outboard vrs inboard

circle hook

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Dec 6, 2007
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271
I have a 24 foot gradywhite offshore with a 225HP outboard and 27 Foot Venture trailer, and rated at 7,100 Lbs. and torsion supension not leaf springs. my plans are to buy a 25Foot Gradywhite Wahoo with a diesl and an inboard will the propeller & rudder clear the bottom of the trailer or do you need a special trailer for inboards Thanks Bob
 

smokeonthewater

Fleet Admiral
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Dec 3, 2009
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9,838
Re: outboard vrs inboard

99% of the time you'll need a new trailer.... very few i/o's and outboards are setting on an inboard friendly trailer
 

circle hook

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Dec 6, 2007
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271
Re: outboard vrs inboard

Is there a name for these inboard trailers, or can you remove the rollers & replace with taller bunkers, or would it be to much hight to build up for the clearance needed Thanks Bob
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
15,414
Re: outboard vrs inboard

Completley different trailer. It would cost more to convert than buy new.

Check the trailer out very well. Torsion trailers are not all they are made out to be
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
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Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
Re: outboard vrs inboard

OK -- you asked. If you are not a whiz at physics this may be a bit confusing. What I have to say however does NOT apply to a single axle torsion suspension. Tandem and tri-axle torsion suspensions have each wheel independently sprung and as long as the terrain you are traveling is flat you have no issues. However, enter any parking lot or service station with even a reasonably sharp curb rise and this is where things begin to happen. If you were able to drive straight in -- the front of the truck goes up as it hits the rise. The back of the truck goes down as does the trailer tongue. This unloads the back axle and loads the front axle by the same amount. As the back of the truck hits the rise it goes up as does the tongue of the trailer. This unloads the front axle and loads the back axle. Since most trailers have tires with load ratings that are pretty close to the maximum load for the trailer, this means the tires and the axles themselves can be overloaded (buy a bunch in some cases) in situations like I just described. One more example is dropping one wheel in a hole. The suspension drops on that wheel which forces the other three wheels to take that lost load carrying capacity. I have seen time and time again where a trailer makes a turn at an intersection where the road quickly goes uphill or downhill and wheels on one axle come completely off the ground. That forces the entire load onto the axle that is on the ground again creating an overload situation. How serious an issue this is for you is whether or not you recognize the potential and work around it. Ignore it and you can have serious consequences. Tandem and tri-axle trailers with leaf spring suspensions have walking beames that allow the wheels to step up or down without unloading/loading other axles since there is a pivot point where the suspension attaches to the trailer.
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
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Nov 20, 2001
Messages
15,414
Re: outboard vrs inboard

Why do you say that?

Corrosion issues inside the axle can't be seen until it fails

The "spring" is an elastomer with a limited life. Over time, the elastomer will gradually harden and crack which requires an axle replacement. I have torsion axles on the horse trailer. The trailer is 10 years old and the dampers in the axle have been shot for a while. I have to change out the axles at $600 each

Torsion axles don't load share in multiple axle configurations. This means as a trailer must be perfectly level or one axle takes far more of the load than the other which results in overloading of the axle and excessive tire wear on the trailing axle.
 

mommicked

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Dec 15, 2009
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1,700
Re: outboard vrs inboard

Whatever was wrong w springs and shackles in the first place? Why do they make torsion axles?Because leaf springs are cheap to replace?Are rubber ones better than springs in any way?Softer ride is all I can imagine,until you hit a pothole!I figured it out,the axle can be lower than the hubs w torsion.
 

H20Rat

Vice Admiral
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
5,199
Re: outboard vrs inboard

Whatever was wrong w springs and shackles in the first place? Why do they make torsion axles?Because leaf springs are cheap to replace?Are rubber ones better than springs in any way?Softer ride is all I can imagine,until you hit a pothole!I figured it out,the axle can be lower than the hubs w torsion.

speaking terms of non-marine single axle trailers, there is no comparison. torsion axles ride 100x times better. Personally, I have 6 trailers that have leaf springs, and 2 trailers with torsion. (all very similar trailers, all under 2000 pounds capacity) The two torsion trailers (snowmobile, popup camper) pull vastly better, don't jerk the vehicle around, are quieter, and the ride going over a rough road is as good as the vehicle pulling it.

As far as age, my popup is 17 years old, the snowmobile trailer is 10 years. Neither one has had ANY work done to the axle. Leaf springs on the other hand... I do preventative maintenance on at least one trailer every year.

And yes, torsion axles do allow for a lower ride height, which is why probably 100% of all tandom tilt snowmobile trailers are torsion.
 

mommicked

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Dec 15, 2009
Messages
1,700
Re: outboard vrs inboard

Thanks,Smokingcrater, I really was curious.The first time I saw them under a heavy boat I thought WTF?Do they eat tires faster than springs if you turn tightly alot?
 
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