Trailer Brands for a 1985 222 CCP?

[heatherwood11]

The trailer carrying my 1985 222 CCP finally died (corrosion caused it to collapse...thankfully on the boat ramp, and not on the road).  I would appreciate any recommendations for trailer brands for this deep v boat as well as the recommended trailer length for a 22' boat. Boat is currently near Tallahassee Florida.  I've seen a lot of trailers with bunks that appear too small and want to make sure I get the right type of trailer. Thanks for your thoughts. 

[GulfcoastOG]

Owens and sons in St. Pete fl. custom fit to your boat.

[wingtime]

Owens and Sons are a good choice.  Also Rolls Axle trailers are top notch with all aluminum construction including the axles with a lifetime spring. 

[RickK]

X2 on Rolls Axle - I had a bearing blow out on the 170 trailer Monday, which I had put a Rolls Axle on about 6-8 years ago, and it did a little damage to the spindle, the spot where the grease seal rides and also I couldn't get the race out of the hub.  Took the axle off and took it to them today and two hours later I left with a rebuilt axle - they replaced the area that the grease seal rides (aluminum) and rebuilt both hubs to include new studs, bearings, caps. The damage to the spindle was not where the bearings ride so it was ok. The spindles are not lifetime but the cross member is all aluminum and guaranteed for life.  They have a proprietary spring that is also lifetime, which I put in a lighter weight spring in today since the other one had my trailer jumping around after a bump.
On the flip side my 230 came with a Continental trailer and I towed it to a trailer place for new springs.  When they started showing me the condition of everything I had to rebuild it from the frame down - new springs, axles, tires and added another set of brakes on the 2nd axle.  I would rather of replaced both axles with Rolls bit couldn't risk towing it to Plant City, FL where Rolls is located.

[Aswaff400]

owens and sons.

[GulfcoastOG]

Rolls are very nice but there suspension so to speak is proprietary to them.   If your not in plant city when something goes wrong Your up the creek without a paddle

[wingtime]

There is very little that an go wrong with a Rolls Axle suspension. New rubber "springs" are $10 each and there is only one bolt that you need to take out to replace them. 

[RickK]

Yup, I replaced both of my "springs" last night - as Wing said, one bolt. Gulfcoast is correct in that if anything does happen (like what happened to me), you have to go to Plant City or mail the axle to them.
That being said, if you inject grease every month or so and do your annual maintenance (replace the bearings and seals), as wing said, there is nothing else that can go wrong with them - no springs to rust away, no axle housing to rust away, no brake mounts to rust away - exactly everything that happened to my Continental trailer.
The reason my Rolls Axle had a problem is that it had been sitting for 4 years and I stupidly didn't service the hubs before taking it out. Won't happen again.
I will have to replace my Continental springs and axles again in about 4 years, probably less on the springs - >$500.  I'll never have to replace that on the Rolls.

[RickK]

oh, one thing that you will have to do periodically on the Rolls Axle hub is get the lug studs replaced, like any other hub, because the back side of the steel stud rusts away.  Rolls used Stainless studs at one time but had too many problems with trailer places using impact wrenches on the bolts.  The nuts would end up galling if they used impacts.
I was told by the guy that rebuilt my Continental trailer that I should paint used motor oil, used diesel oil was best because of the blow by, on anything steel on the trailer before I use it (a couple coats at least, letting dry time between cots) and periodically afterwards. He said the springs rust out from the inside out (middle of the stack), places that you can't flush with fresh water.  So in that case springs and lug studs and any steel hardware.  He said it won't stop the rust but help to slow it down.
So I'll do a couple coats on the backside of the studs before I splash her.

[heatherwood11]

Thank you all for your advice.  It seems like there isn't a foolproof option out there.  If someone could develop a completely sealed/rustproof system, they could charge anything they wanted for it.  We borrowed a trailer and have the boat at Mike's Marine in Panacea.  They have a boat sling they can put the boat in and back a trailer underneath it and custom fit the bunks/etc... for the size/boat type.  Thanks again Aquasport Nation!

[wingtime]

Unfortunately there is no 100% fool proof design when it comes to salt water. I think Rolls is about as close as you can get. It all comes down to maintenance. Flushing the trailer after each use with water and salt away is the best prevention you can do. Even better is to even go as far spraying down the trailer with a pump up sprayer at the ramp.

I look at it like this... you can pay for it now or pay for it later. What I mean us you can get the least expensive suspension springs and pay the least up front. But as mentioned they start to rot away right away. So your looking at at the cost of  least one set of springs before you have to replace the entire axle. You can pay more for torsion axles and they will last about twice as long but they are twice as much. Or pay more for Rolls axle that should last even longer. One way or another your paying for it... just over how long of a period of time is the question!