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Breakback Trailer

Started by Old Forum, April 10, 2014, 09:50:50 AM

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Old Forum


David Cawston
   
Posted on Monday, March 19, 2007 - 07:37 pm:      
The sun was shining this morning so here are some photos of the mods I have done to my trailer that makes launch and recovery so easy. No permanent modifications are made to the original trailer, just a nuts and bolts and drilling job.
It is simply an additional drawbar that hinges on the main axle and bolts to the existing drawbar drawbar uses the same size tube as the existing one with a couple of clamping arrangements welded to it, the hitch swapped to the new drawbar (two bolts and adjusting the brake rods) and a hinge made up between the back of the new drawbar and the existing main axle (I cut down a Mini front top suspension arm and welded it to a bit of angle that bolts to the main axle using the existing holes used to mount the brake equaliser)

I will explain the odd black thing sitting between the main axle and the keel in another post. So to launch, reverse trailer in to water until water is 2" below hubs, remove bolts from clamping brackets, lift wooden handle (fixed in end of old drawbar) and unwind winch (keep tension on the winch strap) and boat just rolls slowly off trailer (do NOT do a lifeboat launch!). Photos of an actual launch will follow after Easter

Old Forum

Julian Swindell
   
Posted on Monday, March 19, 2007 - 10:48 pm:      
This looks interesitng but I'm always timid about engineering work. Is there any risk of the hinged section flying up on launch, or crashing down on recovery? How do you control the balance and the actual hinging action? The potential for trapped arms or clobbered chins must be pretty high

Old Forum

David Cawston
   
Posted on Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - 06:25 pm:      
My launch process is very smooth as long as you keep tension on the winch when launching. I have the trailer nicely balanced with very little noseweight on the pivoting part of the trailer, so lifting the wooden handle is easy. I unwind about an inch of the strap, keep hold of the winch handle and lift the wooden handle until the boat just rolls back and takes up the little bit of slack. Continuing to hold the handle at the same height, unwind the winch and as you do so you will feel the pivoting trailer reach a point of equilibrium and then all that is required is to continue unwinding (whilst still holding the wooden handle just to steady matters) and as the boat runs in to the water the pivoting trailer will slowly return to its position resting on the new drawbar. It all happens very slowly and safely provided you unwind relatively slowly and do not 'lifeboat launch'. Recovery is even easier. Position the bows in position in the swinging cradle, attach winch (by walking out on the trailer, no need to get your feet wet) and start winching. The pivoting trailer will rise slowly of its own accord as you winch on the boat and it is only in the last couple of feet or so of winching that the pivoting trailer starts to return to its normal position. Nothing happens very quickly so as long as you keep your hands on the wooden handle and/or the winch handle, no injuries should occur (just make sure no fingers get caught between the clamping arrangement and the pivoting trailer, possible room for improvement/safety here, I insert a wooden block on the clamp to just stop any possible guillotining of fingers). You can stop/start at will, the whole set up is self balancing apart from the very start and very finish. Just do not let go of the winch handle when unwinding!! Secure pivoting trailer to drawbar before driving up slipway. I will try to take some moving pictures as well as stills over Easter.

Old Forum

Martin Cartwright
   
Posted on Saturday, March 24, 2007 - 05:53 pm:      
Not being a proficient engineer like David, I have come up with a more DIY solution using a scaffold pole. I had the jocky wheel shaft extended and I clamp this onto the pole with a scaffold connector (modified for hand tightening).
I change over from the towing coupling to the launching coupling whilst on the flat,(with the brake on!). I find this additional elevation makes life much easier on the flatter slipways.

At the axle end, I bolted an Indespension roller bracket upside down on an angle bracket through existing holes in the brake plate.

By using two scaffold poles joined by a narrower one in the middle, the whole thing is telescopic, and for towing, the launching coupling drops back behind the jockey wheel, where I clamp it onto a tow ball (bolted onto the side of the trailor).


Old Forum


David_bone
Username: David_bone

Registered: 07-2012
   
Posted on Sunday, December 30, 2012 - 09:06 pm:      
Here is my take on David Cawston's breakback, applied to an RC3 trailer. It worked well hauling out in November and I could have recovered in less water, with more inclination. To maintain hitch nose weight within limits, I moved the wheel axle forward 3 inches.

