Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Apologies in advance for all the questions ... been reading everything about boat trailers & need some expert advice.

I am towing throughout the inter mountain west, up & down 6-8% grades; 60% interstate, 40% state 2-lane highways. I tow at 60 mph. My 2015 Chevy 3500HD crew cab 4x4 gasser is pulling truck, camper, & boat just fine at a 16,800 GCVW; albeit at 8.1 mpg .

New Pontoon weighs in (CAT Scale) at 5,660 with a near empty 50 gal gas tank; so I'm thinking 6,100 is a good loaded baseline weight. The trailer from the dealer is a tritoon 27' and configured with:
- dual axles rated 7000# (3500# each axle)
- aluminum wheels (can't find a rating stamp)
- ST205 14 "C" load tires (2-ply rated 1,317#)
- surge braking
- 7" drum brakes on one axle ... sigh ...
- single leaf springs on each wheel with the equalizer thingy

Need some advice:
1) axles at 7000# seems sufficient
2) Planning on changing wheels to 2200# rated mag wheels; should I consider larger than 14"?
3) The trailer guys can put 4-ply "C" load rated at 1980 lbs & tell me this is good enough; should I listen to them?
4) I want to use the built-in brake controller & ABS safety features of the truck ... & really don't like surge anyway, so, it's electric versus EOH; trailer guys say electric is just fine; champion trailer & west marine web sites seem to lean to EOH; suggestions?
5) The tow truck has 14" and adding 7" brakes to the second trailer axle "seems" to be enough; do I need to consider moving to 10" brakes?
6) Drum versus disc - a bit of a toss up on web sites, with disc being a bit more popular for the weight & maintenance considerations; suggestions?
7) Last weekend on a "break in" 500 mile trip, the boat really bounced around (no sway though) on the less smooth 2-lane roads. Do I need to add a spring (or two) to each wheel?

Thanks some more for any advice or suggestions - I really do want to get this done safely & as right as possible - cheers!

p.s. I did flip the hitch ball so the trailer now is way more level than in this picture ...

bigimac wrote:7) Last weekend on a "break in" 500 mile trip, the boat really bounced around (no sway though) on the less smooth 2-lane roads. Do I need to add a spring (or two) to each wheel?

Your tongue weight is probably too low.
On a 6000 pound trailer, it should be about 600-900 pounds (10%-15%).

BobG wrote:

bigimac wrote:7) Last weekend on a "break in" 500 mile trip, the boat really bounced around (no sway though) on the less smooth 2-lane roads. Do I need to add a spring (or two) to each wheel?

Your tongue weight is probably too low.
On a 6000 pound trailer, it should be about 600-900 pounds (10%-15%).

thx Bob - yup, I flipped the hitch ball (2" drop) & that settled things a little bit - may need to go 3" - & I haven't measured tongue weight yet

Need some advice:
1) axles at 7000# seems sufficient That's what is standard and sufficient on boats of this weight
2) Planning on changing wheels to 2200# rated mag wheels; should I consider larger than 14"? It depends on your tires. If I was going into mountains and would be towing a lot, I'd be looking to change tires. And 14" tires of high quality are hard to find since few cars/trucks are using them. I'd be leaning toward Maxxis M8008's or Kumho 857's if you can find them. But get rid of those Chinese junk tires--if that's what's on your trailer.
3) The trailer guys can put 4-ply "C" load rated at 1980 lbs & tell me this is good enough; should I listen to them? See above on tires.
4) I want to use the built-in brake controller & ABS safety features of the truck ... & really don't like surge anyway, so, it's electric versus EOH; trailer guys say electric is just fine; champion trailer & west marine web sites seem to lean to EOH; suggestions? If you're going to spend money on your brakes, put brakes on the other axle and stick with the surge brakes which are best for marine use.
5) The tow truck has 14" and adding 7" brakes to the second trailer axle "seems" to be enough; do I need to consider moving to 10" brakes? I'd suggest sticking with the same brakes as those currently on your trailer. They should be sufficient.
6) Drum versus disc - a bit of a toss up on web sites, with disc being a bit more popular for the weight & maintenance considerations; suggestions? Quad disc brakes will cost between $1,500 and $2,000 to add. You can add conventional brakes very inexpensively.
7) Last weekend on a "break in" 500 mile trip, the boat really bounced around (no sway though) on the less smooth 2-lane roads. Do I need to add a spring (or two) to each wheel? Chances are your bouncing is because your hitch weight is too little. You can get more tongue weight by moving the winch stand forward slightly--a 5 minute job.

is the boat moving around on the trailer when you say "bouncing around lots"? If you don't have one yet put a front ratchet strap on to pull the pontoons down onto the trailer, not just forward like the winch strap does.

I was always told tire ply ratings were 2 ply for each letter like C rated is 6ply ...D rated are 8ply and E rated is 10 ply.

Buy the cheapest D rated tires you can find, run them at 65 psi and change them every three to four years. I know that sucks but about the only insurance you won't get a blowout at speed.

