Hey Gary and Sam, Based on your comments you would like my trailer. It is a 12 foot aluminum drive-on/drive-off snowmobile trailer (V front) from Becker Welding in Michigan. Their website is: http://www.beckerbuilttrailers.com/ I was really lucky when I ordered mine about 13 months ago as I got my order in the day before prices went up due to rising aluminum prices. Then I had them make the tongue three feet longer than standard so that it is an ideal boat trailer yet can haul so many other things well also. I agree, Sam, that a trailer ought to do more for you than just haul boats around or then I would need a fleet of trailers and having a fleet of boats is enough (you may have seen it at Spring Fever last year). The aluminum frame will last forever like the trailex trailers but the deck provides much more protection for the boat from road debris and grime. It also makes it more user friendly for hauling all the different sizes boats I have and for mounting the two different sailboxes I have. It is great to walk on as well while rigging and the extra stiffness the deck provides keeps the boat from working so hard on the road. Have you ever travelled behind a Trailex trailer and see how much the boat is torquing around? I have and I don't want my boats getting that much abuse on the hard - I'll save that for the water! I have seen extra cross members added to trailex trailers to stiffen them and that works well. But this trailer cost me about half the price of a similar sized trailex and I got a whole lot more trailer for the money. It has a Dexter torflex axle and that makes a big difference, as Gary mentioned. It rides rock solid even at excessive highway speeds, handles bumps really well, and the fat tires do not sink in sand and mud like skinny trailer tires do. Having had to deal with a broken leaf spring on the way to a regatta, I will never have that type of trailer suspension again! The only drawback to this trailer is that it is heavy compared to a trailex trailer but much lighter than the galvanized steel snowmobile trailer it replaced. For all the advantages it offers and with a nice folding tongue wheel, it is an easy trade-off to accept.

For anyone looking into the torsion axle conversion, be aware that they are made with different mounting angles and that is very important to get right so that you have the proper suspension travel clearance. My advice would be to sell your curret trailer and get the aluminum one of your dreams as it WILL last forever as others above have already described. You are not buying it so much as investing in it since they have great resale value and save a lot of time and money on maintenance which allows more sailing time. And this type of trailer really protects your boat and offers much more versatility. You can probably find some really good deals online on new or used trailers on EBAY or like sites. I was looking on EBAY when I discovered Becker Welding and the trailers they make so you may find something similar closer to where you live and order just what YOU want, although I suppose not too many snowmobile trailers are made in the south! Plenty to consider and research! Good luck!

Mike Fahle
North Coast