TOPIC: Need help w/ a vintage trailer's axle hub & rims

Has anybody ever seen a vintage trailer w/ 4.8X8 rims/tires like these:


Trailer:


I know it's not much to go on, but it's all they had to send.

Appears that the rim is 2 part, held together by the bolts around the outer edge of the rim's inner hub. The large center cap covers a castle nut & cotter pin on the end of the axle hub, NO LUG studs or nuts.

Until I get there Sat afternoon, just before dark, in the rain probably, I won't be able to pull a rim & attempt to fit a different rim to the hub or fit a replacement 4.8X8 tire to the rim, if I can get them to seat and find a 4.8X8 tube. I doubt I'll be able to find a shop willing to mount a tire on a 2 part rim, liability & all.

Not sure if the rim is held together by 'just' a bolt thru 1 side & screwed into threads in the other half, or thru bolted w/ bolts & nuts.

ANY help?

BTW: That's the strangest 'winch' post contraption I've ever seen on a boat.

Oops, didn't attach the pix of the 'winch' post:




And anther couple of the trailer:

I'd say it's a two part. Maybe it's just me but I do not like that trailer.

That's a pretty neat old aluminum boat. 14 footer? I once had an older trailer with the no lugs setup where you had to remove the wheel bearing to pull the wheel. A real pain. I found a new lugless spare tire/rim that used the same bearing size and off I went a'boating. One day in the middle of nowhere I got a flat and tried to put on the spare. Wouldn't work because the space between inner and outer bearing races was different from the rims on the trailer. Castle nut would bottom out before the bearings were tight. Couldn't get the bearings to adjust up. It was a long walk to a parts store that had lots of fix-a-flat so I could limp home.

That said, if you can get the bolts loose you should be able to get a tire and tube on there and put the bolts back in. I would bring some penetrating oil along with the sockets you'll need, and maybe a handful of assorted bolts and nuts in case any break off when removing them. Good luck! I hope it gets your new boat home for you.

Nice looking boat!

Is that a Model F?

Looks to have air tank seats.

I think it's an A or an F, I haven't gotten the beam dimension yet.




Based on not getting any 'good' news about the trailer's tires & rims, I'm taking my Duracraft off it's temp trailer, removing the roller bunks from it & taking that trailer w/ me tomorrow. Pull the Alumacraft off it's trailer, lash it's trailer to my trailer, then put the boat back on.

Thanks for the heads up Norm, but I think I agree w/ Rob:
robert-lorigan wrote:

I'd say it's a two part. Maybe it's just me but I do not like that trailer.

Looks a tad sketchy to drag an hour & a half further from the house after dark tomorrow then 6hrs back to the house a few days later.

Yup, your plan B sounds a lot better.

I think you will find that the trailer is made with surplus aviation parts, I used to know somthing about these style of trailers.....BUT Like most things I cant remember now.

Tee Nee has rims something like what you have. Except there's are not split rim. I have rebuilt several of these rims. The bearings and race are part of the rim they did not use a hub for these. Napa will have the right bearing and grease seals. Those rims do not require a tube but I put tubes in mine because I have had trouble getting them to seal up
The real hard part is to find an extra rim for a spare

D

Thanks, for now it's in 'negotiations' I guess. You could see damage in the pix I was sent, but you couldn't tell that it was damage. There's at least 2 holes shot in the bottom, no big deal, either drill & clinch a rivet to fill them or other method.
There's 1" hole in the gunwale's rolled lip about midships on the port side.
Someone added a fairly large steel plate extending from the transom wood (inside) down to the keel behind the knee brace. It's rusted pretty badly & although the exterior hull shows no evidence of pitting & corrosion all the way thru the hull (which is a substantial, thick gauge aluminum), until you remove the knee brace, the 8+/- extra bolts for the plate (also steel) and the plate, there's no way to be certain how bad the hull looks behind the plate.

I got in touch w/ Alumacraft after I found the serial # on the knee brace. It's a 1949 Alumacraft A model serial #3468 (of a total 1949 production of 1100):


Add the weird homebuilt trailer setup (owner's father that bought it in 1949 & was a machinist) and bow tie down (it's a cam'd spring lever that snaps down thru the bow cap's grab hand) and I'm just not a buyer for the asking price.

