Don't do this to your jet!

[OkieDave]

Good idea Jer. That would solve the lags pulling out and the rotting problems also. You can buy that stuff in planks for decks and such. That may be worth looking in to...
or just add a piece of steel from one bunk support to the other underneath the bunks. then the bunk is supported the full legth of the bunk with steel. thats what I do.

[blowngas]

So here we are banging and vibrating our expensive boats when I got my flatbottom, I always wondered why the trailer would bounce every time I hit a pothole or when going over an overpass---then I found that the previous owner had replaced the springs on one of the axels with a heavier rated spring---so, the spring pack was not flexing enough for a smooth ride----I took out 1 of the 3 springs and man what a difference---the best axels I've seen are the ones that have the hard rubber strips inside the axel-----a buddy had a trailer like that with a 20 ft. liberator jet on it----it rode sweet on the crappy lake roads down here----the trailer would not bounce any at all----the wheels were jumping up and down like crazy, but the boat and trailer frame never moved!!!

[steelcomp]

when I got my flatbottom, I always wondered why the trailer would bounce every time I hit a pothole or when going over an overpass---then I found that the previous owner had replaced the springs on one of the axels with a heavier rated spring---so, the spring pack was not flexing enough for a smooth ride----I took out 1 of the 3 springs and man what a difference---the best axels I've seen are the ones that have the hard rubber strips inside the axel-----a buddy had a trailer like that with a 20 ft. liberator jet on it----it rode sweet on the crappy lake roads down here----the trailer would not bounce any at all----the wheels were jumping up and down like crazy, but the boat and trailer frame never moved!!!
When, and if you have your spring packs apart, it dosent hurt to clean them real good...wire brush or blast off the old rusty scaled, and get them clean again. I sprayed mine with Rustoleum primer before I painted them...which only lasts a little while anyway, but helps slow down the rust. Also go through and rebuild your pivots. Replace the nylon bushings around the pivot bolts, and grease them up with marine grease. The best shackles I've seen are the ones with the grease zerts in the bolts...these should be greased on a regular basis, just like your wheel bearings (if you don't have bearing buddys). Your springs and shackles and pivots need to be able to move freely so they don't bind. If they can't, then the spring can't do it's job. Granted, most trailers are over-sprung anyway, since they have no shocks, but if the springs are full of crap, and the pivots and shackles are rusty and dirty, then things are going to be a lot stiffer and less forgiving. Another thing that really helps is to get your trailer tires and wheels balanced, just like your car. Another mistake is to use a regular nut and lockwasher on the pivot bolts. No no no. You need to replace the self locking nut on the pivot bolts (replace the whole bolt if it's worn too badly) and not over tighten them. This can also cause binding of the spring. Don't use nyloks here, either, use the deformed style all metal locking nut. All these things can add up if you don't pay attention to them, and if your trailer is old and worn out, chances are so is the suspension. :coffeycup