Midwest boat trailers. Anyone heard of them?

[Rich Jones]

I picked this one up today. Small, lightly sprung trailer that should be perfect to carry my 15' Rushton pulling boat.
It's a 2012 Midwest trailer. Bearings and tires in great shape but the lights were old style which I want to change to LED. However, in trying to strip back the wiring to put in new lights, I found that the wires are extremely brittle. No way to strip the wire without it just breaking. Then I found that the wires were broken in several places. Anyone ever come across wires like that and what could cause it. Looks like I'll be rewiring the whole thing.
I looked up Midwest trailers and believe they market them under the name ShoreLand'r.
Now I just have to put a couple of keel rollers on and a cradle for the boat.
Just curious about those crumbling wires.

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[hawkeye54]

Rich, I have no firm information on this, but wonder if the wire had the newer soy-based insulation ? It would be a benefit to replace the wiring at the same time as you change to LED lighting.




Rick

[Garret]

I too would guess soy based insulation. By all means replace the wiring with properly color coded wire & add some "conduit" - rubber/plastic hose at any chafe points.

I get wanting LEDs, but regular lights have worked for years & years & if it ain't broke...

[hawkeye54]

Rich, I wonder if it would be beneficial to mount the trailer taillights on 'risers' to get them higher out of the water when launching (?)

[Rich Jones]

I have to change all the wiring because it is so brittle. Interesting about the soy-based theory.
I've installed LED's on all my trailers and like them since they can be safely submerged in fresh water. Plus I'm not forever changing blown out bulbs.

[StevenBauer]

I hate that soy based wire insulation! But the squirrels love it. I had some string lights up in the boat shed for a while then they stopped working. Then I noticed they were gone. I found a pile of the bulbs in a corner - the wire that had been connecting them gone. The squirrels had made a nest between the inner and outer layers of the poly covering the shed. I evicted them promptly.

[JimConlin]

I’m guessing that the engineers from Lucas (Prince of Darkness) have come out of retirement for this latest innovation in unreliable vehicle lighting.

Has anyone tried the wireless trailer lights that are on the market? As the name implies, they’re wireless and consist of a transmitter gizmo that plugs into the vehicle and a couple of lights that magnet to the trailer. Lights are LED’s, powered by batteries.

I like that there is no tasty wiring, the lights can be removed before immersion and you can move from trailer to trailer and store ‘em safely in a squirrel-proof place.

[Nicholas Scheuer]

Nice! What was the price? I am adapting a decrepit old, cheap folding trailer (like Harbor Freight or Northern Tool) to haul a 17' canoe. Of course lengthening the tongue to be like that shown in the OP is part of the process.

[sp_clark]

Bought a ShoreLandr break-back trailer for the 14' stripper scow I built some 50 years ago. Had it long after the scow rotted away, used it as a utility trailer until rust took its inevitable toll then Sawzall'd up & sold for scrap. Insulation on that trailer's wiring lasted as long as the trailer.

My Waterlust canoe now gets trailered on a Trailex, came with LED's & the insulation seems pretty durable but it's only two years old so time will tell. That first'n was heavy, tough on the gearboxes of the SAABS I drove back then. This new aluminum one's got to be easier on my MINI's transmission I hope, and certainly on my back.

[Breakaway]

It may be just old, cheap wire, Rich.

I am pretty sure I have a coil of color coded trailer harness wiring in my rats nest, I mean shed.

If you can wait til I get home tomorrow, Ill look for it. Its yours if I have it.

Kevjn


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[swoody126]

AGE & UV are wire's enemies

the fix is not rocket surgery nor expensive

<$60 except for the connectors

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...6399_200326399

the connectors included in the kit are not for marine use

there are now 2 waterproof connector options

the older crimp style now with a temperature sensitive sealant lined heat shrink sleeve that shrinks n seals at the same time

OIP.0Pwil3LFFEZB916yd5ds8AHaHa.jpeg

and a low temperature solder connector that also has a sealant inside the heat activated shrinking tube

OIP.Jix_7yj4QsF3UzqfjtJg0gHaHa.jpeg

i find the 1st style at most local automotive stores and the the 2nd style can be obtained from Amazon Prime by searching low temperature solder connectors w/ next day shipping

BON CHANCE

sw

[Rich Jones]

Bought a ShoreLandr break-back trailer for the 14' stripper scow I built some 50 years ago. Had it long after the scow rotted away, used it as a utility trailer until rust took its inevitable toll then Sawzall'd up & sold for scrap. Insulation on that trailer's wiring lasted as long as the trailer.

My Waterlust canoe now gets trailered on a Trailex, came with LED's & the insulation seems pretty durable but it's only two years old so time will tell. That first'n was heavy, tough on the gearboxes of the SAABS I drove back then. This new aluminum one's got to be easier on my MINI's transmission I hope, and certainly on my back.

I paid $250 for the trailer and just spent another $200 on new LED lights/wiring, 2" receiver hitch to replace the old
1-7/8" hitch (now all four of my trailers have the same size receiver), a jack with wheel for the tongue of the trailer and a bunch of heat shrink connectors.
I would have loved a Trailex but they cost something like $1,400.
I'm also going to clean up some light rust and give the whole thing a coat of black paint.

[JimConlin]

Nice! What was the price? I am adapting a decrepit old, cheap folding trailer (like Harbor Freight or Northern Tool) to haul a 17' canoe. Of course lengthening the tongue to be like that shown in the OP is part of the process.

Looks like they’re under $100.
Here’s one.
https://www.amazon.com/Agrieyes-Wire...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

[Rich Jones]

I stripped the trailer of all fittings, wire brushed it, then power washed.
Once dry, I put on a coat of primer.

The main beam is 3" square, rather hefty for a small trailer.
It was packed with dirt, acorns and other squirrel debris.
I had a hell of a time getting it cleaned out. The front end is open, but I had to cut a small 1" square opening in the back for access.
You can see it in the photo. I had to use a hose and a plumber's snake to get all the crap out.
Enough to easily fill a one-gallon bucket.
Tomorrow I'll put on the first coat of gloss black.
I now have to design a support cradle for the Rushton.

IMG_2837.jpg

[swoody126]

good beginning

may i strongly suggest waiting to apply the finish coat of paint until AFTER all other work is completed and the vessel fitted ready to travel

the finish coat WILL be damaged in that process

once everything is dunn disassemble and scuff the frame down and then apply your chosen finish coat(s)

no need to ask why i make this suggestion ;-)

sw

[Breakaway]

Rich, I have that spool of trailer light wiring if you&rsquo;d like it.

Kevin


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[Rich Jones]

Rich, I have that spool of trailer light wiring if you&rsquo;d like it.

Kevin


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Thanks for the offer but I spent yesterday afternoon rewiring the trailer. Shiny new LED lights are now working.

[Keith Wilson]

Shoreland'r trailers are ubiquitous around here. I think the plant's in Iowa, and the lifts are made up by St Cloud somewhere. Standard stuff. Not fancy, but decent. The universal Minnesota boat is an aluminum Lund outboard fishing boat on a Shoreland'r trailer.

[Rich Jones]

The trailer is done and the Rushton in place.
Thanks to advice given one deck above, I was able to solve a grounding problem with the lights.
The boat and trailer will live in my shop for the summer. I like it because it's easy to pull in and out and everything is out of the elements. They will probably spend the winter there also.
My wife likes it because with those two things in there, I can't start building another boat!
All that's left to do is register the trailer.

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[Garret]

Looks great Rich!

I just registered a boat trailer - 1988 galvanized one in really good shape that's quite a bit bigger than yours. I was please they didn't balk at all on the $200 bill of sale price.