: Actually, I haven't yet built the boat rack for it. It is still a work in
: progress. so far, though, my main uses have with hauling a motorcycle, and
: moving furniture. Friends who used it on a trip from Chicago to Omaha went
: one way with it filled, and brought it back empty. They reported no
: problems at all.

: The axle is indeed solid (as opposed to liquid?) but it is not fixed directly
: to the frame. Is that what you were thinking? The axle is mounted to leaf
: springs which seem to do a pretty good job. If I assume that a torsion
: axle is one that flexes by rotating and twisting itself, like the torsion
: springs on an old VW beetle, or a garage door, then I can't see much
: difference. They are just different types of springs, and they deflect
: under a load. I imagine a pair of shock absorbers might dampen any
: harmonic oscillations, but I think leaf and torsion springs would be
: equally susceptible to such oscillations -- so I'm happy with the cheaper
: system.

: "Could" cause damage? Sounds hypothetical to me. Any of them ever
: had a boat damaged by a trailer? I've never seen or heard of such a thing,
: but I suppose it might happen. If the boat is secured to the trailer then
: when the trailer goes up over a bump, so does the boat. They move as a
: unit. Even if there wasw some slop in the attachments, the lightweight
: boat would just bounce a bit on the (hopefully) padded rack or cradle.
: From a physics standpoint, if I recall things, the trailer, having a
: greater mass than the boat would take longer to accelerate when hitting a
: bump. The lightweight boat would be able to accelerate more and just
: bounce away. If the boat was heavier, though, with a sloppy tie-down, the
: trailer would slam into it like a hammer. With a solid tiedown, though.
: the two components should move pretty much as a unit.

: Sounds like the advantage they are trying to sell is the adjustable spring
: action. For a few bucks you could just put on lighterweight leaf springs
: on a trailer like mine. for that matter, I think I have three leaves in
: each spring. It might be possible to remove one leaf from each side at no
: cost -- but it would be a pain to do.

: On the other hand, in my case the whole issue may be moot. The motorcycle is
: about 500 pounds, and the whole idea was to be able to take both the boat
: and the motorcycle at the same time. This would permit solo paddling in
: the local rivers. I could do my own shuttle by dropping off the motorcycle
: at the takeout point. The car and trailer go to the put-in point where
: they get parked. I paddle back to the cycle, take out, and chain up the
: boat with the cycle chain.
: I ride back to the car on the cycle, load it on the trailer and head back to
: pick up the boat. Many trips, but it should beat walking or paddling
: upstream.
: It works with two people, too.

: Anyhow, with the weight of motorcycle, plus one or two boats I no longer have
: a light trailer bouncing up and down.

: Or, I suppose I could carry ballast

: Thanks for worrying about me.

: PGJ

No! No! Paul

You misunderstand, I have NO worry about you, but that boat...... I have NO first hand experience with either, but the question was brought up that the springs under a trailer are a direct up/down motion and therefore would transmit the shock, or a large percentage of it to the rack with the boat. A trailer sprung for say 500 - 1,000 lbs of load will not offer ANY shock absorbtion for a 40 lb boat. Whereas the torsion type axle has a rotational shock load and would disperse much more of the shock. The wheel is actually attached to the extention off to the rear of the axle and if I'm not mistaken, the other end has an adjustment that will allow you to adjust for a 100 lb. load or upwards of a few hundred lbs. Don't quote me on this, but that's the way I understand it.

You are probably correct in your observations, but I was wondering about if you hit a deep bump and say you have a couple of contact points for the kayak to attach to, then with the light weight construction be enough to withstand such a jolt. I realize the trailer is all welded steel and would all move together with no apparent difficulty, but the boat may not be able to withstand that sort of jolt. Especially when supported in only two narrow areas. It's just a thought. A car or pickup are sprung much differently than a trailer and are a much softer ride. On a car or truck, no problem, but it seems there are much more serious shocks going on on a trailer.

I'm probably out in left field, as I've never had to haul a kayak on either, but was just concerned. Had to ask!!

Rehd