Broken bunk mounts Ameratrail

[geeviam]

1 hour ago, Tall Tails said:

Whats hard to believe about it? That one broke. The one on the left showed signs of cracking at the exact same spot. Welder beefed it all up. The angles of those pieces lead to their failure. Weld them in a 90 degree angle instead of that wide spread angle and the force placed on those struts isn't nearly as bad.

That was my first thought when I saw your picture.  That's a lot of stress at that angle.  Poorly designed.

[jason p]

3 hours ago, Redrum said:

I'd send the bill to Ameratrail.  MBC gives them alot of business.  And we support MBC.  Let's see if they stand behind their product like let's say,  powerpole for example. JMO

 

 

 

I hate to be Mr Poopy Pants as my son says, but I have a couple pertinent examples for ya in case you ever need to call MBC or Ameratrail...

1. Called MBC when my macerator pump went out after 14 months...MBC said “call the dealer” dealer said “we only warranty parts for one year call Pentair, maybe they’ll help you out”

2. Called Ameratrail when master cylinder started leaking after about 18 months... “one year warranty but maybe Dexter would help you out since it’s fairly new”, he seriously said that.

In both cases the vendor did supply me parts to rebuild both components free of charge so that’s cool, but if your not a DIY kind of guy than you’re really not getting too much help from either company, in my admittedly, very limited experiences anyway. Do I expect manufacturers to stand buy every part supplied by a third party, of course not, just don’t be fooled into a false sense of security after your new BFF at the dealer takes your check and warranty periods start expiring. 

[fishmanjj]

The repair looks structurally sound....go fishing and keep an eye on it. 👍🎣⚓️

[Tall Tails]

21 hours ago, Redrum said:

I'd send the bill to Ameratrail.  MBC gives them alot of business.  And we support MBC.  Let's see if they stand behind their product like let's say,  powerpole for example. JMO

 

 

 

Its 3 years old. Almost to the day. They cover a year. Same as most boat stuff. There are certain things that are covered longer if you do your homework and call the manufacturer of the particular item. Washdown pumps, live well pumps, helms, all exceed the 1 year "bumper to bumper". And Lebroc replaced my seat 2 years in because it broke.

[Tall Tails]

22 hours ago, Redrum said:

I'd send the bill to Ameratrail.  MBC gives them alot of business.  And we support MBC.  Let's see if they stand behind their product like let's say,  powerpole for example. JMO

 

 

 

They aren't going to repair it out of the kindness of their hearts. Its 3 years old. Almost to the day. They cover 1 year and they did very well by me when I had an issue early on. That time it was worth the full day round trip. Certain items on the boat have longer warranties from their manufacturers. Wash down pumps, live well pumps, sea star helm, etc all have warranties that exceed the 1 year "bumper to bumper" from MBC. Lebrock also replaced my seat 2 years in because it broke. Which was certainly the right thing to do. Its up to the consumer to do the homework and make the calls but most of the accessories used by MBC have very good customer service. 

[jason p]

On 9/1/2020 at 12:30 PM, Tall Tails said:

Absolutely. Have you ever attempted to winch one of these 2500s onto a trailer? I guarantee you won't do it more than once. But...the back of the boat does not touch the trailer while loading. Had this happened to a front bunk I could accept that its from power loading. 

I added Surfix slides (3/8” Starboard best I can tell) to the long front bunks, makes all the difference in the world, Left all the rest alone. Boat stays on when baking down the ramp but as soon as the transom floats she’s slides right off. Makes loading a breeze as well. 

[jason p]

Hey guess what, mines busted too... both sides! 

[FINCHASER]

Ruh roh.....  If.... as seems to be the consensus here that they are failing because they are on such an angle why wouldnt they begin cracking on the inside opposite the force being exerted on them?

[jason p]

That’s above my pay grade but something seems to be flawed with these 2500 trailers. I’m cutting these off and going to bolt on supports, for these anyway. Welded boat trailers are stupid anyway. 

[Tall Tails]

Oh S!! Looks like I opened a can of worms this time. We, collectively need to raise a stink with MBC and they can raise a stink with Ameratrail. This is total and unacceptable BS.  

[Tall Tails]

2 hours ago, FINCHASER said:

Ruh roh.....  If.... as seems to be the consensus here that they are failing because they are on such an angle why wouldnt they begin cracking on the inside opposite the force being exerted on them?

I do not know. But seeing another fail in the EXACT same way sure has my hackles up. This is really not acceptable. Way too much money is being spent by people to have S like this happen. 

[Redrum]

Chinese aluminum!!!

 

[DonV]

22 hours ago, jason p said:

Hey guess what, mines busted too... both sides! 

Hate to say it, but that weld of the cross member to the frame looks like chicken scratch!

[Ron in Atlanta]

On 9/1/2020 at 12:30 PM, Tall Tails said:

Have you ever attempted to winch one of these 2500s onto a trailer?

I know this is a little off topic, but does the 2500 trailer come with a two-speed winch?

I added one and in "low" gear, I can winch the 2200 TRS the last foot or two even while on a steep ramp.

[MuddyBottomBluz]

On 9/6/2020 at 1:51 PM, Redrum said:

Chinese aluminum!!!

We have a winner! 

