Need some help, I have a 2013 Ranger Rt 188, bought new in 2013, This boat from day one had been hard to load on to the trailer, The last few time it about kill me getting on the trailer. Was thinking it had a broken Bunk on it, It is down about two inches on one side, I put new bunks on it, It is steel the same. I have look the trailer all over. Axle look good. Leaf Springs and Hardware look good. Frame look good. Need Help ???
Any chance you could post a photo? Hard to understand how one bunk could be 2 inches lower than the other.
2018 Ranger RT188 SC Black/115 hp Yamaha SHO 4-stroke; Garmin LVS34 - north
2018 Ranger RT188 DC Black/115 hp Merc Pro XS 4-stroke; Garmin LVS34 - south
14' Mirrorcraft tin boat (ancient) with a 9.9 Mercury 4-stroke, no electronics; catches fish anyway
I had a 2014 that I accidentally bent the rear cross member on the frame and the Starboard side bunk was so low, the boat rubbed against the trailer light bracket. I won’t try to describe the setup I used but I raised the Starboard side until it was level across the deck and along the length of the boat. With it suspended, I moved the bunk up to meet the boat, marked a new hole location in the bracket, redrilled and bolted it in the higher location.
It is important to raise the front of the bunk as well because that is where you center up when loading. For some reason my Starboard side height Moved down slightly over time but I blamed that on the bowed crossmember.
If you are inclined, PM your phone number and I will call you early next week and describe how I set up boat leveling.
This pic shows the trailer about a year after I made the repair and if you compare the two sides, you can see that it has settled again. I had to replace the rear bracket with a larger one to get enough space to re-drill the mounting hole.
Last edited by Bill Reynolds; 04-20-2019 at 08:27 PM.
I try to drive as if my 16 year old Grandson is following me
Speak as if he is listening and act as if he is watching
A buddy of mine has a 2013 RT188 that had the same problem. He looked the trailer over repeatedly trying to figure out the problem. BTW, he's no rookie, having had numerous Rangers and having been a Ranger salesman at a dealership for some time. Finally, one day his son took a look at it and the problem jumped right out at him. The rear support for the starboard bunk was a few inches shorter than the rear support for the port bunk! Apparently, when the trailer was being built, someone grabbed the wrong support for the rear starboard bunk and welded it in place without knowing it was too short. As a result, the boat sat on the trailer sagging in the starboard rear corner. Long story short, Ranger fixed it for him.
"The man of system is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamored with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it…He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chessboard.” Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Can I get some one to post same photos ?? or tell me how to post them, from my computer, thanks
The forum limits the size of pictures that will post and most high resolution cameras (like smart phones ), are too high to meet that threshold. To overcome this I have to use a separate program that I keep open on another tab on my browser. This screen shot explains the process:Originally Posted by Kansas Basser
I try to drive as if my 16 year old Grandson is following me
Speak as if he is listening and act as if he is watching
Check the measurements from each bunk to the frame. You might have to use a 2x4 crosswise to do this. If they check off (they should be equal) ... If they check odd, look at the support rods and brackets.
If they check good. Look at the leaf springs. There is a band that holds the steel strips together. It could have broken or slipped.
RT188
I LIKE boats...BUT I LOVE PLANES
Oh yeah.... I love the RT188 too.
PICT0005.JPGPICT0008.JPGPICT0010.JPGPICT0068.JPGPICT0089.JPG Here is some photos, I have looked and Measures every thing, there is, I don't know what to think.
The Starboard side of your boat is lower than the port side. Look how close the Starboard side is to the light bracket as opposed to the port side. This is just like mine after I backed into a stump and bent the cross member. When mine was like this, I could not load.
You will need to raise the Starboard bunk as I described in my previous post.
This is mine after the repair. There was more space between the boat and light bracket after I replaced the bunk bracket but It moved closer over time. Never could get this thing right.
