Trailer skid wheel recommendations requested

[DavidF]

I know there have been a few posts on skid wheels in the past, but I would like to revisit the subject. On my '93 SN I used steel skid wheels. They worked well, but like others have commented, they left marks on the concrete driveway. Well, that boat is gone and I need to add skid wheels to my '99 NSS and I want to go a different route. So, seems my option is to use casters of some kind. Question is what kind? So, here are some of my questions for those that have done this in the past or have had this done:

1. What is a safe minimum load rating of the caster given a assumed 4000# total weight?
2. What wheel material(s)? I.e. phenolic, phenolic/aluminum, nylon, rubber, etc. I am leaning toward phenolic.
3. What wheel size" Seems smallest would be 4", but limited on laod capacity. So, I probably have to go with 5" or larger.
4. Fixed or swivel. I am leaning toward fixed.
5. Anything else to consider?

Thanks for any information. And yes, cost will be a factor in my decision making process. So, no titanium wheels with Space Shuttle bearings or the like :grin:

[SkiTundra]

RE: Trailer skid wheel recommendations requested

I would go 1 pr fixed and the rest swivel. Whatever the mfr rates the load, cut at least in half (we always used 4x expected load), unless you don't want them to roll smoothly. Sealed bearings only. Larger wheel diameter makes a huge difference in more than just load.

[DavidF]

RE: Trailer skid wheel recommendations requested

Well, only going to use one pair total. I just found a rigid phenolic wheel (5") at WW Grainger for $11.95 (tax and shipped) rated at 1400 lbs. That gives me 2800 lbs total load. That leaves about 1200 lbs unaccounted for that hopefully will be supported by the tires and tongue. What do you think? Are the rated capacities conservative?

[east tx skier]

I've played around with this issue over two driveway dragging boats.

First question. What brand of trailer do you own? If it's a Dorsey, call them. They have casters with brackets that are already made to weld onto the side of the prop guard. Tractor Supply is another place that has rollers that will work well.

Having used the nice looking stainless steel micro marine rollers from paktron on my last boat, for all their nice looks, if you're dragging on the driveway, their looks are not worth the damage they cause IMO. Poly wheels are not attractive, but they'll last a while and your driveway will be better for it.

I started with fixed, then went to swivel, then to steel and, with Dorsey, I went back to fixed. The swivel didn't save that much wear on the wheels for as little time as they are in contact with the road while not going straight.

As for size, I think my current drag wheels are 4". My previous poly wheels were 6". They are not taking close to the entire load away from the tongue and main tires, even on a steep driveway and the amount of time is limited. My 4" wheels have been fine for several years now and I've seen people get away with a lot less.

[DavidF]

Thanks for the info. Kind of confirms my hunches. The trailer is made by Magnum Trailers here in Austin. All they have are the steel rollers at $75.00/ea....what a joke...might as well go ahead and drag the trailer.

Seems that the 1400 lbs fixed casters (phenolic) should work fine. And at $11.95/ea. worth a shot. I did see the Dorsey wheels and was going to buy a pair until I found the ones at Grainger.

[gride300]

what is this thing ya'll are talking about

[DavidF]

Wheels (castors) that are attached to the prop guard of the trailer so that the prop guard does not get dragged across a surface when going up or down an incline. The wheels prevent scaring of the driveway/surface and will help prevent a damaged prop guard. Here is a picture of the steel rollers I added to my '93 SN trailer. I do not like the steel rollers as they mark the concrete just like dragging the prop guard. Not a great picture, but you can get the idea. I want to use castors on my current trailer.

[SkiTundra]

Ah, that's different that what I'd thought. We make 'trailer skids' that you basically pull a trailer on to and it allows you to move it around a lot easier in a tight space than the larger fixed wheels. If you've ever seen a piano skid, basically the same thing.

[ffmedic74]

I actually got green delrin wheels with delrin bearings from midwest castor in cincinnati, OH. Look at my prior posts and you might see what I did. The unfortunate thing is that RamLin copied my plan exact. Too bad they never sent me any money.

[gride300]

ohh. i have set ones on my trailer and they don't work for ****. maybe if the whole thing had wheels on it

[SANCasey]

I added some to my magnum trailer as well. I will post a picture this weekend showing the ones I used and give you the information on the casters. I bought them from Ace Casters in Dallas.

- Casey

[SANCasey]

Here they are.

[SkiTower]

Ah, that's different that what I'd thought. We make 'trailer skids' that you basically pull a trailer on to and it allows you to move it around a lot easier in a tight space than the larger fixed wheels. If you've ever seen a piano skid, basically the same thing.

got any pics? And prices?

[ally606]

go ahead and use nylon if you can. I in sales for a company that manufactures high quality Nmylon based polymers for a variety of engineering applications such as bearings, rollers, wearpads etc. Phenolic's are good but they do tend to delaminate and are pretty hard, Delrin (actually acetal) is pretty good also so that would be another good choice.

I've made rollers up for my old boat trailer, used Nylon (google Devlon T100) and they work great, no need for a seperate bearing and they can handle 420kg/cm2 so I could rest my boat on them if I felt like it.