Manual Trailer
Manual Trailer
Manual Trailer
www.extreme-trailers. co.uk
Congratulations on choosing an Extreme Boat Trailer. All of our trailers are designed and built in Britain
using industry standard parts and materiaIs to give many years of reliable service.
Please read this manual carefully, the following information and tips will help you to get the most out of
your new trailer and avoid the most common pitfalls. lt is however not possible to cover all eventualities so
if there is anything you do not understand please contact the supplying dealer or Extreme Trailers for
advice or clarification.
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Section 13 'Mass of the vehicle in running order'. The weight of the unladen trailer plus the weight
of the boat must not under any circumstances be more than the MGW of the trailer.
4. Obtain the correct nose weight of the loaded trailer. Excessive trailer nose weight can cause under
steer (light steering} and lack of braking. lnsufficient trailer nose weight can cause over steer,
snaking and possible Jack Knifing. To obtain the correct nose weight, please see the section 'Setting
up your Trailer'.
5. Check the trailer tyres are inflated correctly. Correct inflation pressures and maximum road speed
for tyres fitted to the 'Extreme' trailer range are as follows:
Single (Tandem)
6. Check that the lights and (where fitted}, the brakes, are in working order. Check that the red
triangular rear reflectors have their points uppermost on the lightboard and that it is central on its
attachment hooks to the trailer with an equal length of lightboard protruding from either side..
Check that the lightboard arm adjusters are fully tightened and the light board cable is clear of the
road and any moving parts on the trailer (eg swinging arm cradles which can rotate when the trailer
is unloaded. Check that it is supported on the trailer in such a way the tow vehicle can turn full lock
both ways without the plug pulling out or the cable touching the road.
7. Check that the vehicle's tow ball is correctly inside the coupling and not just resting on top by
observing either the green 'safe' tell-tale is showing (braked trailers) or the red 'unsafe' tell-tale is
not showing (unbraked trailers) . Check that the secondary coupling (unbraked trailers) or the
breakaway cable (braked trailers) is present and correctly secured to the tow vehicle.
8. Check your mirrors are correctly adjusted. These may need to be further outwards than normal if
the boat is significantly wider than your vehicle.
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9. Ensure that the boat is secured onto the trailer to stop both fore-aft and sideways movement.
Check that the boat's bow-eye is secured to the winch post by a means other than the winch strap
(such as a chain,rope or a strap). The winch strap is not designed to absorb road shocks and may
break if under tension whilst towing.
10.Ensure the jockey wheel is fully wound up and tightened either against it's upward stop or as close
to it as allows the 'R' or other spring clip (where fitted) to be inserted between the adjacent stop
eyes. Ensure the jockey wheel clamp is tight.
Towing Tips
l. Generally drive more slowly and if in any doubt give way to other vehicles. Allow more space on
the inside of a turn so you don't clip the curb. Be mindful of any overhang of the trailer behind the
rear wheels swinging into oncoming traffic when turning sharp left. Allow more time for braking.
Anticipate the road ahead, alter your speed in good time and make gear changes more often.
Check your mirrors frequently.
2. When approaching an incline or a decline, select a lower gear in good time. When travelling uphill
this gives you extra power and avoids an uphill gear change.Coming downhill it provides engine
braking and reduces the strain on your vehicle's braking system and avoids the possibility of brake
fade.
3. Remember your increased length when pulling out of or across a junction.
4. Remember the road camber on a left bend helps keep a high load stable and that a right bend has
the opposite effect and causes the top to sway to the left.
S. Snaking is generally caused by insufficient nose weight on a single axle trailer or an excessively low
tow hitch on a tandem trailer causing it to pivot about the first axle with little weight on the rear
axle.The situation is made worse as speed increases. lt is also generally worse travelling downhill
and less so travelling uphill. Should it occur the correct action is to gently reduce speed very gently
using the accelerator and not to use the brakes.
6. Get in the habit of occasionally checking the temperature of your trailer hubs especially on a long
journey. They should be warm but should not be too hot to touch.
