Boler Frame Replacement

[Tom and Colleen]

Been thinking about a new frame and axle. Its probably not something I'd want to do myself but it would be REALLY great to show up at the welder's shop with a plan in hand.

So many people have done this already. No doubt any Boler-specific tricks and problems have been discovered a thousand times over. It only makes sense to move ahead using the hard-won knowledge that's already out there (rather than beat our heads against the same old brick wall).

I'm sure any decent welder could figure it out with the old frame in hand, but think of how great it'd be to pull up with the new frame, pop the egg off and slide it over to the new one all in one afternoon...

So is there any chance any one out there might have a frame pattern/blueprint/plan?
Please?

[Loren G. Hedahl]

I damaged the tongue portion on our 16ft Scamp frame on a recent trip to the mid-west. I was "asleep at the switch" and didn't slow down enough at a railroad crossing in Nebraska.

After limping into a small town, I bought a couple of landscape timbers (the most warped ones in the pile) and some ratcheting tie-downs to make a temporary sub-frame. This worked fine for the rest of the trip.

Since I have a friend who is a welder by profession I bought steel reinforcement and cut and fit everything beforehand. I also cut away the fiberglass and flooring where welding was to be done. A couple of hours and all welding was completed. Along with this we inspected the rest of the frame and added gussets in several places where things looked weak.

I would think you could do something similar. Since your original frame has lasted as long as it has already, I would think it would last a lot longer. Perhaps all you need is some reinforcement here and there and it will last you out and be a lot less work.

[Tom and Colleen]

This past weekend we tried to pull the Boler from Winnipeg to West Hawk Lake. Had to turn back - tried a couple of different roads but it was just way too rough. Our frame cracks have been welded up but the fact that the axle is pretty much shot means we're running a good risk of breaking things again.

We need a new axle in order for our trailer to be usable.
It only makes sense to address the frame's weaknesses at the same time.

Any help would be MUCH appreciated!

[Roy in TO]

We need a new axle in order for our trailer to be usable.
It only makes sense to address the frame's weaknesses at the same time.

Any help would be MUCH appreciated!

Tom,

I'm not sure how much of a response you will get. There are a lot of Bolers out there, but they are not all the same because they were made in a variety of plants over the years. Your frame might be slightly different from mine or anybody elses for that matter.

I'd suggest, you weigh the trailer, lift the body off and get a new frame & axle made to match the old design with the actual weight. You may want to beef up a few area's or consider some of the other mods at this time. E.g. swithching the axle from a leading arm to trailing arm if applicable....

Roy

[Tom and Colleen]

Tom,

I'm not sure how much of a response you will get. There are a lot of Bolers out there, but they are not all the same because they were made in a variety of plants over the years. Your frame might be slightly different from mine or anybody elses for that matter.

I'd suggest, you weigh the trailer, lift the body off and get a new frame & axle made to match the old design with the actual weight. You may want to beef up a few area's or consider some of the other mods at this time. E.g. swithching the axle from a leading arm to trailing arm if applicable....

Roy

Thanks for that dose of realism Roy. No doubt you're right on all counts. Good, level-headed, practical advice.

Naturally I'm trying to go into this thing as informed as I can be.