# harbor freight trailor



## dan h (Sep 9, 2010)

any one ever used one of the 40 x 48 trailor kits from harbor freight.i got one with intensions of extending it to fit my 12/32.once i looked through the instuctions i found they have a kit with extension, braces,and bunks to convert the trailor and haul up to a 12' boat.this kit is an aditional 36 bucks.i figure i cant buy the metal to make it myself that cheap and still have to paint it to match and some other stuff to.seems like a pretty good deal to me.what do you all think?i gave 179 for the trailor if i give 36 for the kit i have 215 plus tax and shipping for a new boat trailor.thanks Dan


----------



## azekologi (Sep 11, 2010)

Check out this thread:

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15622


----------



## dan h (Sep 11, 2010)

thanks for the reply.i allready have the trailor and i think it will work fine i only live about 15 miles from both lakes i fish and wanted sumthin to haul the boat on so i didnt have to disassemble the boat to get it in the back of the truck since i fish by myself most of the time or with my 11 year old daughter it sure makes things easier with a trailor  just wondered if any one had experiance with this model or the conversion kit to make the small utility into a boat trailor.guess i'll go ahead and order it and see what i get :lol: thanks Dan


----------



## bassboy1 (Sep 11, 2010)

Never done anything with the conversion kit, but I have made the extension myself on one. Check out the G3 1436 mod in my sig.


----------



## dan h (Sep 11, 2010)

bassboy1 said:


> Never done anything with the conversion kit, but I have made the extension myself on one. Check out the G3 1436 mod in my sig.


that is exactly what i had in mind.but i figure not having a welder handy it might be easier with the kit that bolts on.so i will probably go that route.it is basicly the same design as you did but bolts on.i like the mods you did on the boat too.nice work all around.Thanks Dan.


----------



## piedmontNC (Sep 12, 2010)

bassboy1 said:


> Never done anything with the conversion kit, but I have made the extension myself on one. Check out the G3 1436 mod in my sig.



Hey bassboy, I was checking out the 1436 mod link of yours and noticed your comment about the HF and Northern Tool trailer kits being too short for a 14' jon. I just bought the Northern Tool kit yesterday and have it half put together. I plan on buying a Tracker 1436. I have zero metal working skills. DO you think I can get away with long bunks sticking off the back to prevent the 'hook' you talk about in your link?

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_1063_1063


----------



## bobberboy (Sep 12, 2010)

piedmontNC said:


> bassboy1 said:
> 
> 
> > Never done anything with the conversion kit, but I have made the extension myself on one. Check out the G3 1436 mod in my sig.
> ...



Here's a pic of my Northern Tool trailer with a 1236 on it. I think the bunks stuck out the back by about 20-24" but they supported the boat completely to the back. With the motor hanging off the back I am guessing maybe I was about as far back as was safe. I had the bunks drilled to the mount so there was slightly more weight aft so the bunks would always assume a down position without the boat on them. This insured they were always down when I loaded the boat (obviously you have to be careful they don't drop down too far and get jammed into the road surface when you back up). From my experience with the 1236 I'd have to say that going back much further, especially with a heavier motor might not be advisable.


----------



## piedmontNC (Sep 12, 2010)

Thanks for the pic and comments, luckily I'm not planning on adding an outboard so rear weight shouldn't be as much of a problem.


----------



## piedmontNC (Sep 12, 2010)

Bobberboy, did you remove the orientation bar so the boat would sit farther up the trailer?


----------



## bobberboy (Sep 12, 2010)

piedmontNC said:


> Bobberboy, did you remove the orientation bar so the boat would sit farther up the trailer?



Before I added all the weight to the boat I experimented with the position. My specific issues had to do with my towing rig. I have a Jeep Liberty and 1) I couldn't see the trailer out the back window when it was empty - drove it into the dock at least twice and replaced the right side tail light once -and 2) I couldn't open the back door with the boat on. I worried about having too much weight aft with the motor, battery, etc in there. My bunks were designed to tilt and at really shallow landings that was a blessing. In hind sight, having bunks that swivel but are fixed longitudinally might have been better and allowed for a longer, stronger bunk. I have to say that I liked the Northern Tool trailer. It was small and lightweight. It really was perfect for a 12 footer especially if you like small lakes that often have not-so-hot launches or not much space to park at home. If I was to do it again I would add to the length of the tongue rather than have the boat any farther back. At a certain point the tail lights are too far under the boat and unless you deal with (I changed mine) they become hard to see. You can see in this pic that there wasn't really much more room to move forward. The hitch is just off the photo on the right. 



.


Also, Froggy seemed to figure this out. He also got the winchpost to work right so check his out too.
https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=12778.


----------