Old Forum

Martin_cartwright
Username: Martin_cartwright

Registered: 04-2008
   
Posted on Monday, December 31, 2012 - 05:30 pm:      
Very neat. I will be copying!

Old Forum

Martin_cartwright
Username: Martin_cartwright

Registered: 04-2008
   
Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - 08:18 am:      
David. A few questions about your excellent development of the 'Cawston design' please.
1. What is the lifting 'jack' you have used and what happens with the connection to it when launching and the the trailer goes past the point of balance (when the boat is sliding off) and the lifting trailer needs to be restrained from flying up into the air?
2. Where the new breakback section is hinged onto the old trailer what does the hinge connect to? Whould a close up photo of this and the upper part of the lifting 'jack' be possible?
3. The trailer slots into two brackets on the new section so that it is securred in three places when trailing (the hinge point and the two brackets). Are both of these brackets necessary or could you get away with just one?

Old Forum

#7
David_bone
Username: David_bone

Registered: 07-2012
   
Posted on Friday, March 01, 2013 - 09:05 pm:      
If all goes well, some close up photos should follow.
1) Jack is a H.D. PropStand LMX1172 costing 35.00.
See: Leisure-mart.co.uk -Trailer parts -Propstands.
Similar available from Indespension PJ050
The jack is secured and swiveled top and bottom, with the handle working both on compression and tension.
Lifting and lower parts are always connected and nothing is going to fly in the air.
2) I think the photographs illustrate construction details.
3) One bracket should be sufficient, I am a bit pedantic.

jimhr6

Hello sailors
The slipway in Torridon in the Western Highlands where I keep and launch WB1 is  far from steep and so the trailer needs to go in above the hubs. As a result the time spent on brake maintenance can exceed that spent on the water. My plan is to strip out the brakes until I need them and accept that bearings will probably need renewing very frequently. I hugely admire the mechanisms that have been demonstrated in this thread but I wonder whether I might not get away with a rope between the axle of the trailer and the car coupling hook. Bear in mind that the slope is shallow. I would reverse the boat down the slip to the edge of the water, tie as above with a suitable length of rope, uncouple and push the trailer manually into the water as far as necessary. Winching off would see the trailer coupling rise to about 6ft and the boat slide gently into the water as described elsewhere in the forum,. When I have used this  technique in the past, the trailer brakes have held things in place but in this scenario I would be relying on the rope..
I would be extremely grateful for the thoughts of fellow Winkle Brigands.
Regards Jim

Rick

Hi Jim - If you use a rope as described then I can't see any reason why it shouldn't work. Indeed, if the slip was long enough you could just float off instead of winching off - really I view it as just using a rope instead of the brakes. Perhaps you could use a separate launching trailer and keep your present trailer as a road trailer?

Let us know how well it works. Best of luck.

Rick

Paul Thomas

The method described works fine and the boat just floats off the trailer.  Do remember to undo you restraining straps or the trailer will remain suspended underneath the boat to the enormous amusement of bystanders.  Also tie the rope on both ends before unhitching to avoid similarly hilarious results.  I have found that fresh water is harmless and that salt does the damage.  I like the idea of a launching trolley but how to get it off the road trailer and onto the trolley?

jimhr6

Thanks, Rick and Paul
Hugely impressed with the speed and quality of response! It sounds as if I've got a plan.

Floating off is definately preferably and with no brakes to worry about and using the Torridon rope trick, I think that's how I'll try to go.

Transfer from road to launch trailer would be via water. I can launch and recover from the road trailer but only at the expense of immersing the brakes (and Torridon is a sea loch). If that was rare then it would be acceptable, and I have no plans to trail sail away from Torridon any time soon. So stripping out the brakes seems to be the way to go.

Thanks again
Yours,  Jim

dave_cawston

Another video from our Ireland trip showing how easy recovering a Winkle Brig can be with a breakback trailer arrangement.  No wet feet and no dunking wheel bearings in water.  Also the tow car is kept well up the slip.
Search youtube for 'VID 20170918 101523'

Martin

Very neat David, and most unfairly, you are looking younger than ever!
Any chance of some other photos, descriptions of your Irish trip? I am sure others (like me) will be keen to hear all about it.