skultuggery
Active member
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2021
- Messages
- 31
- Fluid Motion Model
- C-24 C SE
Finally got a brake actuator parceled to me. Made by Dexter, it has many features I like including electric reverse disconnect and rock solid hitch connection. What really sets it apart is its sleek lines which reminds me of the business end of a large anaconda. This hitch also adds six inches of hard meat to the tongue of my trailer (pic one).Venture seems to have been pretty stingy when it comes to givin' their customers good tongue length. Mine barely measures thirty inches. That's the funky thing about this Venture 5225 trailer. Though it purports to be made for a 20-22 foot craft, it seems short in overall length compared with other manufacturers. It'll be interesting to see if this trailer can be made to cradle my Ranger 21-EC the way that boat wants to be cradled. A longer tongue would help in my opinion. But it would need to be stiff and reinforced to a degree. I have tried hard to find Aluminum tongue material in 3" x 5" x 1/4" aluminum, but it's hard to find and expensive. After an exhaustive search, I was quoted almost five hundred clams plus $290 in shipping fees. That was for an eight footer which would extend my tongue by two feet. Aluminum is so expensive these days, I had to pass. But it's still on my bucket list for this trailer build down the road. Nothing beats an aluminum tongue if it's sized right. The 3"x 5" x 1/4" radius corner aluminum tubing is cutting edge stuff, rare and will blow the mind of anyone who sees it between truck and trailer.
I also was hoping to do an Electric Over Hydraulic set up for the brakes, but held back due to unavailability of these systems at this moment in time. It is a bucket list item to someday install this type of brake system. My favorite benefit of E/H is you are able to engage brakes while backing down boat ramps. Not so with a surge system. My Tacoma is a manual and weighs less than the combined weight of my trailer and tug. It''s not by any means the ideal rig for which to tow a Ranger 21-EC, It might even be a chump move for me to attempt to do so. But I got no choice, at least until the cost of a Tundra gets back to reality. Not having any experience backing down ramps, I'm probably gonna be wishing I could tap the brake pedal and feel the trailer brakes react. When I practice backing down ramps with just the Tacoma and no trailer, I'm getting visions of calamity in my future.
Also I've finally decided how to support my bunks. I was looking for super strong, easily adjustable and aluminum with stainless steel fasteners. I found a product at SturdyBuilt Trailers Online called "Ultimate bunk aluminum brackets." (See pic two). Once I got a look at them I realized they would not be strong enough for my tastes. Aluminum cracks easy and once you're a repeat victim of aluminum cracking you can spot potential weak points a mile away. The weak point is the U shaped Hat Bracket as well as the swivel which attaches the hat bracket to the underside of the bunks. Looking at how the forces work with this set up, I see possible failures. After chewing over it a while I decided I liked the set up for the most part but needed to make it at least twice as strong. So I bought individual parts (most buy the kits) and then bought my own aluminum tubing from OnlineMetals.com. By doing so, I was able to select a higher quality aluminum tubing and also increase the length over what SturdyBuilt sells (14"). By having two aluminum supports at each location, I will also have twice the number of swivels supporting the bunks. The swivels that come with the Ultimate Bracket kit appear under-engineered compared with others available. Pic 3 shows how each individual bracket will look, but I have not yet received my order from OnlineMetals nor the beefed up swivels I am waiting for. Having purchased 36" tube lengths, I'll be able to cut them in half and be left with 18" of adjustability. Given the Ranger 21-EC's inboard engine and hull shape, the brackets need to raise the tug a whopping 16.5" over the rear most cross member. This is one of the riddles in outfitting your trailer for this tug. I'm confident my brackets will never fail. Not even if I find myself trailering the tug on a cobblestone street during an Earthquake.
I also was hoping to do an Electric Over Hydraulic set up for the brakes, but held back due to unavailability of these systems at this moment in time. It is a bucket list item to someday install this type of brake system. My favorite benefit of E/H is you are able to engage brakes while backing down boat ramps. Not so with a surge system. My Tacoma is a manual and weighs less than the combined weight of my trailer and tug. It''s not by any means the ideal rig for which to tow a Ranger 21-EC, It might even be a chump move for me to attempt to do so. But I got no choice, at least until the cost of a Tundra gets back to reality. Not having any experience backing down ramps, I'm probably gonna be wishing I could tap the brake pedal and feel the trailer brakes react. When I practice backing down ramps with just the Tacoma and no trailer, I'm getting visions of calamity in my future.
Also I've finally decided how to support my bunks. I was looking for super strong, easily adjustable and aluminum with stainless steel fasteners. I found a product at SturdyBuilt Trailers Online called "Ultimate bunk aluminum brackets." (See pic two). Once I got a look at them I realized they would not be strong enough for my tastes. Aluminum cracks easy and once you're a repeat victim of aluminum cracking you can spot potential weak points a mile away. The weak point is the U shaped Hat Bracket as well as the swivel which attaches the hat bracket to the underside of the bunks. Looking at how the forces work with this set up, I see possible failures. After chewing over it a while I decided I liked the set up for the most part but needed to make it at least twice as strong. So I bought individual parts (most buy the kits) and then bought my own aluminum tubing from OnlineMetals.com. By doing so, I was able to select a higher quality aluminum tubing and also increase the length over what SturdyBuilt sells (14"). By having two aluminum supports at each location, I will also have twice the number of swivels supporting the bunks. The swivels that come with the Ultimate Bracket kit appear under-engineered compared with others available. Pic 3 shows how each individual bracket will look, but I have not yet received my order from OnlineMetals nor the beefed up swivels I am waiting for. Having purchased 36" tube lengths, I'll be able to cut them in half and be left with 18" of adjustability. Given the Ranger 21-EC's inboard engine and hull shape, the brackets need to raise the tug a whopping 16.5" over the rear most cross member. This is one of the riddles in outfitting your trailer for this tug. I'm confident my brackets will never fail. Not even if I find myself trailering the tug on a cobblestone street during an Earthquake.
