Quote:
Denny,
24 rollers for your 20. How are they set up? How many forward vs aft?
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As you may be able to see in this first pic, there's 16 rollers on aft cross member and 8 on next cross member. This 24 roller setup is rated for 3500#. Some tandem models just repeat aft setup on next cross member for a total of 32 rollers. I added a V-shaped Stolz roller to center of rear cross member because the SeaCraft hull is so deep up front that it'll hit cross member before it contacts the aft gang of rollers. Center roller has a notch in it about 2" wide and keeps boat centered until the aft rollers engage the outer step. Once that center roller is engaged, boat will come on straight; that gang of 8 rollers on outside does a good job of centering the boat, no matter how much cross wind there is. String on port side of trailer is attached to winch switch, so I just pull the bow eye up over center roller and yank on string to take up cable slack. Piece of cake after that.
I've since eliminated the side rollers as they aren't needed. (ABL111 - let me know if you want them; I was gonna put 'em on e-bay!) Both cross members are bolted to side rails so they're free to rotate. One note of caution for anyone that buys an EZ Loader: there is so little friction on this trailer, that you have to use the clutch/brake on Powerwinch when unloading; when boat CG gets over the aft cross member, it tilts and boat will scream off the trailer if you don't have hand on clutch to tighten it and slow it down!
This shot shows the aft rollers engaging the outer step. Once that happens, they'll guide the boat on straight every time. Boat is up off the center roller at this point. Only time I've had a problem with it not loading straight is when the boat was listing to one side in the water. The rollers on this trailer have so many degrees of freedom that if the boat is heeled over, it will tend to come on the trailer that way! Just have to make sure it's relatively level before loading.
One other tip: I ALWAYS chock all 4 wheels when retrieving boat; only chock rear wheels when launching. If you're on a steep ramp, the weight of boat on rear cross member during initial retrieve can be enough to raise rear wheels up onto the chocks which can then start sliding!
Haven't launched a tow vehicle in 40 years; don't intend to start now!