Please download the BEARING TABLE to find out which bearings you will need.

While we hold VERY limited stock of superseded parts (our Bibra Lake dealership opened in 2021 just after the last major design update (notably the introduction of chequer-plate aluminium mudguards), so we never bought pre-2021 parts. However, we have a few options, depending on what parts you need.

• Our current parts may be compatible with your trailer, which we can supply
• We will check with the other interstate dealers if they have any parts they can send across
• We can request our supply team purchases the parts and sends them in our next container order (please note: it can be over 3 months between containers and can be subject to unexpected delays)
• We can request our supply team air freights the parts (will be much faster than waiting for a container, but freight cost will be much more expensive)

Aluminium and stainless steel react very poorly to each other. It’s why you don’t usually see stainless steel on aluminium trailers. However, unlike our competitors, our aluminium is hardened to T6 and anodized. This anodizing process offers a protective layer from galvanic corrosion, but we don’t just leave it at that. We ensure there are either physical (a thin layer of marine vinyl) or chemical (TefGel and other surface-forming compounds) barriers preventing any significant surface contact between the aluminium and the stainless. Visit our Features page for more.

The older Spitfire models had a couple isolated occurrences of the winch posts bending/cracking (as mentioned in the Fishwrecked thread from 2017). To be frank, the older Spitfire models went through a few teething problems. This was back in the day when the company objective was “sell aluminium trailers at the same price as a galvanised trailer”. If you see an old Spitfire at a boat ramp with rusted steel roller posts, there’s a good chance it cost the same as a galv trailer, and the only component from that trailer that we still use today are the anodized aluminium chassis rails (which will likely still look new).

Over the years the Spitfire objective shifted to become “sell the best aluminium trailer on the market, at an unbeatable price”, and after many improvements big and small we’re achieving this objective (many of these improvements thanks to customer feedback!). Switching from galvanised steel to marine-grade stainless steel for all fixtures and fittings, and substantially beefing up the winch posts are just two of the many tweaks and overhauls that have gone into the present-day Spitfire trailer, but we’re always looking for ways to improve our products and services to stay ahead of the competition! Our prices may have increased, but we much prefer to sell very-high quality trailers at medium prices, than average quality trailers at low prices. We can no longer beat galv trailers on price, that is until you factor in all the repairs and inevitable complete replacement when you can poke your thumb through the rusted box section of the chassis!

So yes, the winch posts are very solid now, and have been for several years. If you have any other concerns based on early models, we’re always happy to show you the specific design changes that have been implemented to address those shortcomings. Alternatively, you can come in to the workshop and see for yourself!

While the MaxxCoat rotors are perfectly acceptable for many boaties, those most active will find there are two major benefits to stainless steel discs. Firstly, there is much less corrosion, which means a much greater lifespan for the discs. Secondly, less corrosion means less rough edges that will bite into the brake pads, wearing them out much quicker. For those that take their boat out more than a dozen times a year it’s quite likely to save money in the long-run getting the stainless discs.

For more information, check out this article by our South Australia dealer Andrew van Ryneveld https://www.spitfiresa.com.au/hydraulic-disc-brakes-is-there-a-case-for-stainless-steel/

Short answer, no. In our opinion bearing buddies are at best useless, and at worst a good way to pop your bearing seal. A bearing buddy has a grease nipple on it, but for the bearing buddy to function correctly the cavity must be entirely filled with grease. If your bearing buddy needs topping up, it means the grease somehow escaped the hub, and the only way out is through the seal. If you pump grease into the nipple while the hub is full you risk popping through that seal at the rear.

This is in stark contrast to the EZ-Lube/Quick Grease system used in Spitfire axles, where new grease travels inside the axle stub and is fed out behind the rear bearing race, purging your old grease out the front next to the grease nipple you’re filling!

