Trailex Trailer

My new Scot will be coming with a Trailex aluminum trailer. I've never owned an aluminum trailer.

The Trailex site indicates everything is bolted (not welded). Does anyone know what type of bolts are used? I'm assuming it is stainless hardware. If so is there any dissimilar metals corrosion problem? Any other issues or problems I should look out for?

Thanks.

Glenn
FS 3834 (for now)

phebejim's picture

My Trailex dates back to 1974. It's held together with plain steel bolts which have rusted a bit over time--it's gone in and out of salt water frequently without rinsing with fresh water. However, none of the bolts have failed and there is only superficial corrosion where the two metals touch. I'd not worry but contact Flying Scot if you still have concerns.

You are going to love the trailex trailer. The only thing that you have to be careful with is jack knifing the trailer while backing up. The tongue is susceptible to bending and kinking if you are not careful.

The only thing that corroded on my 1996 Trailex trailer were the bolt for the tie down strap. All the other bolts are fine. You shouldn't have any issues for many years.

One thing I learned the hard way is not to over tighten the hitch coupler to the trailer tongue. If you do you will have a hard time to hitch and unhitch the coupler to the ball. The through-the-tongue bolt squished the aluminum tongue and bend the sides of the hitch coupler together more than it was designed for. As a result the mechanism of the coupler didn't work well. But again don't worry, you won't need to mess with the coupler for many years.

Also the nuts are special lock nuts. You can reuse them a couple of times but the locking might get to weak if you over do that. You can order additional nuts (and bolts if needed for accessories) from Trailex. Stay away from regular nuts, bolts and vinyl lock nuts.

Claus FS5074 Ames, IA

Last Friday I went to western Maryland to pick up my new Scot.

Here are two observations on the trailer:

(1) The Scot sits much lower than on my old Tee-Nee trailer. Accordingly, the wheels are much futher apart.

(2) It is much lighter than my old Tee-Nee trailer. The effect on the towing experience was very noticeable. Not only was it easier to accelerate and stop but we also had improved gas mileage. About 2-3 mpg.

Glenn

FS 5919