I try to drive as if my 16 year old Grandson is following me
Speak as if he is listening and act as if he is watching
I understand what you are saying, But why is it getting lower. I think it has been this way when I got it new.
I thought more about this last night and realized that my trailer too was a problem from day one, not just after I backed over the stump. Even after I raised the bunk, the Starboard side kept getting lower. I fought this for over 2 years until the long leaf of the Starboard spring broke in half. Upon examination I discovered that 2/3 of the break line was rusty, indicating that it had been cracked for a long time. By the time this happened, I was so fed up that I bought a new trailer, so I don’t know what would have happened if I had replaced the spring.
This leads me to believe the root cause of my problem was the spring. As FloridaFlyer suggests, it may be time to look at the spring, shackles and bushings. From what I remember, a new spring is less than $40 and not that difficult to install.
I try to drive as if my 16 year old Grandson is following me
Speak as if he is listening and act as if he is watching
Can someone tell me what axle and leaf spring Ranger used on the RT 188. Can I get someone to take a photo of there axle and leaf spring. Think's You
MY WINCH STAND WAS NOT CENTERED LOOSEN U BOLTS AND CENTER IT ON TRAILER FIXED PROBLEM.2016 RT188 ALUMINM TRAILER
This is a 26 inch center 4 leaf spring. It is 1 3/4 wide. This is the link to what I think is the correct leaf spring on eTrailer.com
https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Lea...SP-051275.html
This is a pic of my 2016 Ranger trailer. I assume it uses the same spring.
All I could determine about the axle is that it is 2 inch square tube but eTrailer has these as well and their website is very informative.
I try to drive as if my 16 year old Grandson is following me
Speak as if he is listening and act as if he is watching
Now the Plot Thicken ??? I have 3 leaf spring not 4 and a different shackles set up. I well take a photo. Think's for your time. This is what I'm thinking I have lost the bend in the axle ?Most trailer axles are designed with a bend in the tube that will deflect when the load (weight of the trailer) is applied.
Bill said this is a picture of his 2016 trailer. Maybe they beefed them up due to previous problems.
Sorry, I made a mistake on the 2016 date on the trailer, it is actually a 2018. I bought it last year. I bought it from Ranger but it was made by EZ-Loader, Ranger contracts all their Aluminum boat trailers to them starting in early 2018.Bill said this is a picture of his 2016 trailer. Maybe they beefed them up due to previous problems.
My original trailer was a 2014, and it is like the Op’s. Ranger redesigned the trailer in 2015 or 2016 and strengthened the frame by extending the step pad behind the fender all the way to the back. That is probably when they went to the heavier springs.
I still have the old trailer and will be willing to take dimensions and/or pictures on the axle or other parts if you need them. (It is in a friend’s pasture, that’s why I took the pic of the spring on my new one)
eTrailer is a great resource for information as well as parts. Just measure your existing spring and you will be able to find a replacement there.
I try to drive as if my 16 year old Grandson is following me
Speak as if he is listening and act as if he is watching
PICT0003.JPGPICT0004.JPGPICT0010.JPGPICT0014.JPGPICT0016.JPGPICT0020.JPGI was out looking at the boat and got to thinking. I put a 1x3 inch board on the Bunk, What do you know it Level with a level. If you look at my leaf spring they look bigger. I'm going to take into a axle shop, Think for your time
Forgive me ... but how can the axle and or springs have anything to do with the way the boat sits on the bunks?
2013 Pre-Johnny Ranger RT 178
115 PRO XS
Due to the increase of ammunition prices... There will be no warning shots
Honda certified Master technician 33 Years
I have a 2015 RT188 with the same problem. I raised the bunk on the starboard side to level the boat out on the trailer. I have looked the trailer over and over and can’t determine where the problem is either, I have measured everything and all pieces are the same length except from the ground up to the channel Is lower on the starboard side. I will say the other day I took measurements while the trailer was empty and it was the same measurements from ground up on both sides. So this has me thinking that I must have a weak spring on the starboard side
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