Choosing the Right Size of Boat Trailer Winch

Are you getting ready for a fishing trip out at the lake? You need a trusty boat trailer winch to secure your vessel for the drive. To ensure that your boat is safely tied up, the trailer winch should be the exact size so that your planned fishing trip could go off without a hitch. Here’s how you can choose the right size of boat trailer winch:

1. Choose based on weight

Instead of choosing the size based on the length of your boat, you should take a harder look at how heavy it is exactly. Your winch should be able to handle the total weight of the boat, the gear and the motor.

Why Learning about Boat Trailer Winch Is Crucial

As in most other endeavors, becoming a full-fledged boatman entails preparations and learning. Before getting all the needed vehicle and equipment, it would wise to start with the basics, such as familiarizing yourself with nautical terms. Boating jargon might be a bit confusing for a newbie because the amount of technical terms and boat parts you need to know is almost as vast as the ocean.

Buying a New Trailer Winch? Consider these Factors

Boat trailer winches come with different specs and features, which means that buying a new one isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. For one thing, buyers should consider the purpose they intend for this equipment, because a winch with a permanent magnet motor is best suited for hauling light objects while a hydraulic winch is intended for heavy duty lifting.

Boat Trailer Parts for Efficient Weight Balance

Balance is one of the most important factors in efficient hauling, especially for heavy equipment like boats. Even if the trailer can carry the boat’s weight, it takes efficient weight distribution to keep the vessel from rocking back and forth and getting dislodged from the trailer.

Quality boat trailer axles work by finding stability in numbers. The more axles installed, the less load one axle has to carry throughout the length of the trip. To do this, your boat trailer needs to allow a spread tandem system that puts the axles almost equidistant from each other. Before that, however, here’s a review of how spread tandem axles work.

Stability in Numbers

Widely used in the trucking industry, a spread tandem system features at least two axles that allow better weight distribution. In simple terms, this means that one axle doesn’t have to bear the full weight of the cargo. Spreading the axles far enough also contributes to the distribution; two axles too close together may succumb under the sheer, concentrated weight.

Axle Weight

When shopping for boat trailer axles, you may notice numbers preceding the type of axle listed. This refers to the gross weight the axle can support. Although the axle market provides axles that can support as much as 27,500 lbs, boat trailers only need a maximum of 6,000-lb axles.

Boat Trailer Inspections in Louisiana

It only takes a loose screw or faulty bar to send a trailer with your 1,000-pound boat careening toward disaster. Due to this risk, the Louisiana Department of Fisheries and Wildlife conducts inspections on trailers at boat launches across the state. These inspections aren't a new campaign; they've always been there.

Section 1304, Title 32 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes grants authorities the power to inspect not just boat trailers but also the vehicles towing them. Over the years, however, enforcement has been irregular, and many trailer owners are now unfamiliar with such requirement.

The requirement exists, nonetheless, and trailer owners must make sure their units pass legal scrutiny. Some of the components inspectors will look at include the brakes, trailer lights, and connection length. For example, trailer brakes must be installed on trailers with a gross weight of 3,000 lbs. Trailers weighing 3,001 to 5,000 lbs. must have brakes on at least one axle.  

Trailer lights are also important, and trailers at least six feet long must have an array of safety lamps and reflectors installed around them. The taillight must be able to emit light bright enough to reach 1,000 feet, useful in night driving. As far as connections go, the trailer's connection to the tow vehicle must not exceed 15 feet.

Boat Trailer Axles—Care, Loading Tips, & What to Do In Case of Failure

You’ve spent thousands of dollars and put in so many hours to customize your boat just the way you want it, and now you’re going to load it onto your double-axle trailer and take it somewhere you can show it off. Although loading a boat onto a trailer appears pretty straightforward, it’s easy to make a disastrous mistake if you don’t go about it the right way. Trails.com offers the following tips on how to properly load your boat—or any other large equipment for that matter—onto your double-axle trailer.

http://blog.championtrailers.com/boat-trailer-axles-care-loading-tips-case-failure/

A Brief Look at Boat Trailers and Marinas

You find towing your boat to and from the water a hassle. You ask yourself, “Why can’t I just leave my boat at a marina or something?” You just asked yourself a good question.

Before anything else, keep in mind this article isn’t trying to persuade you to get a boat trailer. You, the boat owner, always have the final say. However, it should be obvious that a trailer is less costly than paying rent at a marina. If you can afford to keep your boat in one of several marinas in Louisiana, then by all means, do it.

Marinas charge on a monthly basis based on the size of the boat; obviously, the bigger the boat, the bigger the slip fee. In northern California, the cost can reach around hundreds, even for the smallest boat. Also, marinas stick to their rules as tight as barnacles on a boat’s hull. You could only use your boat under certain conditions.

Boat trailers may cost more, but at least it’s a one-time investment; one full payment and it’s all yours for as long as you need it. Even if you and the seller agree on a monthly installment, the cost is much lower than a month in the marina. Towing trailers may require more careful driving, but buying the right parts will make sure your boat stays put during the trip.

Safety Checking Boat Trailer Parts

Only a few lucky people have waterfront homes with docks at which to moor their boat. For the rest of us who have to haul our boats several miles to get to a suitable launching area, the trailer is a necessity. However, owning a boat trailer comes with its own set of challenges. One of these is making sure that the risk of an accident is as small as possible by thoroughly checking boat trailer parts before any trailering excursion.

Before you ever even attempt to tow your boat trailer, make sure the following are in order:

• The coupler, hitch, and hitch ball must all be of the same size. The coupler and safety chains should also be safely secured to the hitch of the tow vehicle. If any of these things are neglected, the boat trailer may uncouple mid-transit and cause a major accident.

• Make sure that the boat is properly tied down. Do not use the winch line as a tie down.

• Make sure that all fasteners and wheel lug nuts are properly tightened. If any of these have lost tread, replace them immediately.

• Check that the wheel bearings are properly adjusted, lubricated, and sealed. Creaking in the bearings may mean that they have started to disintegrate and may fail catastrophically while you’re on the road.

• Check that all the trailer lights work properly. Without lights, drivers may not be able to see your trailer at night and plow straight into it as you slow down or negotiate a turn.