New Aluminium Trailer ?

[Versatile]

I wish to thank you all for your concern. Now you seem to consider the problem seriously, because it is !

The trailer is a genuine MacGregor built in November 2006, serial 116 BK17A37C001015, axle A348452, 4,200 lbs GVWR. It as only 2,000 miles. It came with surge breaks, but the axle is not galvanized, nor equipped with anti corrosion gears.

The boat never been towed filled with water ballast, in the bush at 65 mph ! Always been towed according to the manual … except for the crash stop !

1. The axle is damaged, bent and will have to be replaced.
2. The tires are damaged as well and will have to be replaced
3. The tiny tongue as the same specs and problem as the axle, it bends and swings dangerously upward
4. In the water, you can not position the boat on the trailer, properly sit on the rubber V knuckle, because the winch pulls the nose of the boat downward. If you try to position the boat out of the water, the tongue bends so much that the holding bracket bends and will failed. It is proposed to perform a crash stop instead ?
5. The trailer has all the wooden supports that is suppose to be.

The boat sits on the fragile axle via the centre wooden support and sooner than later, will bend that axle, camber the wheels and damage the tires. It is a faulty and unsafe MacGregor trailer design. That 3 years old trailer will have to be rebuilt by a professional trailer shop after only 2,000 miles at my own expenses.

It is the least, very disappointing after purchase customer service. So, be aware !

[TAW02]

Versatile;

I will tell you respectfully and sympathetically ... you have been taken for a ride.

Comparing notes here is your strongest ally. The dealer did not bank on you doing that and so have sold you a 'bill 'o goods'.

Your trailer is piecemeal. It has been pieced together cheaply. Wrongly and the dealer who sold you this rig must be shown that you know the difference and demand the 'Deluxe model' trailer that he no doubt dealed-off to someone else.

Yes call me suspicious, but when it comes to money, it sometimes takes the better part of people by the nose.

Dealers 'swing deals' to get a fast sale. Well, these fast-buck artists must be held accountable.

The deluxe trailer goes for around 35 hundred dollars. The Standard less than half that ... around 800 dollars. There is a lot of profit to be gathered at the expense of the customer. The only worth of the standard trailer is to hold a boat mobile about the shipping yard to the destination dealer and little else.

For 300 dollars (Northern tool costs), I can install surge brakes on any trailer. I can have a metal fab shop make me up a bunch of 'boarding ladders' from cheap strap metal for a few bucks apiece. I can bolt them on the standard trailer and the next thing you know I made a few thousand bucks!

I hope this ends well for you Versatile, as you must take action with this. Call your local newspaper if you have to but unless you make an issue of this, it will cost you 35 hundred dollars to get a good roadworthy trailer. If you already invested in this, figure that double in terms of loss/recovery, or 7K bucks.

Big T

[Versatile]

I forgot, the motor is a Honda BF50 …

Well, it is not the end of the world. I will recuperate the aluminium frame and supports, the wheels, the hydraulic actuator and lines … and I will rebuild it to safe standards. Most probably in tandem. I will design an adjustable V rubber knuckle to eliminate the gap forever …

When I bought the boat, the trailer was suppose to be a steel one. But it was delivered with the aluminium one instead, at no extra cost ! I had never heard of a Deluxe model. The only thing I heard was that the aluminium trailer model was recalled by MacGregor … due to problems … The one I possess is probably one of that production line ! I am the lucky one !

But from now on, the new prospect owners will be advised of those problems and will be very careful when choosing and inspecting there new aluminium trailer. There as least a good end to it …

Thank you very much for all your good advises ….

Versatile !

[Versatile]

On the MacGregor web site, it looks like that the deluxe galvanized axle is made of two part, joined together to form an angle to reinforce the axle on its centre !

It is evident that MacGregor knew that problem and resolved it …



http://www.macgregor26.com/aluminum_tra ... _large.jpg

[Timmay]

Versatile,
just to let you know, I just looked at mine and my axle set up is exactly like that in the pic. Mine was a late 2007 deluxe model. Timmay!!!

[TAW02]

On the MacGregor web site, it looks like that the deluxe galvanized axle is made of two part, joined together to form an angle to reinforce the axle on its centre !

It is evident that MacGregor knew that problem and resolved it …



http://www.macgregor26.com/aluminum_tra ... _large.jpg

Trust me Versatile what you are looking at is a solid axle. The flat steel leaf springs that you are highlighting there is a plus. Yep a big big plus. They are shakled there to assist the carpet lined wood bunks that will conform to the boat when you load it on the ttrailer. Something you lack on your trailer. Galvanized leaf springs that are ABOVE the axle just to assist the load contour of the hull

This trailer was built just for the No others need apply

Trust me sir. This is a deluxe trailer and it performs like you have never dreamed. Either you demand your rightful claim ... or you allow the loss and be ripped off.

Big T

[Phillip]

Where are we going here.
Versitile....one moment you tell Seahouse you towed with the ballast full, then you state it has never been towed with ballast full, "in the bush at 65mph".
Just what are the facts.
The bottom line is...I reckon that trailer has been overloaded at some point....because that is exactly what an overloaded trailer looks like.
Cheers
Phillip

[kadet]

Where are we going here.
Versitile....one moment you tell Seahouse you towed with the ballast full, then you state it has never been towed with ballast full, "in the bush at 65mph".

