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- Oct 25, 2011
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I am switching my 1963 15' Starcraft Jet from the derelict trailer it came on to what I think is a 1960 Gator tilt trailer:
Based on this original 1960 Gator ad:
But I'm not sure, based on that ad, how the rear bunks should be correctly set up?
I know the front bunks are about the right size but are installed 90deg wrong. They should be installed perpendicular to the centerline of the trailer.
I'm not sure how long the rear bunks should be, the current bunks hang @ 60% past the rear of the trailer. About 60% of the bunk is to the rear from the through bolt. That seems fairly long for a 15' Jet. When you use the Uni-lever, the rear bunk mounts appear to rotate about as much as they should, which is not much, but the bunks only have the 1 attachment point, the mounting bracket through the center of the 3.5" face of the bunk, is that correct? If I understand the way this lever works, when locked in the closed position (transport) the keel should be resting on the keel rollers, held by the front bunks (in contact w/ them), and in contact w/ & slightly supported by the rear bunks. Then at launch, the lever unlocks the tilt feature & the rear bunks slightly raise the boat to allow it to better slide off the trailer.
There is a safety chain at the tilt lock:
Is that to be adjusted fairly tight for transport, and adjusted to allow only the amount of tilt required to launch. Some ramps need a lot of tilt, so lots of chain passed through the keeper, others don't so only a few links of chain left hanging?
The other question I have is that the 'Gator loading guide' is no longer present, is a 'correctly' adjusted rear keel roller sufficient, or do I need to try & replicate the loading guide.
I need to grab some fenders @ Tractor Supply, and I have already removed the hitch, winch, post, ground it smooth & used rust reformer so I can fit the same off another trailer:
I hadn't studied that ad until now, I may try & rehab the post & winch as they look to be the original Gator parts. I'll have to look into that tomorrow after I grab the parts off the other trailer.
Thanks for reading through all that^^^
Based on this original 1960 Gator ad:
But I'm not sure, based on that ad, how the rear bunks should be correctly set up?
I know the front bunks are about the right size but are installed 90deg wrong. They should be installed perpendicular to the centerline of the trailer.
I'm not sure how long the rear bunks should be, the current bunks hang @ 60% past the rear of the trailer. About 60% of the bunk is to the rear from the through bolt. That seems fairly long for a 15' Jet. When you use the Uni-lever, the rear bunk mounts appear to rotate about as much as they should, which is not much, but the bunks only have the 1 attachment point, the mounting bracket through the center of the 3.5" face of the bunk, is that correct? If I understand the way this lever works, when locked in the closed position (transport) the keel should be resting on the keel rollers, held by the front bunks (in contact w/ them), and in contact w/ & slightly supported by the rear bunks. Then at launch, the lever unlocks the tilt feature & the rear bunks slightly raise the boat to allow it to better slide off the trailer.
There is a safety chain at the tilt lock:
Is that to be adjusted fairly tight for transport, and adjusted to allow only the amount of tilt required to launch. Some ramps need a lot of tilt, so lots of chain passed through the keeper, others don't so only a few links of chain left hanging?
The other question I have is that the 'Gator loading guide' is no longer present, is a 'correctly' adjusted rear keel roller sufficient, or do I need to try & replicate the loading guide.
I need to grab some fenders @ Tractor Supply, and I have already removed the hitch, winch, post, ground it smooth & used rust reformer so I can fit the same off another trailer:
I hadn't studied that ad until now, I may try & rehab the post & winch as they look to be the original Gator parts. I'll have to look into that tomorrow after I grab the parts off the other trailer.
Thanks for reading through all that^^^