Setting up the rollers on a bunk trailer.

[mr_jman]

I'm looking to replace a few rollers and after having a tough time getting the boat to line up on the rollers correctly at many landings, I was wondering if the rollers should be level from front to back or if they should have a slight upward or downward angle to them? The front roller is at a fixed height but the other 3 can be adjusted up/down.

Maybe another question is which roller (on a bunk trailer) do you back your trailer to when loading up your boat. It seems like the second works best so far.... The first allows the boat to sway to much and doesn't straighten out properly, and the 3rd one is too deep where when i pull the boat out it has shifted in the water to where it no longer is on the back rollers. I realize different accesses with different slopes makes a big difference as well.

Just hoping for some pointers or tips to make it smoother. Landing my little 14' boat was easy but a much larger/wider 16' crestliner has been much more difficult - I've also considered adding two verticle posts on the back to line things up when getting it on the trailer.

[The_Duckslayer]

I have never had a boat with rollers but I guess what I would do it take the old ones off one at a time and put the new one on so that the boat is still sitting correctly on them. Normally I have seen them where the inside of the rollers (middle of the trailer)are a bit lower to help with the guiding on process. I am sure there may be better ways to do it but that is a start I would think. Take care and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[CAMAN]

A good rule of thumb with a bunk trailer is to back the trailer into the water and completely submerge the bunks (this is to lubricate the bunks and make it easier to slide one). Then pull the trailer up so only about a 1/4 of the bunk is out of the water and drive the boat on. Trial and error is usually required to find the sweet spot, but that is a place to start.

The middle rollers on a bunk trailer aren't really designed for guidance, they are more to protect the boat from the trailer crossbars. I've used trailers with no center rollers and just plastic pads fastened to the crossbars that worked great. If you are having a problem with the boat not going on straight, first try pulling the trailer out a bit more, but if that doesn't work you may want to invest in trailer guides that cradle the boat on the sides.

I'm sure there is a standard as to how the center rollers should be setup, but I've always just had mine so there is just a slight gap (~1/4") between them and the hull. The rollers don't seem to like much weight on them and retain a memory and also tend to wear out quite quickly if they are always under pressure.

[Valv]

The rollers in the middle don't support the boat, they are just to avoid hitting the crossmembers. Follow the instruction of post above, it should be easy to load boat on a bunk trailer.

The guide posts are just to help loading a very low speed, don't think they will keep boat perfectly in the middle every time. The tall ones will flex and still let the boat get off track too. Short ones might get caught underneath the gunnel at the first 1/2 of the boat. In any case don't let the boat touch any of them while in transport, the vibrations of the road will rub your boat to the point paint or any other part will get damaged. Always keep at least 1" or 2" or more space between guides and boat.

[jwmiller33]

does anybody know of any good threads in the past that show how to install the guide posts on a trailer? i have a roller trailer with a 16ft aluminum Lund and i fish the river a lot and those guide posts would do wonders! i have custom built just about everything else on my boat, so i think i could tackle the task... i just dont know how to install them on the trailer... can you just go buy pvc piping from a hardware store and use that? or....?

[delmuts]

I'm not much of a fan of the guide posts, but instead i prefer the side bunks( i had some posts on a 16 ft lund, then put on a set of bunks. Big difference!).The poles will help catch the nose of the boat, but nothing else. The bunks give you more surface to guide you on. If they are set so they are about an inch from the side of your boat when centered, you can just get the nose of the boat inside them, and slide it in place.Go a dealer and take a look at the trailers that have the side bunks.

[Valv]

does anybody know of any good threads in the past that show how to install the guide posts on a trailer? i have a roller trailer with a 16ft aluminum Lund and i fish the river a lot and those guide posts would do wonders! i have custom built just about everything else on my boat, so i think i could tackle the task... i just dont know how to install them on the trailer... can you just go buy pvc piping from a hardware store and use that? or....?

It would be best to start your own thread regard your question.

In response I can say they are not made of PVC pipe only. They are galvanized tubing U bolted to the frame and covered with a PVC pipe.

[marine_man]

Whenever you install side guides (of whatever variety) be sure that the boat doesn't rest on the for a long trip down the road... the constant vibration between the trailer and the boat will result in a paint rub spot on your boat.

marine_man

[mr_jman]

Thanks for all the replies it took me a while to find my post once it got moved, but now that I am getting closer to actually putting the new ones on there, I am glad I found the post! Anyone use the rollers that are sorta cone shaped larger on the outsides and smaller at the center. Seems like one of those on the last roller would maybe help keep it straight a little bit better.