RiverDave
In it to win it
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2007
- Messages
- 126,511
- Reaction score
- 165,409
Every now and again someone builds something that's a little different then everyone else. When that happens my ears perk up, because I'm always interested in "why" they are doing it different, and the pro's and con's of what they are doing versus what is traditional. When Bruce Curry (Screen name "Bucket List" on RDP) went to Adrenaline Trailers to build him a trailer, it was pretty clear that he wanted something custom for his needs, instead of "just another trailer."
The story of this trailer starts when Bruce went to jack up his old trailer and it had gotten so rusted through that the jack broke off of it. He put a different clamp on style jack on the other side to tide him over for awhile, but it was clear that some salt water usage had ate this trailer from the inside out.
Bruce put a pen to paper, and decided he was going to build not only a custom trailer with all the little bells and whistles, but one that is also reliable for long hauls. In short he was going to solve every problem he has ever had towing trailers with this build.
We will start with what caused the failure of the first trailer to begin with. Bruce is kind of a "nomad" boater that typically boats anywhere between Parker and Davis Dam. That said if the water is smooth at home, he has no problem dropping the boat in the ocean and running it as well.
A traditional "Box Tube" frame isn't a great idea for anything that is ever going to go in the salt, because they are extremely difficult to flush, and start rusting from the inside out almost immediately. The first thing he decided was he wanted a channel trailer, but he couldn't live with the idea of having some galvanized aluminum trailer that looked like it belonged to a fishing boat. Steel and painted were a must, but he also wanted larger main rails then what was currently available in channel. All the steel main rails on this trailer were actually custom made by the steel supplier!
(In this photo you can see the back of the steel channel, and the wiring going to the LED in the Fender pad. Note the rubber grommet where it passes through and cushion stainless steel adel clamps holding the loom)
So lets start at the front of the trailer and work our way back. On top of the tongue you can see an electrical box that has a full size 7 wire connector to it. It connects to a Jet wiring harness that transfers straight to the truck with an identical receptacle. The electrical box is pretty trick, and to look at it from all angles the work is flawless.
Right behind that is a stainless box that actually "saddles" the trailer. This box was fabricated in house by Adrenaline. The portions that "saddle" the trailer and hang down on the sides of the main rail actually house the electric over hydraulic actuator for the trailer, and all of the trailer wiring.
Inside of the box their is actually plates that bolt on top of those things so you can throw all of your tools and jack etc.. In talking with Bruce he made it clear that if he's ever changing a tire on the side of the road again, he's going to have real tools with him to make it easier.
He just threw the jack in there as he was picking up the trailer. I believe he will add some carpet in there or finish out the inside with rhino lining or something. If you look closely on the right side you can see the cover plate that protects the actuator, and wiring loom.
Directly behind the box, is the bow stand that is fairly standard with the exception of the ridiculously nice hand wench. One thing I thought was pretty clever is a lot of guys usually put a second smaller winch down below to hold the boat in place. Wayne used a ratchet strap that is typically used on the rear of trailers to hold the boat to the trailer. It's smaller, easier to use, and has a quick release to remove it from the boat, and then it will automatically reel in the strap when not in use.
The next thing you will come to is the spare tire mount. This was done with the usual upgrade that Adrenaline has become known for, where they actually mount the spare tire on an actual spare hub.
You can see the spare hub mounted here before the spare went on. With Torsion axles you can see that it's basically one nut to unscrew, and you can slide the hub off the axle and replace with a new one. Bearing problems on the road are a thing of the past with this setup. Even more to that point, this trailer is equipped with "Vault" hubs by UFP, that never need to be serviced, and are claimed to be the most reliable setup on the market right now. Zero maintenance for the life of the trailer!
Spare Tire Mounted on the Hub.
Which takes us back to the Stainless Fenders, that have steel diamond plate inner walls. Most boat trailers they hang the fenders on the ends off the fender pads, and if it's a triple axle will add a small support in the middle underneath. When you do it with a solid metal inner wall, it protects the boat in the event of a catastrophic blow out (steel belted tires will blow right through a wood fender pad) The other upside to the steel diamond plate is it offers support throughout the entire length of the fender if you ever wanted to stand on it. (Note, if you stand on one of these polished fenders you'll likely be crucified, but the thought is you could if you had too) This trailer also sports disc brakes on all three axles for ridiculous stopping power in the event of an emergency.
(Picture taken before Bruce brought his wheels and tires to Adrenaline)
Wheels and tires installed on the trailer. While Bruce loves the West Coast Custom scene, and the look of low pro tires, this trailer was "purpose built" to be able to be a long haul trailer with minimal problems on the road. That is why he went with real deal heavy duty tires instead of the typical low pro car tires that are used on custom trailers for West Coast Customs.
The trailer features the long slimline LED's all in stainless caskets provided by extreme trailers. Heading towards the rear of the trailer you will see two chrome side guides that are adjustable and or easily removable via a "pinch bolt"
Something I thought was kinda clever on this trailer was this hidden light, that shines back on the license plate frame.
All of the brake lines are hard lined, aesthetically pleasing, and still about as hidden as you are going to get on a channel trailer. The electrical is tucked up inside the channel that you really can't see it unless you are looking for it, and all of the loom routes into the tool box so that it is hidden.
There is a hidden float switch in the back of the trailer, so when you back it in the water it turns on the "Run Way" lights, or up lighting. Every cross member has these bright "dot" LED's on both sides so when you are putting the boat on the trailer at night it lights everything up. (Looks like a landing strip, which is why it's nicknamed Run Way lighting) You can see one of the LED's on the top of the main rail on the picture below.
We've gone over the trailer from the coupler to the tail lights, but the one thing that I think I like most about it is that it was built with the future in mind. The trailer was built a little longer then it needs to be, because when Bruce decides to upgrade from the 240 to his next boat a Hallett 270, they just pop the saddle box off, put on two smaller tool boxes on the main rails and redo the bunks!
For more information on this trailer, to refurbish your trailer, or have one built please call Adrenaline Trailers at 928-680-1030 or visit www.adrenalinetrailers.com
