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EZ Loader trailer issues (take 2!)

BulldogsCadillac

BulldogsCadillac

Just some guy
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just been talking to EZ Loader all day (emailing back and forth) and talking about how the tongue weight is ridiculous on this trailer. I sent them pics and told them that I have to have the boat more forward on the axel to give some added support to the center pontoon. So right now my outside toons are 10.5 inches further in on the bunks and that still leaves a full foot unsupported of the center toon. So the guy says that he took my pics to their engineering department and that I need to move the boat back so that the outside pontoons are flush with the end of the bunks. I told him that I think that is the EASY fix to the tongue weight, but don't really think that having 22.5 inches of the center pontoon/transom with a 500lb motor attached to it UNSUPPORTED is the RIGHT answer. I am quite interested to hear if any other members or especially BENNINGTON have any thoughts or remedies to this. Especially considering that other than LT1GMC, i don't remember anyone having any more support on the center pontoon. Does anyone with ESP have any extra support built into their trailer? Anybody have pics? REALLY hope someone from BENNINGTON could chime in with their thoughts. Thanks!

Oh and if I DID move the boat back to be even with the rear bunks, then the welded on box and transducer for the fish finder are in the way of the ratcheting tie down strap! Then what? Where else could the rear ratcheting straps be mounted?

Derrick
 
Derrick, I don't trailer but here's my thoughts. If you think about all the 2 tube boats out there on trailers with fairly large motors on them, there is no support under the motor pod. The pod is just hanging on the frame. Your center eliptical tube is huge and solid with the transom built in. It's made to take it. My $.02
 
Derrick,

I've talked to this guy (Paul) about a trailer for mine and he says they've set up a couple dozen 2275's this way. That is, all 3 sets of bunks are the same length and the pod hangs over the back, no problems at all.

http://www.trailersf...on-trailers.htm

He's right down the road from Bennington and knows them well. Might be worth a call just to hear what he has to say.

Tom
 
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Thanks guys, I appreciate your link and comments, it just seems like it should have been built better for the amount it cost in my opinion. Once again, I do love the trailer in a lot if ways, looks, handling, loads and unloads really well, I just think there are a few things missing, I forget how to post the pic in here, but I remembered my good buddy Gerry had some pics of his motor so here is a link to how I believe the trailer bunk SHOULD be



I am still left with the issue of my tie down straps for the rear, if I move it back then my transducer and the big aluminum box its mounted on are in the way. The tie downs should have been mounted closer to the center of the trailer is guess so the strap would be on an angle and clear the "box"



See what I mean, thanks for the thoughts, keep them coming! (Bennington!)
 
Is it possible to rotate that rear bunk bracket 180* so it sits closer to the engine? You would be able to use longer boards with the added support.

If that's not an option, are they height adjustable? Lower them and install thicker bunks, which would allow for more length beyond the bracket.
 
Maynard G. Krebs said:
Is it possible to rotate that rear bunk bracket 180* so it sits closer to the engine? You would be able to use longer boards with the added support.

If that's not an option, are they height adjustable? Lower them and install thicker bunks, which would allow for more length beyond the bracket.
Click to expand...
the bunk supports are not adjustable at all. That is part of it being "custom" they had all the dimensions and angles of the toons/boat, so unfortuneatly no. good thinking though. I havent heard anything from them at all today so I just sent them an email asking if they were still looking at something or if they are just done with me. I will for sure fill everyone in on the outcome, hopefully good!

Derrick

edit Maybe I should look at my own pics before I comment!! looks like the center bunk supports are adjustable, but the problem still remains that yes I "only" have 12" unsupported right now, but they want me to move it back another 10.5" which would leave 22.5" unsupported, not sure that extra 3" i would gain by rotating the support bracket would make a lot of difference.
 
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Derrick - I get emails for many forum posts, but not all. I looked back in my deleted folder for some of your older posts that were deleted but I didn't find any. Maybe others that get these emails will check for you...

This is a very interesting topic, and curious to see what you find out. Good luck with this.

Also, the link Tom posted was very interesting reading. I learned a lot, and am curious about a few things now on my trailer that I will check next time I'm at the marina.
 
Only other thing I can think of is adding longer bunks with some U-shaped steel bolted to the bottom in an upside-down position. Something around 3"w x 2"h x 3/8" thick and extending from the last support bracket to the ends would carry a decent amount of the load and prevent the boards from deflecting. Added bonus is they would act as sacrificial skids on driveway approaches.
 
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Those trailers he puts together are actually Mid-America frames with his own custom touches. He has a ton of experience with this sort of thing.

I have to say Derrick's is one of the nicest looking pontoon trailers I've ever seen! I hope he can work it out.
 
Thanks TomS, I'm hoping maybe it was the guys day off yesterday and that's why he didn't get back to me at all. I know that this is a forum and not a Bennington tech support Page, but I do hope TB could ask the question of the all knowing engineer's and see what their thoughts are. I think this issue affects A LOT of people considering ESP seems to get lots of praise and many people seem to be making the jump, it would be nice to know so that when new buyers are looking for a trailer they know what to look for and expect. That's part of my reason for getting a hold of EZ Loader in the first place, so they can make changes to their design to better suit the needs of Bennington customers. They can build fully encased guards for wakeboard boats props and rutters, then they surely must be able to have an extra 2ft of toon support, or at least move the axel forward on the design to give proper tongue weight ratio. And fix the positioning of the tie down straps.