Phillip

Phillip I think that was sarcasim
But this delux standard argument in my book is a no starter as they are the same trailer just the delux is rigged for the road with brakes etc.. the standard is just the frame with wheels but for use as drystand in a boat yard near the ramp. It is the same frame wheels etc. and should take the same load, just not stop so good

What makes me really argee with the overloading theory is the draw bar is bent up. This implies there has been some extreme ball weight applied to this trailer, how else could the draw bar be bent up. Or is this a failed prototype that has ended up on the market somehow? As November 06 is a very early production date for an aluiminium trailer.

[Kelly Hanson East]

I have to say I dont like the design of trailer putting weight onto the axle directly. With leaf springs, you dont do this since the axle is live, of course, so there are extra members to take the weight of the boat.

On this design, when you hit a big bump, you put a large load on the axle and bend it...I think Im in agreement here that the trailer here has experienced a large load of somekind, beyond its design limit.

[seahouse]

As I mentioned previously, using an axle unsprung GREATLY reduces its load-carrying capacity, by something like half or more. I wonder if the axle chosen for this application was sufficiently uprated to accomodate that? IIRC, if the gross weight is 4000# then the correct axle for the job when used without springs should be in the neighbourhood of 8000#. Any body know what the actual rating of that axle is, then?

The local MacGregor dealer sells the aluminum trailer with "torsion bar axle", so it would appear that there are in fact different iterations of this factory trailer.

- Brian.

[Kelly Hanson East]

They went to torsion bar trailers in 2005 or 2006 IIRC - this is what is now letting the boat rest on the axle (with leaf springs you couldnt do this)

It probably is what is allowing an overload to damage the axle - with the leaf spring model it would just overstress the springs of course

[seahouse]

Ok - so that picture above IS of a torsion bar arrangement, (hard to tell at first) and therefore the axle itself IS, in fact, sprung, meaning uprating of the axle for that reason would be unneccessary. The axle damage that is the topic of this thread may quite possibly be repaired then by rebending the hollow axle, assuming that the torsion bars don't go all the way to the centre of the square tubing. That is, as opposed to a complete replacement of the components. And then reinforcing the axle. Looks like the tube is galvanized, so bolting would be preferred to welding if you're sistering the tube with something. It's worth investigating by someone in the field who can see the damage up close!
Regards.

[vertex2100]

When you buy a new 26M, please scrap the aluminum trailer as soon as possible. It is probably strong enough to carry an empty boat and maybe one with a motor for delivery but nothing else safely or confidently. I got my 26M fall 2008 and the trailer axle bent the 2nd time pulling the boat out of the water while hundreds of miles from home. We had driven from Jax FL to John Pennecamp park in the Keys. By the time we got to Bahia Honda from John P, the tread was worn off the left tire and severly worn on the right. I got a new much heavier duty dual axle aluminum trailer in Marathon for 3k after tradein. The dealer said the Mac axle was only rated at about 3500lbs. I know the manual says not to tow the boat with gear and water but I figured I could at least pull up the ramp it into the parking lot to empty the water and gear out. That probably puts about a 5k load on it. The dealer video shows them draining the ballast tank as the boat is pulled out. A better thing would be to drain it at high speed first with such a weak trailer.

[TAW02]

When you buy a new 26M, please scrap the aluminum trailer as soon as possible. It is probably strong enough to carry an empty boat and maybe one with a motor for delivery but nothing else safely or confidently. I got my 26M fall 2008 and the trailer axle bent the 2nd time pulling the boat out of the water while hundreds of miles from home. We had driven from Jax FL to John Pennecamp park in the Keys. By the time we got to Bahia Honda from John P, the tread was worn off the left tire and severly worn on the right. I got a new much heavier duty dual axle aluminum trailer in Marathon for 3k after tradein. The dealer said the Mac axle was only rated at about 3500lbs. I know the manual says not to tow the boat with gear and water but I figured I could at least pull up the ramp it into the parking lot to empty the water and gear out. That probably puts about a 5k load on it. The dealer video shows them draining the ballast tank as the boat is pulled out. A better thing would be to drain it at high speed first with such a weak trailer.

I'm reading the description from the Mac site about the torsion bar system. Seems there is some sort of a rubber bushing that serves to absorb shock and take up the load of the boat. Beginning to wonder if it is not the axle that is bent (as it is nearly twice the diameter of a MAC X trailer), but rather, something to due with failed torsion bar parts. Particularly the rubber bushing. At this point or location, seems where the flex is. If that flex increases its range of motion, it is possible that is where the drastic wheel cambering is.

I am skeptical about trailering with a full ballast as I have done that already with no damage. Unless I am just lucky and the torsion bars didn't pop out of joint (if that's possible). And if it were, rebending the axle would'nt be necessary.

Don't think an axle this size would be bent my a distributed load of even 8K lbs.

But that's me ... I am no engineer.

Big T

[vertex2100]

Big T, I must have gotten the first aluminum trailer (lucky me) made for the 26M as mine didn't have the bracing. That must have been added after we complained to the factory. They were (at least acted) very surprised and concerned about the design problem. My new trailer is MUCH beefier and I have much less worries about breaking down hundreds of miles from home with it. Best mod done for the money. Still think emptying ballast first before hauling out will lessen stress on factory trailer. Good luck Bob P