will have to take the boat off, with my mates we had to do that as the steel shaft had rusted into the roller and we couldn't change it over. What we tried to do but couldn't is mark the current position of the brackets on each roller, undo the bolts holding them, remove the split pin and push out the shaft, replace roller and shaft with a little bit of waterproof grease on the shaft and replace the split pins. Jack the brackets back up to the marking and tighten the bolts. As mentioned it works in theory and I have done it before but when the shaft will not move in the roller then it is back to the ramp which is the easiest way to do it anyway plus you then have the advantage of going for a fish for a job well done.

Darren Mc
05-01-2015, 01:05 PM
Do it yourself and save a little cash.
Just take everything you need down to the ramp, drop the the boat in and tie it up right out the way somewhere. Might take a while but if the boat's not in the way anywhere who care's, take your time.
That's what I'd do anyhow.

Noelm
05-01-2015, 01:23 PM
Pretty hard to know how long rollers will last when we don't know what sort they are, and price will vary with size and material! An Aluminium boat should have blue poly rollers, black rubber ones will last no time at all.

blairv70
05-01-2015, 01:57 PM
Scott

Mine last about a year to 18 months but I use my boat allot.

I found the biggest improvement I made was to put self centering rollers on the back two rollers and make sure all the shafts are free moving.

The boat was a buggar to get on and off before then but is pretty easy now even solo.

As for the swapout I went down to Manly and put the boat in, worked on the trailer and then went fishing (two snapper so dinner was sorted)

If your shafts are seized you may need a couple of cordless tools such as a grinder and a drill.

From memory rollers were around $20.00 each but worth the effort to do it.

Scott Ashe
05-01-2015, 03:04 PM
Thanks for the advice boys, my rollers are the standard blue ones, that are put on trailers for aluminium boats. So I am now thinking that with almost 6 years of use that I have had a good life out of them.

Cheers

gruntahunta
05-01-2015, 04:17 PM
Thanks for the advice boys, my rollers are the standard blue ones, that are put on trailers for aluminium boats. So I am now thinking that with almost 6 years of use that I have had a good life out of them.

Cheers


6 years is a long time as I am guessing you haven't done any maintenance on them, grease or even spray Lanox on the shafts at least after washing down always helps. Mine have stopped turning after 4 years but no rust on adjustment so I can change them in the garage.

cheers Pete

scorpo92
05-01-2015, 10:50 PM
I chucked all the shafts away out of mine. Bought a metre of stainless rod and made new ones. Makes replacing rollers a dream now.

topcatch
10-01-2015, 03:11 PM
I was down at Paradise Point boat ramp the other day and saw this trailer sitting in the car park...I guess the owner is not big on routine maintenance.
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Dignity
11-01-2015, 06:07 AM
Topcatch, files are not showing.

scottar
11-01-2015, 08:27 AM
On my last tinnie, the only rollers I ever replaced were the two wobble rollers that were used as a self centring setup as they used to catch the edge of the keel occasionally and get chewed up a bit - and they were all red ones. With a bit of periodical maintenance the poly rollers should last a long time with the added bonus that your boat will be a heap easier to launch and retrieve. A full rollered trailer should require you to winch the boat off with properly lubricated rollers on a reasonably steep ramp unless you have restrained the boat or used the motor to relieve the weight from the winch hook as the boat will roll off without being touched. This does depend on a few things though - proper trailer setup (enough rollers with proper weight distribution), no sharp edges to cut the rollers and regular use so the rollers never get a chance to "flat spot".

topcatch
11-01-2015, 12:29 PM
I see the photos are not showing and I am buggered if I know why not, they seemed to link up properly and show when I click on the links.... suffice to say that the axle of the trailer was completely rusted...how the wheels were even turning was a miracle...even the cross member on the trailer had rusted through...I doubt his insurance will cover him if he has an accident.

topcatch
11-01-2015, 12:42 PM
Topcatch, files are not showing.

Hope it is fixed now.

Scott Ashe
11-01-2015, 04:25 PM
I can tell you that my whole trailer is better looking than that. It looks to me like this one has never been washed in fresh water.

I would buy a new trailer if mine was anything like that, as I am pretty particular about my possessions.