I know that minor adjustments in the position of the winch tower can shift weight between the trailer and the rear of the truck. I've always heard that "Ya got it adjusted bout right when you can pick up the trailer without it wantin' to sit on the prop". Any comments?

Also, I have a trailer for my 16' teeth rattler (flat bottom boat) that I added a three-foot extension onto the tongue. There's not a lot of weight so the engineering calculations for support weren't needed. It makes it a lot easier to put in at a ramp. Given the desire to keep your vehicle away from the salt water I keep thinking that if some is good more is better. How far could you take this with a small boat? A ten-foot extension? A fifteen-foot extension? Any laws that come into play for maximum trailer length?

Tongue weight should be between 7-10% of the total weight of the rig.

Trailer length is a state by state thing I think. If you put a long extension on, be careful that you don't take out your mailbox first time out of the driveway with it. Backing down the ramp will be different too.

Refer to the comment about tongue weight. A CG too far to the rear will probably cause the trailer to move around while underway, not to mention it might want to sit on the prop when unhooked. <_<

Yeah, I got my numbers confused with part of the formula for figuring out the proper balance for an arrow. So many formulas, so few functioning brain cells.

Best bet is to check with the manufacturer and go with their recommendations. Depending on the trailer, # of axles, etc., tongue weight should be 5%-10% of total weight of your boat, trailer, fuel, gear, etc. 7% is a safe number.

Tongue weight should be adjusted by moving the axle(s). Your rig should be set up so that the transom is supported by the trailer. The heavier the boat, and the more weight that the transom carries (weight of outboard), the better chance you have of the boat developing a hook on the bottom at the transom. If this happens, it will have the same effect as running with trim tabs set down a little.

If you decide to adjust the TW with the bow stop, make sure your transom is not hanging over the end of the bunks, or more than an inch or two over the rear keel roller when you are done.

There are several ways to check tongue weight, but IMHO there is only one fool proof way to do it. You are going to need to know the wet weight of your rig all loaded up just like you tow it. Look in the yellow pages under scales. Give them a call and tell them what you want to do. They should tell you when a good time would be do do it. Pull up on the scales till the rear wheels of your tow vehicle are just off of the scale. Make a note of the weight. Next, using the trailer jack, raise the tongue till it just clears the ball. Note the weight again. Lower your trailer back on the hitch and head for the house (because that is where your calculator is). Subtract the connected weight from the unconnected weight you have your tongue weight!

There is a formula that you can use to figure out how much you need to move the axle, and in which direction. I can look them up and post them if y'all need them.

Dan ..

My ref wasn't to your numbers, but rather to adding tongue extensions; as extensions go in, CG moves farther from the hitch ball and tongue weight goes down. 7%-10% is an accepted number for the correct weight, and is what I use.

There are multiple ways to determine the correct tongue weight, but they all involve an accurate weight for the b/m/t. Truck stops are good places to get weighed, but be realistic about what is a "normal" loading. It's amazing what a full fuel tank, loaded cooler, tackle and boxes, and maybe even a full bait well can weigh.

MaryG adding an extension is ok but dont get to carried away more than five or six feet and your looking for some structural concerns with the rig. Why not make it a sliding extension that you can "let out" at the ramp then you don't have to worry about anything except remembering to put the"pin" back in before you put down the road. Also as long as you have 7-10 % tounge weight you should be fine most likely 75-100 lbs for most single axle trailers.
Just put your bath scales under the tounge jack and weigh it.

Hadn't thought of a telescoping tongue. Might have to re-engineer that thing. Excellent suggestion TGattis.

Again, this is for a small boat that doesn't weigh much and only gets trailered a few blocks most of the time. I wouldn't be tryin' this on nuthin' real big and heavy that was trailered all over creation.

2 Wishin, If I were gonna do something like this I would probally go with a short piece of 3" X 1/4 " Square galvanized then put two sets of pin holes at least 1/2" diameter then go with a 2 1/2" x 3/16" square galv
and make it as long as 6-7 ' with different holes for different ramps spaced about 10" apart just be sure to coat the outside of the 2 1/2 with white lithium grease.

6% (the recommended weight for my boat/trailer) would be 436 lb, a little much for my bathroom scale.


I used the method Dan describes. I got my rig weighed at a local recycling center for $5.00.

Rwid,
The boat we are talking about probably weighs in at about 1000 # with gear and fuel. It's also on a single axle trailer the correct tounge weight really is 7-10% . The more weight on the tounge the worse the vehicle towing it rides the more weight on the traileraxle(s) the worse the trailer sways at highway speeds. If your boats 10% portion is over 400# then the boat weighs in at over four grand and the most common single axle boat trailers are only capable (safely) of 3500# capacity in which you have to figure in the weight of the trailer itself. i.e. trailer frame 200#,boat loaded with stuff1800# totals 2000# tounge weight 10% is 200# on a small 16' boat that 10% is gonna put the boat way forward on the trailer to hit 200# or the axle has to be moved more to the rear of the frame.

TGattis,

Correct, the tongue weight for a single axle boat trailer should be more than for a tandem axle trailer. I was just trying to make the point that it should really be weighed accurately and adjusted for the correct tongue weight. And for a small enough boat the bathroom scale will work once the total weight of the boat and trailer is known (one would need to put the scale on a platform so the tongue weight could be determined while the trailer is level).

My boat/trailer weighs 7200 lb with dual axles.

The original post "Ya got it adjusted bout right when you can pick up the trailer without it wantin' to sit on the prop." had me concerned. A little more precision is called for to take this rig on the highway.

Ron, Your right too it had me concerned also most of the time the guys around here don't havew to worry about the hiwy though as there is a ramp right next door or just around the corner. With all the oak trees and spanish moss its kinda nice to tilt the boat way up while its in the yard as the water runs out the back. I think most of the issues of this thread had been worked out though as it was discussed several months back.

Welcome to the boards and thanks for the input.

I had to use the best guess method. Boat was squirrley with the slighlest change in sterring, moved the bow stop 6" forward, now tows much better. Still thinking of moving the axle slightly forward, it appears the rear tires are taking a little more weight than the front, the trailer is as level as it can get.

Dan , you got me thinking about your weighing method. I just purchased a new trailer (dual axle 6,000# NET ). I weighed my boat. 5360 # not hooked up.(full tank of gas) 5120 # with boat hooked up. I figure an xtra 200# for gear. ( Ice, tackle, downriggers, cooler , drinks,anchor, ect.). Thats 5560# - 5120#= roughly 8% TONGUE WT.Correct?.....

Thanks.

I didn't start out in boating to learn about trailers, I just wanted to take my boat to the water and back. But thanks to my dealer .................

The trailer was delivered with the rollers off-center, two different leaks in the brake lines, boat not properly positioned on the trailer (front to back), fenders not centered on the wheels, lights that failed within a few months, and other defects that slip my mind at the present. I've also found the axles not perpendicular to the trailer (I might have done that by hitting a pothole), and the brakes rusted and locked up on the highway so I replaced them.

All this required a lot of research on boating boards and manufacturer's websites. The least I can do is try to pass some of this information on to others.