7. When disconnecting your loaded trailer for the very first time put a block under the rear of the
trailer or have a couple of people stand on the drawbar to avoid the possibility of it overbalancing
backwards through incorrect positioning of the axle and/or load.
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Setting up your Trailer
l. The easiest way to set up your craft on the trailer is by lifting it on with a crane.
2. lf that is not possible then the next easiest way is to use a slipway.
3. Check that you have the correct type of trailer for your boat and that the boat's load can be
properly distributed across those supports fitted to the trailer. When it is on the trailer, check that
the boat is correctly positioned for nose weight and also in relation to the roller/bunk supports
(clear of spray rails,fully supported at the transom for an outboard engined powerboat etc). In the
case of a powerboat, the boat should generally be positioned with the rearmost supporting rollers
or bunks at the extreme rear of the boat directly underneath the transom.
4. All models of Extreme Trailers come with adjustable position axles in order that you can obtain the
correct nose weight. The recommended nose weights for our trailers are listed below together
with Maximum Nose Weights which must never be exceeded:
180 Kg lS - 18Kg 18 Kg
300 Kg lS - 2SKg 30 Kg
3SO Kg lS - 30 Kg 3S Kg
400 Kg lS -30 Kg 40 Kg
SOO Kg 20- 40 Kg SO Kg
6SO Kg 2S -SO Kg GS Kg
7SO Kg 2S - SO Kg 7S Kg
Adjust the nose weight of your trailer by slackening off the chassis attachment U bolts on both sides
of the axle and moving it to the required place taking care to keep the alignment straight by
measuringthe same distance from the rear of each side of the chassis to the axle. Nose weight can
be measured with the trailer level by using a set of bathroom scales under the jockey wheel. Braked
trailers will in addition require the brake rod adjustment changing.This is done by slackening off
the locknut at the brake balance beam just in front of the centre of the axle where the brake cables
are attached. lf adjusting the axle rearwards then spin the sleeve nut and locknut backwards before
moving the axle. lf adjusting it forwards, move the axle first then move the sleeve nut and locknut
forward to it. When you are happy with the position of the axle, tighten the U bolt nuts. With the
handbrake off, there should be a small amount of movement of the brake rod when pulled fore and
aft. Put the handbrake on and note the balance beam to be pulling approximately the same
amount on both brake cables (or on both sets on a tandem axle trailer). Now look at the angle of
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the handbrake lever . This should be between about 11and 1o'clock and the trailer brakes should
be fully on. Release the handbrake lever and the trailer brakes should be completely free with no
binding of the brake shoes. Readjust and check again if necessary. Be sure to tighten the locknut on
the brake rod when you are finished. lf you have a tandem axle trailer the technique is the same
except both axles are moved as a pair making sure you keep the same relative distance between
them.
S. When adjusting the supports far the boat, it is desirable to keep the centre of gravity of the craft as
low as possible. You will need to adjust the various keel,side and roller platter supports to ensure
the boat is clear of the mudguards and frame and there is minimum interference (preferably none)
from the spray rails when launching and recovering the craft.Note any supports that are not
adjustable (eg fixed keel roller), or adjustable in fixed increments), and look to position the boat
down onto these first if possible and then bring the adjustable supports up to it afterwards.
6. When the boat is in situ on the trailer, the height of the winch strap as it meets the winch drum
needs to be level with,or slightly higher than the bow eye. This ensures smooth winching and no
tendency to pull the craft downwards at the front.
7. The rear of the boat (transom) on a powerboat needs to be fully supported by the rear side/keel
rollers/ bunks as appropriate. This is not generally necessary (or possible) on a sailing boat.
8. Once the trailer is adjusted,ensure you check tighten ali fasteners. lf you have changed the brake
linkage adjustment then road test the brakes at low speed afterwards.
General Operation
l. Once they have been set up correctly, all Extreme trailers are designed far launching and recovering
your craft directly out of the water.