Derrick
 
Well, here's an update, or rather a lack thereof update. Haven't heard a peep from EZ Loader since the 28th when they told me to move the boat back so outside toons are flush with the bunk, and that I didn't need to support the center toons. I had sent them a message back asking about how I should use the "custom" placed ratcheting tie down that would then be in the way of my transducer and Bennington mounting box, to which I have not heard a reply. I sent them another message on the 29th asking if they were still looking into something or if they were just done with listening to REAL concerns with their "custom" design. So far, no response. Keep in mind I am condensing my story to you and it might sound a little more straightforward and harsh to you as opposed to the nicer message's I have sent to them since I wasn't wanting them to get defensive and just shut down communication with me. Although that seems to be what has happened regardless. This is where it sucks to be in Canada. My local Bennington dealer is not a big player in trailer sales and has no 'pull' with them, the province rep couldn't even find out what the paint code was that they used on my trailer so I could touch up a couple spots from transport. If this was happening to a customer of a dealer that sells 300 or more trailers a year, I'm thinking they would be more receptive to correct the issues. A reputable company wouldn't care about how MANY things you've bought from them, they care about EACH thing you've bought from them. That's why we love our Bennington's, whether you bought the QCW or an SSX, they are there to help you. Sure hope something changes with EZ Loader, hey, here's hoping to him being sick with the flu and THAT'S why he hasn't responded in 3 days!

Yet another saga continues!

Derrick
 
Yeah, I always thought it polite to at least respond to me and say

1. Here's your answer

2. We are working on it

3. Screw off

At least one of the above let's me know SOMEONE read my email ......
 
Just a thought: when I had an Alumacraft with an Evinrude 250 on it, the trailer was made by EZ Loader. What they did in my case was to put a 'relief bar' from the rear of the trailer to the lower unit. This was used in conjunction with the built in 'transom saver' that was on the motor itself. It takes a lot of the weight of the engine and directly supports it with the bulk of the rear of the trailer.
 
Derrick, my take is that their "custom" trailer isn't so custom. I don't believe they have a clue about what to do to resolve your issue. You might as well go ahead and fix it yourself, whatever that will entail. Steve
 
Well here is the latest conversation with EZ Loader, at least they got back to me!

Derrick,

I am sorry that you do not feel confidant in the design of this EZ Loader trailer. I can assure you that this was not a design flaw in the way your trailer was built. The overhang of the motor will not affect the way the trailer tows. Moving the boat back will resolve the tongue weight issue of the trailer.

Sincerely,

Mike Horberg

EZ Loader Custom Division

-----Original Message-----

From:

Sent: Friday, February 01, 2013 11:23 AM

Cc: Mike Horberg

Subject: Bennington Trailer

Well Mike it has now been 3 days since I last heard from you. Could you send me an email letting me know IF you guys are still doing something or if as I said in my last email, you are just done working with me? I hope that you are maybe just sick with the flu or something and that's why I am getting NO response whatsoever, I fear though that EZ Loader is not willing to acknowledge that it didn't live up to the EZ Loader name in the engineering and fabrication of the most expensive model of pontoon trailer that they make for this size of boat. I hope that EZ Loader is working diligently to figure out a remedy to this situation because they stand behind they're product 100% and wouldn't want a customer who went out of his way and waited an extra 6 weeks to use his brand new boat so that this 'custom' executive trailer could be built to the exacting specifications for HIS particular boat, in HIS particular color, spending HIS hard earned money, instead of taking a trailer from a local company that would have seen him on the water 6 weeks earlier and cost him almost half as much. No, THIS customer decided that if he was going to INVEST this much money on a top of the line pontoon, then it was going to be riding on a top of the line trailer. THIS customer even ranted and raved and posted pics on the JD Power and associates pontoon winner's website and the leading pontoon magazine website. Every company makes mistakes, its what they do to correct them, that makes them a Respected Leader in the Marine Industry.

Derrick Burnside

Sent from my BlackBerry®
 
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I don't think he really answered your question did he? It's got nothing to do about how well the boat tows. It's about the over hanging of the motor pod and center toons that isn't supported if you move the trailer back to where EZ loader days it should be? Did I miss something in his response?

Todd
 
Seems like he "solved" one problem (weight distribution) while creating another (center tube overhang), then blew it off.

As a result of this thread, I've been having a dialog with the trailer supplier I had planned to use, even giving a picture of Gerry's Trailmaster trailer with the ESP/Honda 225 on it as an example. Despite my detailed explanation of what I'm trying to do and diagrams describing it on his own web site, he can't seem to understand why I want to support the 650 lbs of motor beneath the end cap, offset from the outer toons . Why is this so hard to understand? I guess I may need to contact Trailmaster, though for my purposes (mainly storage and service trips) I'm really concerned about the cost. I am a "do it right" the first time sort of person though, so it would kill me to accept that compromise and not address it up front.

I absolutely see where Derrick is coming from, given he was supposed to have a completely "custom" trailer, paid a premium for it, and even had the patience to wait to get the right one. I hope it can still be worked out and will stay tuned.
 
Okay, here is the days updates. Had a lot of back and forth............discussion, and he went and spoke with his head engineer, and they are going to send me out some kind of bracket and longer bunk boards! We'll see what they look like, I'm hoping they seem semi heavy duty and that it will put my mind at ease. I said great! Now we need to figure out the tie down strap, to which he asked if I could get some dimensions on the bracket so they would know what the offset would be if I moved the boat back on the trailer. So I will have to go and take some pics and measurements I guess and send those to them, but they think they can make a bracket for it too. Oh, and they are going to try and send out some touch up paint since no one around here uses Dupont. So at least they are trying. It has taken a lot of hounding, but hopefully this all works out. Will keep you all posted!

Derrick
 
So now I realize the nickname Bulldog doesn't have anything to do with the fact that you own two dogs...

Way to go Bulldog
 
That's great news Derrick. Persistence works!

Thanks for posting all this as I've learned what to look for and the right questions to ask.
 
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