For some explanatory diagrams and more information, check out this article by our South Australia dealer Andrew van Ryneveld https://www.spitfiresa.com.au/bearing-lubrication-what-are-the-options/ 

More effective proportional braking and less maintenance. We believe that most people do not attend to their stretched cables and therefore many trailers are on our roads with ineffective braking systems. On the contrary, provided there is fluid in the hydraulics and no air in the system, hydraulic brakes will continue to operate consistently and safely.

For more information, check out this article by our South Australia dealer Andrew van Ryneveld https://www.spitfiresa.com.au/bearing-lubrication-what-are-the-options/

A torsion system consists of a steel torsion bar connected to a wheel stub axle via a lever. The torsion bar is restrained by synthetic rubber cores inside a steel square tube axle directly fastened to the trailer chassis. Oscillation of the wheel on account of the road surface and weight bearing of the trailer load results in torsional movement of the bar. This movement is resisted and cushioned by the synthetic rubber cores. It’s these synthetic rubber cores that provide the interface between the moving trailer wheel and the square tubing of the axle which is fixed to the trailer chassis.

The benefit is that trailer chassis and the trailer axle is one structurally integrated item with a low profile, transferring no stress to the chassis during operation. The wheel is able to oscillate and respond to road conditions without transferring this to the axle and carried load. A comfortable and stable ride occurs with minimal induced stress and safer and better distribution of travel momentum, sway, etc. Another major benefit is that there is no maintenance required!

For more information, check out this article by our South Australia dealer Andrew van Ryneveld https://www.spitfiresa.com.au/what-are-the-benefits-of-a-torsion-axle-compared-with-normal-leaf-springs/ 

Have you ever seen an aircraft that was welded together? Of course not! That should be a strong clue that you should be very cautious when buying a welded aluminium boat trailer. A natural and most obvious characteristic of aluminium is the ability to safely bend and flex. The most visible demonstration of this is when viewing the up-and-down bending movement of the wingtip of an aircraft while the plane is moving. Trailers carrying a load and being driven at speeds on our roads will experience significant movement and flex as well. So all trailers built from aluminium must be designed to allow and accommodate the flexing of its chassis and structural components – because this is the way aluminium naturally relives its stress.

Airline manufacturers successfully relieve the stress by bolting or riveting the structural parts of the aircraft together, which allows just enough play for the flexing stress to dissipate. So a fully bolted aluminium trailer is the only credible construction method that will relieve stress in the same way.  

When Aluminium is extruded into a ‘mill’ finish, it has a hardness grade of T4. This T4 grade is most commonly used for trailer chassis fabricators because T4 is easily bent, shaped, and drilled and cut, without destroying the base properties of the material. If you harden the Aluminium to T6…which increases its strength more than twice, then it’s also more difficult to work with, however is very resilient and very strong. But it cannot then be welded or bent.

Welding of Aluminium results in a form of hardening – though more uncontrolled compared to process hardening of entire sections to T6. A weld creates a hardened zone around the weld while the area around the weld remains softer at T4. And in addition, welding also significantly reduces the yield strength properties of the material in that zone – especially so with 6061 Aluminium which is also crack-sensitive to welding.

In a trailer the movement and flexing of the chassis, which will always occur because it’s a natural characteristic of Aluminium, will transfer all stresses to the next weakest point (which is the weld), resulting in structural failure and cracking. Those of us who have seen cracked Aluminium welds will recall it is never the weld that cracks; it’s the metal beside the weld that cracks. This is where the soft metal meets the hardened weld.

Manufacturers who weld their Aluminium trailers can only use the softer, less resilient T4 grade Aluminium, and therefore often beef up and increase the welds and also their chassis sections… to make them artificially stiffer and stronger. But this constraint exactly opposes the natural characteristic of Aluminium to bend and flex… and thereby not allowing the material to relieve stress. The only alternative is for the stress to migrate to the weakest area…and that’s the nearest weld…around which cracks will appear. 

For more information, check out this article by our South Australia dealer Andrew van Ryneveld 
https://www.spitfiresa.com.au/why-should-you-be-very-cautious-of-buying-a-welded-aluminium-trailer/

More coming soon