2. The trailer needs to be in a sufficient level of water far the winch to recover the boat safely and not
cause the transom or an outboard engine gearbox to hit the concrete of a shallow slipway. On a
steeper slipway you may find that the boat just floats off whilst on a shallower one you may need
to attach a rape to the couplingto allow the trailer to go further into the water. lt is important to
disconnect and remove the lightboard and it's attached wiring harness from the trailer prior to
launch or recovery. lt is recommended not to allow the tow vehicle's rear wheels to enter the
water.
3. The maximum height adjustment far a winch post with an adjustable height top is far half the stem
height of the top section to be protruding above the top of the base.
4. lt should be noted that trailers with a high winch post necessitated by a high bow eye (eg sailboats
etc) should not be used to recover boats from water deeper than allows the boat to float at least
halfway onto the trailer otherwise damage may occur.
S. In the case of roller assemblies, ensure that they are ali adjusted in the correct orientation to
accept the shape of the boat's hull.The central attachment bolt should be done up sufficiently
tightly to hold them in this position but not so tightly that they cannot move to follow the contour
of the hull as it moves forward along the trailer.
6. lt is important to ensure that the boat is level and centralized across the width of the trailer during
both launch and recovery.
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7. Do not tow the trailer up or down a slipway or drive on the road using only the winch to secure the
boat forwards against the bow snubber but use a rope, a chain or a strap in case the winch pawl
should become disengaged and the boat roll-off backwards.
8. Once recovered, stop on level ground to secure the boat onto the trailer. lf this is the first time you
have recovered that particular boat onto the trailer, you need to look at the position of all of the
supports to see whether they need moving. In particular, any rollers should generally be positioned
to straddle spray rails etc on the underside of the hull. The boat should now be secured to stop
movement both fore and aft and also laterally. Use strong rope or ratchet straps adequately rated.
lf your trailer has a winchpost higher that 600mm ensure the boat is adequately secured against
moving forward under heavy braking conditions.
9. Re-attach the light board before moving off. To do this position the extending lightboard arms so
the hooks are at least 40mm clear to the rear of the rear rollers (if unladen) or the rear face of the
transom of the boat (if laden) or of the outboard or outdrive leg if it would otherwise obscure the
number plate. Ensure the lightboard is central on the mounting hooks with the red triangular
reflector points uppermost. Secure with the bungee bands over the top and bottom hooks. Ensure
both light board arms protrude the same amount so the board is square across the rear of the
trailer and tighten both securing knobs fully so neither arm can move.
Maintenance
The followingservice schedule should be adhered to. lt is recommended that you have your trailer
serviced annually by an authorized service centre who will have access to special tools and workshop
equipment or on any other occasion you do not feel completely confident yourself or do not
understand any of the terms or necessary procedures in the schedules below. lf the trailer has been
frequently immersed in water then the following services schedules will need to be done more often.
1. Hose down the trailer with fresh water and flush out the brake drums (if a flushing kit is fitted)
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4. Check brake cables for free movement
5. Check wheel bearings for excess play/rumble
6. Check tighten all fasteners
Warranty
Your trailer carries a two year manufacturer's guarantee against defects in manufacture and assembly
from the date of purchase for the original purchaser .
This excludes any damage and normal wear and tear, and does not apply to service items such as tyres,
brakes and bearings, or to galvanizing which, by design,is a sacrificial coating.
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COMPLETE VEHICLES
EC CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMITY
SIDE 1
1.2. Type: 1
Variant: BOAT
0.9. Name and address of the manufacturer's representativa (if any): N/A
Conforms in all respects to the type described in approval e11*2007/46*1701*00. issued on 01/09/2014 and
can be permanently registered in Member States having right/left hand traffic and using metric/imperial units
for the speedometer.
In the event of any warranty claim the trailer must be returned to us for inspection and if the claim is
upheld Extreme Trailers will make repairs or replace parts as we consider necessary.
Warranty Registration
Purchased From:
Date of Purchase:
Trailer Model:
SerialNIN Number:
Name:
Address:
Postcode:
Please complete this document and send it by email or post to the address below to validate the
warranty registration of your trailer.
Extreme Marine Ud
Bond Street
Southampton
S014 5QA
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