Maxxis and Kumho trailer tires are the better brands - and you WILL pay big $$ for them -especially the Kumho. I used Kumho on my car and they were darned close to Michelin in quality and performance. Kenda gets good ratings as well.

Interestingly enough I just looked at at $75K Airstream trailer and it had Goodyear Marathons, made in China, right from the factory. When I told the salesman I expected better from Airstream he just shrugged his shoulders.

Check out E-trailer for D rated tires shipped free which is what I recently mounted but have not tried them yet. I'm going to torture them in a few weeks when I bring my VERY heavy boat back to Tucson from San Diego. Pavement temperatures will be around 140F the entire trip once I leave San Diego.

http://www.etrailer.com/Tires-and-Wheel ... 7514D.html

When your trailer is parked for any length of time make sure the load is taken off the tires and that they are covered - even indirect UV light will degrade the rubber over time.

I'm also a RV'er, and I read daily online about someone having a tire coming apart either on a boat or a recreational vehicle. The Chinese ST tires are the problem, with Chinese built Goodyear Marathons having the highest incidence of problems.

The problem is that the North American tire manufacturers have just abandoned the trailer tire market--marine, RV and other trailers. And trailer manufacturers have bought the cheapest tires available--even though it may be put on a $100K Airstream or a $75K pontoon boat trailer. The risk is just too much to place low quality tires on the second most expensive item I've ever purchased (to my house.)

Many trailer owners have switched over to high quality ribbed LT/E radial tires intended for 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks--like the Bridgestone Duravis R250's, Michelin's ribbed tire and the Goodyear G614. Sailun is the only Chinese tire worthy of being used on a trailer. My new fifth wheel trailer has the Bridgestones on it now, and they're unbelievably beefy and heavy built tires. I sold my Westlake Chinese tires today with 800 miles usage on Craigslist this morning.

I'd be replacing the tires on my pontoon boat, but I seldom tow my trailer but a few miles for maintenance yearly.

I still regret not getting electric disc brakes on my boat trailer. The new fully potted servos are fine for immersion even in salt water as long as you rinse thoroughly after use.
I have Loadstar 14" load range D tires on my boat trailer on galv wheels and have had zero problems. My average tow is just under an hour at 65 mph. My tow vehicle is a 1/2 ton Dodge Ram but except for one trip a year to Lake Raystown Pa. it's mostly flatland in Southern New Jersey. Boat ,motor ,77gallons of gas and equipment comes to just under 6300 lbs.

THX! all - so far, it looks like I'll:

- keep 14" size & upgrade to mag wheels & then tires to "d" rated - not sure I can find a 14" LT E but will look around;
- leave brakes at 7" & add to second axle;
- spend the $$$'s change out drum for disc;
- leaf (sic) the springs alone; and
- have the trailer folks look at the trailer rigging for level, tongue length (no extension of WD currently on this); and tongue weight.

The "bouncing around" is the trailer on rough roads, not the boat - that's strapped down ok.

I'm leaning towards electric disc but still contemplating the whole surge, electric, or EOH - I don't like surge for the constant: "bump" to disengage; over heating worries when downhill on long (2-3 mile) 6-8% grades; and loss of TV safety, brake control & ABS stuff. "Marine grade" brake components are available, so submersion isn't an issue … so far.

Thx again everyone, you're input is enormously helpful.

HarryO wrote:I still regret not getting electric disc brakes on my boat trailer.

No such thing! There are only electric drum brakes.

Going in today to see if 15" wheels & tires will fit. One more question - anyone installed TPMS system on their trailer wheels? Recommendations?

babock wrote:

HarryO wrote:I still regret not getting electric disc brakes on my boat trailer.

No such thing! There are only electric drum brakes.

You're right in a way. Trailer disc brakes are operated hydraulically, but the hydraulic master cylinder is electrically operated by a standard tow truck brake controller. Such a system is complicated and that's why it costs $1500-2000 installed.

Unless someone's got a huge boat or towing a huge RV in the Colorado mountains, regular brakes are okay for me. And for 5K lbs., regular surge brakes are okay for me.

Bamaman wrote:

babock wrote:

HarryO wrote:I still regret not getting electric disc brakes on my boat trailer.

No such thing! There are only electric drum brakes.

You're right in a way. Trailer disc brakes are operated hydraulically, but the hydraulic master cylinder is electrically operated by a standard tow truck brake controller. Such a system is complicated and that's why it costs $1500-2000 installed.

Unless someone's got a huge boat or towing a huge RV in the Colorado mountains, regular brakes are okay for me. And for 5K lbs., regular surge brakes are okay for me.

If you are talking about electric over hydraulic brakes, those still aren't electric disk brakes.

I actually have that system on my 24' Wellcraft cuddy cabin. It's a Titan unit with Kodiak brakes. The Titan Electric over hydraulic actuator costs $620 but you also don't need a $200 hydraulic surge actuator.

It's not very complicated and it doesn't add $1500-$2000 to an existing system that is already hydraulic. It's also simple to install.
http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Brakes/ ... 13100.html

Way overkill for most pontoon boats I would agree.