Their family is struggling w/ some pretty nasty health issues, aren't in a hurry to sell pap's boat (just not a priority at this point), and I didn't feel comfortable offering less then half of asking. I'm going to send the seller the info I got from Alumacraft, and let them know I'm still interested.

In a week or so, I'll email him an offer, and let them consider it. I am in NO particular hurry to drag ANOTHER boat home. If it gets sold, I'm OK w/ that, it isn't in as great a condition as I'd hoped from the pix. It is in really good shape for a nearly 65yr old boat. At least it's never been converted to a decked fishing boat w/ no benches, and I'd gladly add it to the flotilla....

Have a good week fellas

I have several vintage trailers with these obsolete (?) wheels, and was wondering what might be the best way to "convert" to the more standard arrangement?
Latest arrival was on the small Tee-Nee (or Stirling?) that is pictured in the "One Tee-Nee or Two" post earlier.

Any advice or experiences appreciated.

Thanks, Bill.

Bill McNamara wrote:

I have several vintage trailers with these obsolete (?) wheels, and was wondering what might be the best way to "convert" to the more standard arrangement?
Latest arrival was on the small Tee-Nee (or Stirling?) that is pictured in the "One Tee-Nee or Two" post earlier.

Any advice or experiences appreciated. Thanks, Bill.

I haven't yet bought the boat & trailer, but when I looked at it on Sat, it appeared to have a large galv pipe cap on the end of the axles:


NOT the cap that looks more like what would have been original, as shown in the pix I was sent:
1 side:


The other side:


Not a huge problem but I certainly like the look what I think was original...........

That said, I'll be of no substantive help about how to convert them to typical rims & tires. Sorry. Perhaps someone else will, and do it here, so I'll know how to if I drag the Alumacraft home.

Thanks for swinging thru

John

I have an old elgin trailer with the hub less rims. 50.00 for the complete trailer, has real cool fenders. frog

For sale? Where?

Pix would be great. Since I haven't yet bought the boat, I'm not in the market, but someone else might be.....

Thanks

i'll see if I can load some pic's. located in mn.

i'll see if I can load some pic's. located in mn.

i'll see if I can post some pic's. located in mn. frog guess I can not , i'll try on the glassified section. sorry about the 3 posts, frog

Wow, you must REALLY want it outta the yard.....

Well that or your computer stutters

---

No judgement, all are welcome.....

now that is funny.

well I tried, and had no luck. the pic's are the right size, guess I screwed up again. frog GOOD NEWS, I got pic's on the glassifieds, frog

You know what year Elgin?

Here's 1 of your pix:


If I had some sheet metal skills & it was less then a third of the country away, maybe. It'd be a nice looking trailer to have under lots of classics.

I like the fenders:


Probably more then a gator's

i'am thinking it is a 1959, i'll have to look in the library. will update this post if I find out it is a different year. frog update, there is no info on elgin trailers. but 59 sticks in my head. and it is under 2 feet of snow now. frog

Bill McNamara wrote:

I have several vintage trailers with these obsolete (?) wheels, and was wondering what might be the best way to "convert" to the more standard arrangement?
Latest arrival was on the small Tee-Nee (or Stirling?) that is pictured in the "One Tee-Nee or Two" post earlier.

Any advice or experiences appreciated.

Thanks, Bill.

Bill, I buy my trailer tires from a place back east called etrailer.com. they've always been good to deal with. They offer a number of replacement hub/bearing sets. You would need to check the bearing numbers in the old hubs, then check etrailer.com's site for something compatible.

I've been watching this post. Why you just go to tractor supply and see if there is a new axle to put under it. For me it would be no problem after I got it home because I can make what ever it would take. But not everybody has fabrication skills and neccasary tool. Now I lack a garage. GERRRR

Robert, when I first got this trailer that is what I was planning on doing, as this one also has the torsion bar axel, with trailing arms, so leaf springs also would be a must, mite get real costly. so it went in the weeds for now. frog

I have several trailers with torsion bar suspension with these obsolete wheels.
Been consideing buying a complete axle assembly with hubs, and welding onto the torsion stub-axles.

Thoughts?


The torsion concept actually provides a nice ride for boats.


Bill.

The coils on my Electra do ride well and you could put shocks on it easy. I do see a few of this setup around. I hate the rest of the trailer though. I full understand putting it aside until the time comes.