How to Prevent Metal Bow Roller Brackets from Contacting the Boat

Published 02/07/2018

Products Featured in This Question

Bow Roller Assembly w/ Bells for 4" Wide Bracket - TPR - 1/2" Shaft - Yellow

(864)

$29.99

CE Smith Universal-Fit Split Panel Brackets for Boat Trailers - Galvanized Steel - 1 Pair

(56)

$25.32

Bow Roller Assembly w/ Bells for 4" Wide Bracket - TPR - 1/2" Shaft - Blue

(864)

$45.68

Bow Roller Assembly w/ Bells for 4" Wide Bracket - TPR - 1/2" Shaft - Black

(864)

$45.30

Question:

In 2014 I purchased a Yates Bow Roller for Boat Trailers - TPR - 3inch Long - 1/2inch as a replacement for my OEM bow roller on my 2009 Ranger Z21 Intracoastal bass boat. ion of this 3inch roller was driven by the fact that it had the nylon bushings to aide in rolling and possible prevention of crushing/binding around the shaft. I reused my end bells as they were fine. Issue is this roller appears to be to soft as it compresses enough during loading that bow gelcoat has made repeated contact with the metal brackets on either side of this roller and scratched thru to the fiberglass. I am having that repaired and would like a roller and end bell set that will be harder and capable of handling the impact/transport of my rig, will not mar the white gelcoat, and will not crush/inhibit rolling. Your suggestions? Thanks

asked by: Mike

Expert Reply:

Almost all bow roller assemblies have an industry standard hardness of 85a durometers. I was able to call my contact at Yates to confirm this. I do have a solution for you but we do not have any bow rollers with a hardness rating greater than 85a durometers at this time. However, I believe the problem you are experiencing can be eliminated using a wider roller as this would in turn dissipate the weight more evenly to minimize contact with the metal brackets.

I recommend using the Bow Roller Assembly part # YR450Y-400Y for yellow, part # YR450BLK-400BLK for black, or part # YR450B-400B for blue. Since you will be upgrading to a wider roller, you may also need a new mounting bracket and for this part # CE10500G should work well for you depending on where your roller is located.

expert reply by: Conner L