I have had my Pacific trailer since 9/03 with no problems. I sail in both fresh and salt water and everything has worked fine. It too, has a Fulton jack, which has worked ok. I know from experience that it will freeze up every couple of years when I primarily sail in salt water, so I take it apart and grease it when it gets stiff. It sounds like you have something amiss in the gear train that puts too much stress on the bevel gear. Even though I have a M15, the tongue weight on the jack should not be too much less than your M17. My only issue with the trailer is that it is heaver than my old Trailrite trailer and harder to push around, but that is a tradeoff for better towing. There's no pleasing some people. What other problems have you had with your trailer? Bob M15-208 James Poulakis wrote:
About six weeks ago, after a glorious sail, I was happily turning the handle of my Fulton tongue jack (barely one year old - standard equipment on a new Pacific Trailer) and CRUNCH! Removing the plastic cap revealed that the bevel gear had broken neatly in two.
So... got new parts... carefully reassembled everything... greased it up... casually took a half turn and... PING! The new bevel gear snapped cleanly in two.
Even if I am successful in repairing this Fulton jack, it is not something I care to rely on at a distant launching site. Can anyone suggest a better brand (or are they all pretty much the same?)
By the way, - This is the third issue I've had with my Pacific Trailer in one year. My impression is that they are a bit on the fragile side.
Jim M-17 "Spirit"
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