[jason p]

Ron seriously, do you think that for $7000 Ameratrail could possibly afford a 2 speed winch, I mean that’s like asking MBG to thru-bolt rod holders on $100,000 bay boats. 
Sorry I’m a little sensitive about all this “premium equipment” I own right now. I’ll be over it tomorrow. The non-sarcastic answer is no, mine came with a single speed which I threw in the trash and put on a two-speed. 

[jason p]

On 9/6/2020 at 3:37 PM, DonV said:

Hate to say it, but that weld of the cross member to the frame looks like chicken scratch!

You’re correct. I’ve only been welding for a few years so I’m no expert but I did weld t tops, leaning posts, etc... for awhile. Trailer manufacturing isn’t exactly super technical stuff and more of a mass production effort usually with wire feed welders of some sort, kinda point and shoot deal. Not diminishing the skill set or looking down on anyones particular carrier choice but it’s not the same as what someone like Outlaw turns out day-to-day. I’d compare it to framing a house vs. custom cabinetry or furniture making, they’re both carpenters but it’s a different deal. 

[Chief5130]

These are all unfortunate.  I had a failure while on the 95 in Ga. of the center cross support.  With the help of Hobo I was able to McGiver it and get home.  I went to Float On and they gave me a replacement part, no charge, an additional one for a a great price.  I would think Amer Trail would do the same.

 

I do not know where they purchase their Aluminum from, but I have extensive experience manufacturing aluminum.  I have had issues with alloys from different mills.  ALCOA can be significantly different from ALCAN.  Send both to the lab to validate the composition and both are with in spec, but one performed much better than the other.  

 

Also a number have commented about the failure mode being the geometry of the support.  There is no question in my mind that is significant part of the issue.  I do not know what the loads are, but the area that is failing is not the weld but the heat effected zone next to the weld.  Standard design mode is to have the material next to the weld 2X the parent material to account for the heat effected zone.  The repair that was posted looks like that is what was done.

 

The photo is one of the 1000's of parts that I was responsible for. It is part of the center section of the 767. 

[Tall Tails]

22 hours ago, Ron in Atlanta said:

I know this is a little off topic, but does the 2500 trailer come with a two-speed winch?

I added one and in "low" gear, I can winch the 2200 TRS the last foot or two even while on a steep ramp.

Nope. Does not come with 2 speed winch. Could certainly use one. Like most bay boats if you dip the trailer too far in the water the nose of the boat comes in under the bow roller. 

[JimV520VX]

This has my curiosity up.  I will inspect my 2500 Ameratrail trailer soon & post an update.  I am having premature corrosion on my wheels that I am investigating cause & corrective action.

 

It sure would be nice if there was an AmeraTrail owners dock page on the forum to track issues, suggestions, maintenance, repair, etc.  These trailers are expensive and often require as much or more time & expense in maintaining as do the boat, accessories & motor itself.

[JimV520VX]

The 2500 AmeraTrail trailer does not come with a 2 speed winch.  I have a 2019 model.

It is not easy winching the 2500 on the trailer.  Best to do with trailer depth adjustment on the ramp, then not so bad.  Seems to me I always have some level of winching to do, depending upon boat ramp angle, depth of the trailer, etc.

Mr Ron, is the winch in your photo a Fulton 2 speed winch?

[jason p]

30 minutes ago, JimV520VX said:

I am having premature corrosion on my wheels that I am investigating cause & corrective action.

When the cheap tires that came on that expensive trailer are done for, take off wheels, dismount tires and take them to a metal recycling center. With the proceeds buy yourself four galvanized wheels and mount some quality radials, Goodyear, Maxxis, etc... and enjoy. 

[JimV520VX]

Was afraid that may be the recommendation.  Here are two photos of wheels reflective of issue within 6 months of use.  All four wheels have the same issue and declining.  All have salt away spray applied, then soap & water wash, then strong water rinse after each use.

I am sure there are ways to improve my maintenance procedures, but this is extreme & premature in my opinion.

 

BTW, my apologies to the OP, did not mean to high Jack the topic from the bunk weld failures.

[jason p]

Some have had pretty good luck with aluminum wheels, just not me. I powder coated the wheels on my HPX but those never touch the water, not the lugs anyway. With price of aluminum these days the recycled wheels should more than pay for galvanized wheels if you decide to go that route. 

[Ron in Atlanta]

11 hours ago, JimV520VX said:

Mr Ron, is the winch in your photo a Fulton 2 speed winch?

Yes sir.  There are 3 "sizes" of the Fulton F2 winch, this is the largest, 3200 lb. load capacity.    https://www.westmarine.com/buy/fulton--f2-manual-trailer-winches--P010305050?recordNum=1     at West Marine.  This is a 2-speed winch and in low gear, you can crank the boat up to the bow roller (as opposed to slamming into the bow roller while power loading) even while still on the ramp.

I always replace the existing winch with this model when buying a new Pathfinder.  Take the one that comes with the trailer off right away and sell it on Craig's List before it gets corroded.

Also, note the "Boat Buckle" that I installed at the bow to hold down the bow, keep it from bouncing up and down going down the road and serve as a "back up", along with the safety chain in case the winch strap fails .

I used to use a yellow heavy duty tie down...

...but the Boat Buckle looks and works slicker than the tie down.

I am not a fan of "power loading".  Slams the bow into the bow roller and dredges a hole at the end of the ramp which can become a problem for other ramp users at low tide.  Don't be embarrassed to crank the boat up to the roller while at the ramp, it can be a good workout🙂.