| At the time that I purchased my
boat in 1987, my Catalina Dealer was having trailers made by DHL Enterprises of
Sacramento, California. I've been very happy with the trailer. What follows is a guided tour of my trailer.
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| The trailer is equipped with
surge brakes. Surge brakes are hydraulic brakes operated by a cylinder built into
the coupler that compresses as the tow vehicle slows. The more the brakes are applied in
the tow vehicle, the more the coupler compresses which applies the trailer brakes more.
My brake system has a quick connect fitting that allows the trailer's tongue to be
extended. I use DOT5 silicone brake fluid because it does not absorb water or
dissolve paint. |
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| The tongue jack swivels up and
out of the way for towing. |
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| The spare tire carrier is bolted
to the trailer frame. I found that by wrapping the tire with plastic wrap I could
prevent it from discoloring the cover. |
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| The tongue extension can be
extended 8.5 feet. Annual maintenance includes
removing and reapplying waterproof grease to that portion of the extension that normally
resides inside the tube. |
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| The trailer has 2x6 bunk boards
mounted on non-adjustable supports. The height of the forward supports was slightly
off, so the trailer's builder used a plywood spacer on each side to correct the problem.
Galvanized lag screws are used to secure the bunk boards to the supports. I
inspect the screws annually, and have replaced the set once since 1987. |
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I use a torque setting of 90
pounds for the wheel lug nuts. I check the lug nuts and the
temperature of the wheel
hubs at every stop while trailering. Before each trip, I add wheel bearing grease as
needed to the bearing buddies.Besides a spare tire,
I carry spare lug nuts, a spare set of wheel bearings, grease seals, a small container of
grease, jack, lug wrench, wheel chocks, hammer, brass drift for bearing races, several
screwdrivers, socket set, and various pliers and wrenches.
To make sure I understood how to replace the wheel bearings
and races while on the road, I practiced at home first. I had read a recommendation
that grease seals shouldn't be reused, so part of the cost of the practice was having to
install new seals.
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| My boat sits pretty close to the
road, thanks in part to the design of its axle. I had noticed some uneven wear on my
first set of tires, so I took the boat and trailer to an axle shop. To adjust the
camber (how vertical the wheel is), the shop put a pre-bend arch into the axle so that
when the boat's weight is present, the wheels are vertical.
I've never worn out any tires on my trailer, even though I'm on my third set
since 1987. For my peace of mind, I replace all three tires every five years.
Here are the specs on my current tires.
Denman Express ST
ST 215 / 75 D14
6 Ply (4 ply tread, 2 ply sidewalls)
Maximum Load 1870
Load Range C
Maximum Pressure 50 psi
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| The keel guides help center the
boat over the trailer. The guides are 2x6s, just like
the bunk boards. |
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| Not getting the boat centered
over the keel has caused some chafing damage in the past where the keel cable passes
through the hull. I now check for this condition when putting the boat back on the
trailer. |
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| For trailering the keel is
lowered to rest in a vee-block. |
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