Trailer question

[JeffD]

After OnthePotomac posted about Ultimate Bunks, I thought that might be something I'd be interested in. In late May I bought a '93 Ranger 375V that sits on a 2018  Z175 Ranger Trail trailer. It does not come off or go back on very easily. The boat, to my eye, seems to fit on it properly, but I'm far from an expert. I contacted Ultimate Bunks to see what model I would need and they asked for the specifics. I have them the numbers (2×6, 9.5' bunks with a 9' span between brackets). They told me that the 9' span was way to long for only 2 brackets. They asked if the bunks were sagging. I don't really know of they are or not. Now I'm wondering if that is why it is so difficult to get on and off. They suggested that I add at least 1 more bracket per bunk. Does anyone have any thoughts? Is that an extremely long span for that length bunk? Any help would be appreciated.

[slonezp]

Without any other info, I think it has to do with depth of the trailer when you launch and load.

[Jig Man]

13 minutes ago, slonezp said:

Without any other info, I think it has to do with depth of the trailer when you launch and load.

That is exactly what I was thinking.

[JeffD]

That's what I was thinking until Ultimate Bunks said the span was to long. I've only had it in the water 3 times and I'm still experimenting with the depth.

[OnthePotomac]

The premium Ultimate bunks have an aluminum rail screwed to the back in which the bolts slide to bolt them on.  Not an expert, but it seems stange that one in a 2x6 nine feet long would sag.  But then they are the experts.

[jbsoonerfan]

1 hour ago, OnthePotomac said:

The premium Ultimate bunks have an aluminum rail screwed to the back in which the bolts slide to bolt them on.  Not an expert, but it seems stange that one in a 2x6 nine feet long would sag.  But then they are the experts.

The way I read it, is they were suggesting his current bunks were sagging as he has not bought the Ultimate Bunks yet.

[slonezp]

I still think I would start with OP making sure the boat is deep enough in the water when launching and loading. There's a sweet spot with every boat and you just need to find it. Use your mirrors and the trailer fenders as your guide. Generally, the fender tops are just below, equal, or just above the waterline. It' could also be the ramp. Does the problem occur at all ramps or just one. Shallow and steep ramps can pose difficulty in launching/loading whereas a gradual sloped ramp is easiest. 

[JeffD]

Yep, this is my first bass boat since I sold my '87 Ranger in 1993. That boats sweet spot was putting it in just until the fender was covered. This boat is nowhere near coming off at that depth. I've only had it on 1 lake a few different times. Still trying to find that sweet spot. I suppose the problem could be the ramp. It's a pretty gradual drop in depth. I need to get out on a different lake and see if it comes off any easier. The guy from Ultimate Bunks was saying that he would not recommend that long of a run even with the Supreme bunks.

[Jig Man]

If you could get someone to go with you, you could have them take care of the truck and trailer.  They could back in and you load experimenting with various trailer depths until you find the best one for loading.  What could take you days or weeks by yourself might be done in a matter of minutes with a driver.

 

Just be sure that you pick a slow time for launching and loading at the ramp so you won’t be in anyone’s way.

[JeffD]

Good idea. That's what I'm going to have to do.

Thanks

[A-Jay]

10 hours ago, JeffD said:

Yep, this is my first bass boat since I sold my '87 Ranger in 1993. That boats sweet spot was putting it in just until the fender was covered. This boat is nowhere near coming off at that depth. I've only had it on 1 lake a few different times. Still trying to find that sweet spot. I suppose the problem could be the ramp. It's a pretty gradual drop in depth. I need to get out on a different lake and see if it comes off any easier. The guy from Ultimate Bunks was saying that he would not recommend that long of a run even with the Supreme bunks.

I launch & recover my rig solo quite a bit.

While there's certainly many ways to get this done - here's one.

Also I installed the Ultimate bunk boards (supreme) on this trailer last fall.

Been very pleased with them.

Many of the ramps I frequent have a fairly gradual slant,

positioning the trailer into the right depth helps a ton, regardless of what type of bunks are used. 

A-Jay