Trailer Questions

I have searched a little, but didn't find enough info.

I am in the process of buying a 2005 sante. The dealer sells a couple different trailers. Eagle, Ramlin, and a guy who does custom galvanized. Right now I am leaning toward a tandem ramlin, but this is certainly not the most cost effective. I will not be trailering that often or very far, but kinda like the idea of a tandem for my $50k+ baby. I have read some complaints about Ramlin and the bow stop. I have heard that they are (or have) changing this.

Any comments on Ramlin trailers (or other for a 210?).

I have a Ram-Lin and haven't had any problems with it. There are those out there who have complained about the bow stop deforming the rubrail in the front, but I have not experienced that on my current SAN, nor did I on my '94 Ski Nautique.

There are a couple of options that I would recommend adding to the Ram-Lin. First is the optional winch. If you do not order one, you'll have to deal with the turnbuckle. That isn't too bad, but the winch would make things easier. Both of my Ram-Lin trailers had the turnbuckle. You might also consider ordering a spare tire.

For more information, see the URL below.
www.ram-lin.com

I would certainly go tandem axel no matter what brand you bought. A wakeboard boat is heavy enough that you really need the second axel

How do Ramlin and Prestige compare???

On that note, how do Dorsey and Extreme compare?

Extreme = awesome

I have an Extreme trailer, and for the most part I really like it. The only issues I have are:

1) The original Jackstand was too short to make my trailer level. A trailer should be set up to be towed level, and with the height of the trailer, the original Jackstand was too short. They fixed this with a replacement JS.

2) The original JS wheel melted in the heat at a hotel near Lake Shasta. (yes melted! it folded almost in half while parked in an asphalt parking lot unhitched). The new trailers have better JS wheels.

3) the brake fluid reservoir's decorative cap has fallen off and been lost twice. They replace it, and the actual reservoir cap is never in a position to fall off. However, the tongue doesn't look as good when it is missing.

4) The quick release pin for the swing away tongue collects a lot of grease. My kids semm to brush up against this area everytime they walk past the boat in the garage.

The Extreme customer service is the best of ANY company I have ever dealt with. They immediately fix or resolve any problem, and will adjust their trailers to make every customer happy. I had a Hensley trailer on my last boat, and when they couldn't fix some problems, Exterme jumped in and did it for them! They re-welded some bunk supports, and painted them, replaced all 4 tires with new wheels, and straightened out an axle. They then only charged me $200 for all of this service on a competitor's trailer. I will always spec out a Extreme trailer due to their customer service.

While I appreciate the comments on other makes, I am limited to Ramlin, Prestige, some small shop customs and Eagle. This is not my choice, but because I live in the boonies (one CC dealer is an hour and a half away, the other is close to 3 hours away).

I have an '01 SAN on a Ramlin and I have a ton of complaints with respect to my trailer. In defense of Ramlin though, I think they've made a lot of improvements since '01. Some things you should keep an eye out for:

1. Definitely opt for a winch. I've seen them on newer Ramlins so it's at least an option.
2. At least in 01 they still used the old-school 'wishbone' bunk style. Not as supportive for your SAN as multiple, custom-fit bunks used on other makes. I think they still use this style. Not cool.
3. My Ramlin didn't come with disc brakes. I'm sure they're at least an option now and drums are expensive and PITA to maintain. Gimme disc pads any day!
4. My Ramlin came with the old-school 4-pin light connector assembly. All my buddys trailers have 5-pins with reverse lockout, even their older models. Grrr....
5. No swing-away tongue. If you don't need it this isn't a big deal. Mine will come up but ONLY after I remove a buncha bolts and stuff.
6. The prop 'cage' is low as heck and drags on everything. I think they've fixed this on newer Ramlins, or at least have rollers on the newer models.
7. The steps on either side of the fenders are carpet-covered wood. They look dope, but they are ALWAYS wet and I'm suprised the wood hasn't rotted yet. You're better off with non-wood steps.
8. Ramlin used some sort of BearingBuddy knock-off in '01 that doesn't disperse grease very well into the hubs. I've had mine professionally maintained and the knockoffs suck compared to BearingBuddys most other trailers run. They might've changed this.
9. A lot of seasoned ski-boat guys complain about the front paddle/nose assembly Ramlin uses and its inability to utilize Boatbuddy spring-loaded clip in. Personally, I LIKE the nose paddles, but this is just preference. I also think Boatbuddys are junk and gimmicky, but lots of dudes swear by them.

Whew.. that enough for you? Unless you need to maneuver your boat around in your garage by hand, definitely opt for a double-axle for the peace of mind!

Joe - the 5 pin electrical connector with reverse lock out is for trailers with disc brakes - Not required or necessary for drums. Has to do with the brake proportioning.

the lockout is required on disc brakes because unlike drums, discs work just as well in reverse as they do forward. without the lockout it's very difficult to back up even shallow grades, and you can bend the caliper mounts trying to do so.

Hmm.. my bad on that one. Regardless, discs seem like the way to go in my experience, plus that 5th pin also paves the way for kewl gimmicks such as reverse lights on your trailer. Kinda neat, although not so sure it's real useful.

i've seen a trailer somewhere recently that had reverse lights that pointed outward at like 45º angles. that was the first time i'd seen that, but it looked like they'd be very effective that way. no point in illuminating the area behind the boat that you can't see from the truck anyway!

My Trailrite trailer has reverse lights like that, trace.

oh yeah, and i converted my trailer to discs a couple yrs ago. they're definitely stronger, less maintenance, and more reliable, but they can get HOT AS HELL in traffic & hills. if i towed thru big hills frequently, i'd put the reverse lockout on a remote switch in the cab to keep them from heating up when going down long hills.

sweet, do they help?

Help what? I guess I wouldn't know, aren't reverse lights for signaling that you are backing up, so that the car behind you doesn't get too close? I haven't backed into any one yet *knocks on wood desk*. I really have no use for 'em.

and light up where you're backing

The reverse lights on the Trailrite trailers definitely help out when backing up, like Trace said they are tilted out at a 45 angle and illuminate the area around the trailer so you have much better visibility when going in reverse.

Last time I looked it up, reverse lights were not a legal requirement for cars. Instead, they are "permitted." That tells me that they're more so you can see where you're going than to signal that you're backing up.

I looked it up because the reverse lights don't work on one of my cars.

Maybe in TX they are not a legal requirement....But they are in CA...http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc24606.htm

BTW - if they are/were for visibility, how many cars/trucks/other vehicles fail miserably at attaining the desired results?


(Message edited by socalwakepunk on October 15, 2004)

You Califonians and your stupid laws! C.A.R.B? WTF is that about? 49-state legal?

Seriously though, that's interesting. One would sort of expect something like vehicle equipment to be pretty consistent between states but I guess that's not the case. I guess car manufacturers have to use the union of the sets of all states' laws as their guidelines.

So in CA, do trailers have to have backup lights? Are they considered motor vehicles? If not, does the fact that they obscure the backup lights of the towing vehicle make them required? Hmm...

Anyway, backup lights do help a lot for visibility. I noticed in my car that doesn't have them, that I can only see behind me at night when I touch the brakes. Tracking down the wiring gremlin has not been at the top of my list but I'll be sure to fix it if I ever move back to California.

Oddly enough, not required on trailers...

Couldn't agree more:
California
x way to many stupid laws
+ way too much stupid taxes
/ way too much government spending
= Really messed up state.

*looking out window daydreaming of legislators hanging by ankles over rabid dogs*

*looking out window daydreaming of the day I leave*

Joe H, thanks for the lookouts. I will ask the dealer about those issues.