Ez loader trailer whats is going on with this?

zarillus

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Guys- For some reason my trailer has developed a bow inwards along the two ibeam frames just past the front axle.The trailer came witht the boat and has been in use for 3-4 years with no problems.What would cause the inward deflection or bending if the ibeams.What would cause something like this?
 

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alldodge

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Might just be aluminum and time, but also boat weight to trailer capacity and/or support placement.
Looking at the setup wonder why the supports where not moved further out closer to the lifting streaks
 

jbcurt00

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From the 2 pix, I cant really see the deflection you're describing.

Is the bow inward along the long axis of the I beam, IE: set the ibeam across 2 sawhorses on its side (so from the end it looks like an H not an I) and press down in the middle of it causing a bow

or

is the top plate of the Ibeam rolling inward, like the bottom is remaining in place and the top is being wrenched over, more like a twist?
 

zarillus

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Thanks AllDodge ! The trailer is about 16 years old and I am the third owner of the boat and trailer it originally came with so could be time for a replacement.I have always wondered if this Trailer was setup correctly or is undersized for the boat.Upon doing some research its designed for a 21- 24 foot boat and 5000 lb capacity however the boat is really 24.5 feet long and fully loaded with a tank of gas,ice, and gear is right around 4900 lbs.Just barely under the 5K rating.Can this be fixed or adjusted or is it time for replacement trailer? My biggest concern is the I Beams cracking or deforming going down the highway at 66 -70 MPH.
 

zarillus

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Hey Jbcurt00- Its more like a twist,like the bottom of the Ibeams are straight but the tops are bowing inwards towards the keel.Almost like its buckling in on itself from too much weight or something.
 

zarillus

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I just uploaded another picture which shows more of the deflection
 

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JimS123

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There is no weight on the frame, per se'. Its all on the cross members. Could the cross members be bending down and taking the frame along with it? Maybe the bunks could have been located further outward and likely would have put less bending force on the frame. But by the looks of the keel and fenders, that would have lowered the boat and caused less space between.

Call EZLoader and send them the pics. They are the best ones to evaluate your trailer.
 

alldodge

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Your close to max but even at max the trailer should be designed to handle the max weight. Jim has a good idea of contacting EZ
 

zarillus

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Just emailed EZ and will respond with updates soon
 

MTboatguy

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Just emailed EZ and will respond with updates soon

That is your best route, because in looking at it, I might see a small tilting of the top of the I beam, but I am not sure and the way the boat rides on the trailer, there should be no forces to bend the eye beams. In order to do what you are describing the axles would have to be pushing on the bottom of the I beam to cause the top of the I beam to tilt in and I can't see that happening. I have run EZ loaders and currently have one and I rebuilt it this summer, would be hard to do what you think might be happening.

The guy I have dealt with over at EZ is
Geoff Chamness
 

gm280

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Looks to me that the bottom of the "I" beams are the only part attached to the cross members. If so, there is no reason for them to be tilted in like that. If the I beams are welded to the cross members from bottom to the top, then the only way it could be tilted is to have the cross members bowing in the center causing the "I" beams to tilt. However, just from the pictures, I can't see the cross members bowed. IDK Not being there, I only have the pictures to offer anything. JMHO
 

MTboatguy

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The more I look at these pictures as well as looking at the pictures of the trailer in the brochure, I think you are perceiving an optical illusion based on a lot of different things. I am not seeing the tilting you are trying to describe.

Let us know what EZ has to say about it.
 

tpenfield

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Does the trailer have torsion axles? (looks like it does)

My guess would be a combination of beam deflection of the 2 main cross members combined with the inward twisting effect of torsion axles mounted on the I-Beams.

Symptoms of an overloaded trailer . . . maybe bumpy roads.

Check the area where the cross members meet the inside of the I-beams . . . look for any cracks in the welds or loose fasteners.
 

racerone

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Aluminum is known to suffer from fatigue cracking.-----Not the material of choice for my trailers.
 

Lowlysubaruguy

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If you really want to know how much and where its off buy a digital angle meter there $15 on ebay and have many uses from setting up your woodworking saws drill press etc I use them when sharpening my knives ( I may have an issue here) get the trailer on a flat surface zero the meter in a few spots on the ground so you have an idea how true the ground is and then see how the angle on the I beam changes in various places you could write on the beam with pencil from the front to rear and then you would know where and how much of an issue you actually have instead of guessing.
 

zarillus

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Hey Everyone,

Thanks for all the replies, I received a message back from EZ Loader via a sales manager, "Our engineer got back from vacation. There is no issue with the trailer as with the under slung cross members there is a natural tendency for the I beam to roll inboard slightly."

I have to disagree that there is a "natural tendency", as their are plenty of trailers from 2003 that do not have this problem.I still do not know what is causing this.The trailer's crossmembers and axles were replaced 2 years ago and are completely solid with very little rust if any.Its definitely not an optical illusion as one person pointed out, I can put a level on it and its definitely off.I am also going to closely example the Ibeam to make sure their are no stress cracks starting to form.
 

dingbat

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Aluminum is known to suffer from fatigue cracking.-----Not the material of choice for my trailers.

New alloys and fabrication techniques have greatly improved the durability of aluminum in transportation usage. I wouldn't hesitate a minute to replace my galvanized trailer with aluminum if a good deal came up.
 
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