On the Trail

[Tony]

The three of us (Anita, the Four Sisters and I) like to spend the summer in water at a temperature slightly below that of body heat.
This involves a deal of trailing before we reach our favourite spot to sail - a 2,700 mile round trip to Greece and back to be precise –and it is taking its toll on the hardware.
I have found the Bramber trailer that Matt supplied with the boat to be excellent in most respects. My 12 year old grand daughter regularly launches and recovers the boat unassisted and the rig tows very well. Rock steady at speed and relatively unaffected by cross winds or lorry wash. It just has one problem.
The pic below shows the result of two seasons use - about 7,500 miles at motorway speeds - on the trailer tyres.  To my eye it looks like a typical case of under inflation but they were at the manufactures recommended pressures at all times – checked at the end of each days run.
Bramber can offer no explanation and have not met this problem before but promised to take it up with the manufacturers (No word as yet.) They did, however, supply me with new wheels and tyres (they can not supply tyres without wheels) at a reasonable cost. Big of them, I thought.
 Tyres of this size are difficult to find locally and, as I have no wish to replace the wheels every 2 seasons, I am looking into the recommendation of using Mini wheels and tyres instead, if they will fit the hubs. I cant help thinking that, for a light boat like the Four Sisters this should not be necessary.
Anyone else having problems with trailer use?

[Julian Swindell]

Hi Tony,
I am not as experienced as you in long distance trailing, but I suspect it is the long distance which is the problem. I would have thought that 2,700 miles a year is a high trailing distance. I think I only do about 300 a year maximum and the tyres under my much heavier boat (about a tonne) looked practically as new after four years. Maybe trailer tyres just are not designed for that sort of distance. If you can fit car wheels and tyres, it might make all the difference

[Craic]

Hey, thanks for the forum topic. Keep writing. Tamondong

[Tony]

Hi, Claus.
      I think you have the right idea. The suspension is, in fact, a rubber mounted torsion arm as the photo shows. Do you think there is enough roll, for want of a better word, as the wheel moves up and down to scrub off so much rubber? If so Im at a bit of a loss how to correct it and would be glad of the benefit of your experience.
I always run the trailer as light as possible. I remove the 90kg of lead ballast (it goes under the passenger seats), the outboard lives in the boot and Im on the Atkins diet!

I wonder if loading the trailer to its capacity (put the lead back and add my toolbox, the outboard and Anitas suitcase full of books) might solve the problem by putting a little pre-bend into the torsion rubber?

By the way. The photo also shows that chucking a bucket of fresh water over the wheels after every lauch and recovery does not, in fact, protect the torsion arms from the effects of salt water. Perhaps a coat of Hammerite or better still a careful brushing with engine oil might help – if it doesn’t rot the rubber.

Cheers!
      Tony

[Craic]

Hi again Tony,

interesting photo. First of all, this wheel has worn the outer shoulder badly, what does the other wheel look like, worn the outer shoulder too, or the inner shoulder? Because, in the latter case, there is the chance that your axis is just misaligned, i.e. not exactly symmetric and at a right angle with the towbar hitch.

But I fear it could also be the rubber elements, that they are not keeping the wheel vertical all the time under all loads, but have so much soft play that they push the wheel out when you go over a bump. Could be that they are overloaded or just not good enough.
No other help then than replacing the axis incl. the supension elements, with possibly getting a stronger rated axis with the same dimensions.

Tony I am an engineer by training but do not claim to be able to offer faultless expertise over a trailer I have seen on a photo. I can only guess, not guarantee. But these are my 2 best guesses.

Kind regards,
Claus

[Tony]

Thanks for your thoughts, Claus. I've had a close look at the original tyres and its a matter of opinion which shoulder (outer or inner) is most worn. The wear appears deeper on the inside but more extensive on the outside. Both tyres show identical patterns of wear.
I have checked the distance between the hitch and each of the wheel hubs and find 1.5cm difference. do you think this is enough of a misalignment to cause the problem?
I am also keeping a close eye on the new tyres. After one trip to Greece and back they are definitely showing more signs of wear than I would like but I cannot detect signs of the previous odd wear pattern.
I have asked again for Brambers input on this subject - and scared myself to death with this website (http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6295)which seems to catalogue every possible fault a trailer could have. Not recommended for those of us with a long journey planned unless you believe the adage that ....It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive...!

Cheers!

Tony

[Craic]

UKJLc0 http://www.y7YwKx7Pm6OnyJvolbcwrWdoEnRF29pb.com

[Jeff Curtis]

I've never had any trouble like this but if you are travelling fast you may want to get your wheels balanced. The damage looks to me like the tyres are pounding themselves to death. Best of luck, trailer tyres are ridiculously expensive for what they are.

[Tony]

Thanks for the advice, Jeff and Claus.
I did not think to balance the wheels before this, Jeff. Cant explain why not as its automatic when I put new rubber on the Impreza! Once that is done - and Ive straightened up the chassis - I will feel a little happier about my next long run.

Putting ones trust in Insurance companies is all very well in its way but I would prefer to have a trailer that inspired more confidence. The Bramber trailer seems to be doing its job well enough -apart from this tyre business - but I have doubts about its longevity. Perhaps a second, beefed-up, version for long trips would be the best answer. Also the most expensive until you consider the cost of a failure at motorway speeds. (What doom and gloom! Must be the early nights now we are back on GMT.)