Roller Source

[1stgenbird]

I picked up an older Starcraft aluminum 14' boat, motor, and trailer in the Spring. The trailer is a tilt trailer with rollers and it is very sturdy with step brackets and walking ramp that were added by the PO. It needs some attention as roller brackets, bolts, etc are rusty and need to be scraped and painted or new bolts added.
It has a roller assembly with 6 rollers on each side. The rollers have hardened with age but I can't find a source of replacement rollers in the size I need. Each roller is 1" wide, 2.5" diameter, with a 1/2" shaft. All the trailer part vendors I have found only have much larger wobble rollers with large shaft diameters for big $$$ that all seem to be made for larger, heavier craft, nothing made for my light tinny. Same story for replacement roller assemblies, very overkill and very expensive.

I like the rollers so I don't want to change to bunks nor do I want to replace the trailer as it is worth refreshing.

Any idea of a source for rollers in the size I need? Maybe not specifically for a boat trailer but another application that might work?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ufm82]

Re: Roller Source

easternmarine.com or championtrailers.com should be able to help- they have brand specific rollers and generic. Maybe they'll have something that will work.

I had an EZ loader trailer that had rollers that were EZ specific- funky diameters and they were twice as much as other rollers. To replace all 16 rollers I would had to spend over $500! So I bought some that were very close and reamed out the centers. Spent less than $200 and worked like a charm.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Re: Roller Source

With an Aluminum boat you can just go with carpeted bunks.

 

[1stgenbird]

Re: Roller Source

I did mention I don't want to go to bunks, however. My personal preference.

 

[1stgenbird]

Re: Roller Source

Nope. Those sites have the same rollers as all the others.

 

[1stgenbird]

Re: Roller Source

I did find that Yates Rubber that does sell trailer rollers also sells casters with the specs I want. That may be the way to go.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Roller Source

It sounds to me like you have bunk rollers? The rollers are plain cylinder shaped rollers on a 1/2" shaft? What I've always done in the past is to cut down guide on rollers to fit, their fairly cheap and work great. http://www.easternmarine.com/2-1/2-x-12-YATES-Boat-Trailer-Straight-Roller-12243-4P/

These are plain hard rubber rollers with no inner metal portion. They can be cut to fit on a band saw or if you careful with a hacksaw.

Got any pics of the roller assemblies you have?

Most are a lot wider than 1".

You could also replace the whole roller bunk assemblies:

http://www.easternmarine.com/5ft-Poly-Roller-Bunk-Assembly-1-pair-86145/

http://www.iboats.com/Roller-Bunks/dm/*******.058744103--**********.963572251--view_id.40434

 

[1stgenbird]

Re: Roller Source

Thanks for the replies.

One of my goals is not to spend a lot of money on these things. When you look at roller assemblies costing more then $100 each, then that's $200 I am spending on a trailer just for a couple of parts. Way too much for me for what it is.
I see too much of that mindset here on the forums where there seems to be no regard for money spent to upgrade/fix/restore something that when done, is worth 1/4 of the price it cost for the parts alone.

I certainly would not want to just dispose of the trailer, but I see so many junker boats on Clist with good trailers going for $300 or less, it may be worth it to buy one just for the trailer alone.

 

[truckermatt]

Re: Roller Source

nobody is forcing you to go with there suggestions.... they are just giving to the information.... YOU decide what you want to do...

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Roller Source

Look closer, most I've seen are sold by the pair.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Roller Source

If you've ever taken one of those roller assemblies apart after years in the water, the $50 or so per side it costs to just toss them and replace them seems pretty fair. The urethane roller models fair a lot better over time too and don't mar the hull of your boat.

If your time is unlimited then by all means go for it. But chances are you will end up fabricating each roller and cutting them to fit. Unless you know which brand they are and where they were made, the chances of finding exact rollers for them is slim. Chances are also good that if it's an older trailer, the manufacturer may not even still be in business.
I've seen at least 50 different versions of bunk rollers over the years, maybe more. It's hard to even just match one complete unit, I've always had to just replace the pair.
I've even seen a few older bunk roller sets made with wood rollers or wood spacers between rubber rollers.