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New Boat over weight for trailer sold with it

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bjgill17

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My husband and I bought a brand new Bennington 22 SFI, trolling motor and 90 Yamaha 4 stroke 2 and 1/2 months ago. This week we had a total blow out on one of the trailer tires while TRYING to drive to the lake. The dealership sold us, with confidence, (after we had asked for verbal assurance) a single axle trailer. The tires that came with the trailer had a combined load ability of 2640#. After reading some different blogs on the internet , I got the idea that we needed to weigh our boat/motor and trailer. We took the set up today (with no other items on board to make the package heavier) to a certified public scale. We got a certified print out from the place. Our rig weighed 3760#.(OVER 1000# s what the tires that were sold with the boat could safely OR LEGALLY handle.) The boat and trailer are now BACK at the dealership until the manager calls us on Monday..PS....A NEW TIRE WE HAD TO BUY BECAUSE OF THE BLOW OUT WAS OVER $160 with rim. :(
 
That totally sucks. How far is the next closest dealer. I would want someone else after the original guy hopefully makes it right. I have a used boat that I got from a private party. I have been to the two dealers closest to me and are not that impressed with either of them. Before we bought used, we were talking to a salesman who was trying to convince us to go new. Can't blame him, but he really sold me on the brand of boat. It was near the end of the day and the manager of the dealership basically pushed us and the salesman out of the store so that he could close the doors for the day. The salesman came to our car and apologized. I was not going to buy a boat that day and had made that clear but that's not the point. I decided he would never get a dime from me. The other dealer is a huge boat dealer and Bennington is one of their smaller lines. They sell yachts for use on Lake Michigan so I am left with not a very good dealer relationship. I wish Team Bennington would open a virtual dealership where I could just order things online, perhaps an entire boat someday.
 
Nielsen said:
That totally sucks. How far is the next closest dealer. I would want someone else after the original guy hopefully makes it right. I have a used boat that I got from a private party. I have been to the two dealers closest to me and are not that impressed with either of them. Before we bought used, we were talking to a salesman who was trying to convince us to go new. Can't blame him, but he really sold me on the brand of boat. It was near the end of the day and the manager of the dealership basically pushed us and the salesman out of the store so that he could close the doors for the day. The salesman came to our car and apologized. I was not going to buy a boat that day and had made that clear but that's not the point. I decided he would never get a dime from me. The other dealer is a huge boat dealer and Bennington is one of their smaller lines. They sell yachts for use on Lake Michigan so I am left with not a very good dealer relationship. I wish Team Bennington would open a virtual dealership where I could just order things online, perhaps an entire boat someday.
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yes it does suck. The dealer we used is only about 10 miles from us. The next dealer is over 100 miles that deals with Benningtons. I was REALLY HOPING MAYBE one of the BENNINGTON TEAM would make a comment on this, I mean a dealer is selling their boat with an UNDER CUT of trailer capacity.
 
bjgill17 said:
My husband and I bought a brand new Bennington 22 SFI, trolling motor and 90 Yamaha 4 stroke 2 and 1/2 months ago. This week we had a total blow out on one of the trailer tires while TRYING to drive to the lake. The dealership sold us, with confidence, (after we had asked for verbal assurance) a single axle trailer. The tires that came with the trailer had a combined load ability of 2640#. After reading some different blogs on the internet , I got the idea that we needed to weigh our boat/motor and trailer. We took the set up today (with no other items on board to make the package heavier) to a certified public scale. We got a certified print out from the place. Our rig weighed 3760#.(OVER 1000# s what the tires that were sold with the boat could safely OR LEGALLY handle.) The boat and trailer are now BACK at the dealership until the manager calls us on Monday..PS....A NEW TIRE WE HAD TO BUY BECAUSE OF THE BLOW OUT WAS OVER $160 with rim.:(The tires are a serious issue here no doubt! I would also be concered about the structure of the trailer because your new Bennington as well as the rest of us spends most of its life sitting on the trailer. I think i would be questioning your dealer about more than just tires. This could lead to more serious issues...Just my opinion...Good luck
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was trailer a load-rite? I had a similar issue. After much complaining, two brand new heavy duty axles were installed. End of problem.
 
firsttoon said:
was trailer a load-rite? I had a similar issue. After much complaining, two brand new heavy duty axles were installed. End of problem.
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Is "load-rite" your trailer name brand? or a specific kind of trailer? Our trailer is a McClain galvanized trailer. Did you have to pay full price for the installation of the new heavy duty axles. I was soo mad at having to leave our brand new boat because of THEIR selling us too "light weight" a trailer, esp. since we had NO PROBLEM with buying a double axle trailer from the start, if that is what our boat needed.

On another blog, not in this web site, one gentleman suggested me trying to have the dealership BUY BACK our single axle trailer to then be able to buy a double axle one.
 
You need to check the ID plate on the trailer. The trailer itself may be rated to handle the boat. A larger, heavier ply tire may be all thats needed. Even so, the dealer should have recognized this and handled it then or now. Good luck
 
seven twenty said:
You need to check the ID plate on the trailer. The trailer itself may be rated to handle the boat. A larger, heavier ply tire may be all thats needed. Even so, the dealer should have recognized this and handled it then or now. Good luck
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We did check that plate, it states the trailer is able to handle, I think it said, 3500# which IS STILL less than the certified 3760# weight of our boat, motor,and trailer (without being loaded up with things needed for a fun day on the lake :(
 
bjgill17, really sorry to hear of your troubles, that's not how a day at the lake is supposed to turn out :( Unfortunatly, this is a dealer issue, not a Bennington responsibility. After all, Bennington sells boats, not trailers. I am sure hearing of this will raise some eyebrows, and perhaps Bennington needs to make contact with the dealer to insure the dealer gets on the right track. However, it's really between you and your dealer. Make contact with them, and see what they will do for you as far as getting you the proper trailer for your boat. I feel they should trade you up, cover your expenses, and do what ever else it takes to make you happy. Take your weight certificate with you, point out the advertised weight limit for the trailer, and let them make it right. Hopefully, they will do the right thing, and this will be settled. Let us know how it all turns out!
 
In short a single axle trailer is not enough to carry a 22 foot pontoon no matter what brand or axle is under it. You definately need the dealer to upgrade you to a tandem axle trailer. This as stated before is a dealer issue not a Bennington issue. I bought my boat and trailer from different dealerships as I didn't like the trailer brand my local Bennington dealership carried "Karavan" I went with a Shorelandr trailer which is built much more solid than the other brands I could find.
 
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Geoffrey & Brenda said:
bjgill17, really sorry to hear of your troubles, that's not how a day at the lake is supposed to turn out :( Unfortunatly, this is a dealer issue, not a Bennington responsibility. After all, Bennington sells boats, not trailers. I am sure hearing of this will raise some eyebrows, and perhaps Bennington needs to make contact with the dealer to insure the dealer gets on the right track. However, it's really between you and your dealer. Make contact with them, and see what they will do for you as far as getting you the proper trailer for your boat. I feel they should trade you up, cover your expenses, and do what ever else it takes to make you happy. Take your weight certificate with you, point out the advertised weight limit for the trailer, and let them make it right. Hopefully, they will do the right thing, and this will be settled. Let us know how it all turns out!
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Thank you for EVERYONE'S imput, you also. I MOST DEFINITELY agree this is NOT A BENNINGTON matter. We LOVE OUR BOAT, in fact that is why all this is so upsetting to us. We HATE to do without it. I put this in this web site only to let Bennington know what may be going on at some dealerships that sell their boat and get some suggestions from fellow Bennington owners. We have already taken it back to the dealer (boat/motor and trailer) WITH the certified weight certificate as of yesterday. The Manager of the dealership was off. He is to call us tomorrow some time. His staff in the mean time said they were going to research out the advertised weight of boat and motor and trailer (SEEMS LIKE they should have already done that).
 
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bjgill17 said:
Is "load-rite" your trailer name brand? or a specific kind of trailer? Our trailer is a McClain galvanized trailer. Did you have to pay full price for the installation of the new heavy duty axles. I was soo mad at having to leave our brand new boat because of THEIR selling us too "light weight" a trailer, esp. since we had NO PROBLEM with buying a double axle trailer from the start, if that is what our boat needed.

On another blog, not in this web site, one gentleman suggested me trying to have the dealership BUY BACK our single axle trailer to then be able to buy a double axle one.
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Load-Rite is manufacturer. The new axles were covered under warranty. Not trying to defend your dealer, but if they are located on a body of water they probably do not sell too many trailers. Let them make it right. They should buy back your trailer and sell one that will handle your boat. Like everyone else suggested, dual axle. If you really want pain free towing and tow a considerable distance splurge for disk brakes. Also, I would have gone for a trailer with a load capacity at least double your boat weight. Oh, yeah. It is CRITICAL that the trailer be set up properly (weight distribution), or you run the risk of causing an accident.
 
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Sorry to hear about your trailer situation. I had a tire blowout on my previous ski boat trailer going about 65mph on interstate 95. Not fun. Fortunately I had a dual axle trailer and was able to pull over without incident. Please consider a dual axle to better handle the weight of your boat, motor, and all the "stuff" you take when going out for a day on the water.
 
Another thing to watch closely on trailers is the tire pressure. especially if it has small tires on it. Run the tire pressure at max cold PSI, this will help the tires run cooler and last longer. I personally run trailer tires at 5 psi below max to compensate for temperature change.
 
Does your single axel trailer have brakes? Most states require trailers over a certain weight to have brakes with 3000 lb common. Just another point you could use to get them to swap out trailers. Too bad you have to go through this when you were right in wanting a tandem in the first place. A single is simply too small for a 22" boat. Hopefully the dealer steps up and makes it right

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
 
Boomers dad said:
Does your single axel trailer have brakes? Most states require trailers over a certain weight to have brakes with 3000 lb common. Just another point you could use to get them to swap out trailers. Too bad you have to go through this when you were right in wanting a tandem in the first place. A single is simply too small for a 22" boat. Hopefully the dealer steps up and makes it right

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.
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Good news to report :) . I am VERY HAPPY to say that my husband and I have had a commendable outcome with our boat dealership today. The dealership's manager and sales staff researched our situation through out the day, calling us with every update. Very Good. They discoverd we did have a problem! I can confidently say we are VERY PLEASED with the problem solving this manager did for us and the solution results are more than fair. We are getting a tandem trailer and all should be READY FOR THE WATER (YAY) again by this weekend. THANK YOU SO MUCH, FELLOW BENNGINTON BUDDIES for all your answers and suggestions...YOUR INPUT IS MUCH APPRECIATED...
 
bjgill17, so glad to hear you've been treated well by your dealer! Hopefully this will be the start of a good relationship between you. Now, get out there and have some fun!
 
Sounds like a good outcome and glad to hear you will be out on the water by weekend. Enjoy!!
 
We got our boat back, BEAUTIFUL JOB for our new tandem trailer !!! Thank you to our boat dealership...THEY CAME THRU WITH EVERYTHING they said they would and we had A MARVELOUS day on the water Saturday :) )
 
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