can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

[zuke1]

my idea is to have a buddy cut the tounge right after the bow support piece ( the thing with the crank on it ). then i was going to take the tounge that was cut off and put a piece of square steel ( just abit smaller than the tongue ) and weld it in place , then have a holes in the new recieving end that i could put a pin in....

i know the idea would work, im just wondering if i would lose a lot structual integrity. and if i would be losing any safety features by doing so?

also,, i am wondering if my hull is supposed to rest on the spare tire, or is supposed to rest on the hull cradle thing, and if its supposed to be on the cradle, where can i put my spare so that its not in the way?

i know the pic doesnt show the whole toungue, but you can see right where i want to cut it at, right at the base of the cradle thing...

thanks for the help.
zuke

 

[zuke1]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

o, and the reason i want the toungue shorter is so i can fit it in my garage, and the reason i want to know if the hull is supposed to rest on the tire or not, is because it allways does, and it makes the bow of the boat bounce when im hauling it around......

thanks again
zuke

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

the bow eye is suppose to come up uder the the bow stop (wedge thing). the way it is right now, in a sudden stop, your going the have the bow thru the back window. hope fully the part the winch is on is adjustable and should be raised son the strap goes under the bow stop pad and the bracket. and i don't see any stearn strap. put the spare tire in the trunk of tow vehicle. as far as cutting the tongue, it can be done, but remember the only thing holding the trailer is a bolt, but most tilt trailers and only held by one bolt. they also, make a swing tongue, check with a trailer repair establishment in your area.

 

[willamettejeff]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

Fulton makes a folding tongue add-on accessory for both 3 by 3 and 4 by 3 tongues. I've had one on my boat trailer for a couple of years and it works great. Will give you 20 inches of extra storage. It comes with a simple hitch pin that can be replaced with a locking one that will provide some added security and can also be locked with the tongue folded so it can't be towed away. Believe it or not West Marine has the best price on these. Just do a search for "Fulton swing" on their site.

Doesn't look like you can move the tire forward enough to get it out of the way. May need to get a tire carrier to mount it on. Otherwise tire will wear and leave black marks on bow. Could just get one of those stainless steel bow protectors to put where bow rests on the tire.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

jeff you missed my point about the bow. he's loaded extremely dangerously. one quick stop and he's out a boat, besides injuring himself or someone else.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

Spare tire brackets are available anywhere that bolt to the trailer frame just ahead of either wheel. Some are vertical and some have a slight angle so the tire clears the boat. Swing tongue is the best option. As Tash says, route the winch strap UNDER the bow eye -- not above it. You have nothing holding the bow down. For shame -- I also don't see a safety chain on the bow eye! 30 lashes with a wet noodle for you. d

 

[zuke1]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

here are the straps i use on th back of the boat... is this not enough to keep it from sliding forward??

you can see the one in the pic, but there is two.

also, i looked into the fulton kits, and they seem nice, but i am a little weary of the construction, i think my idea of placeing the square steel inside and using 2 large bolts in line will be much stronger, i think im going to give it a try.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

No, transom straps will not hold the boat from going forward. They are there to keep the boat from bouncing off the trailer.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

If you study your transom straps you will see they angle forward. That means the boat can move forward. They prevent vertical movement provided the bow is secure. Since the bow is not secure, the boat can move forward which creates slack in the stern straps. You now have a loose load that in an emergency manuever can flip the rig. If the straps were angled backward it would indeed prevent forward movement. Fact is, the bow is not secure and with the winch strap routed the way it is the stern straps are actually helping push the boat forward. Obvously you can't have the stern straps angle rearward. To properly secure the rig the bow needs to be anchored by the bow stop, winch strap under it, and the bow eye snugged up under the bow stop. The winch post, winch, and bow stop should all be adjustable to accomplish that. On your rig it appears the winch should be mounted a bit higher so pulls the bow up. That would solve the bouncing on the tire problem.

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

If you will leave the winch stanchion post in place and raise the winch and bow stop bracket up until the roller is just above the bow eye, your spare tire will probably be ok where it is. It looks like the boat needs to be moved back just a little to allow the winch bracket to be raised.

It should look like this.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

This is what Four Winns trailers come with from the factory:

If you have brakes on your trailer, this is the way to go, becasue you just have to add a flex hose in the brake line.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

the engineering on the folding tongue is far greater then the engineering on your idea. not being mean, but you already have an accident waiting to happen, and you're just increasing it. by cutting the tongue. take it to a pro and get it done right. when one of those bolts break who's getting hurt by a wild trailer.

 

[SwampNut]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

i looked into the fulton kits, and they seem nice, but i am a little weary of the construction, i think my idea of placeing the square steel inside and using 2 large bolts in line will be much stronger

Yes, Fulton who has been making trailer parts for decades doesn't know what they are doing, but you sure do. Good thinking. Since you already have a disaster waiting to happen, you might as well add another completely unknown variable to the mix.

 

[aerwin]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

the boat should never be on the tire, black marks, that was prev mentioned and what if the boat hit the rim, you will get a chunk out of the fiberglass, get a tire holder or put it in the tow vehicle

 

[Deimus]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

cut the guy some slack guys . atleast he's asking the pro's before he does anything. how else is he goin to know. we're you born with all yooouuur infinate knowledge? I know I wasn't . (but you are right.)

 

[gewf631]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

zuke
You seem to have received a lot of feedback on this, and as deimus mentioned, some hasn't been the most positive!

What you've proposed, isn't all that much different than the receiver hitch, so it would probably work just fine. Remember that anytime you start using an interference-fit, you could run-into problems caused by dirt and rust buildup. Also, I'd look-into having your "coupler" welded to the tongue, at least then you only have one weak link (the bolts) instead of two.

If it were me, I'd just get that Fulton gadget - $100 isn't that much for piece of mind.

And the others are right - get your post and strap correct before something happens!

 

[Deimus]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

I built on that was simmilaer to what he discribed but for a different purpose. I made a tongue out of 3" receiver tubing on the front of my horse trailer. It was able to extend or retract to adjust the tongue length. this allowed me to 1: adjust the tongue weight to the vehicle. 2: at full extention a guy can jack-knife the trailer in reverse, unhook jack-knife the other way ,rehook and turn the trailer around on a one lane road. 3: I could remove the tongue for security.

One must remember that when you cut that tube and install a piece inside you need to wrap the tube with say half inch strap to prevent the metal from "peeling" back under load. that is why your receiver tube has a strapm around it at the end. this should prevent ant problems. I put double pins on mine for added piece of mind.

I'll take a picture next time I get down to my dads.

 

[zuke1]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

good info ......

i think i will do some more research before i go cutting my tongue off and sleeving it.....
as for moving the bow cradle thing, i noticed that little bolt today, and i think thats where the problem is, so im going to move the whole arm closer to the boat, and slide the cradle closer to the top of the arm so that it wont rub the tire, and the safety feature will be better utilized... i went to the lake yesterday and today, and this is how i am doing it till i make the adjustments...

.... so, does anyone think i should change the way i haul my spare?

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: can i turn my tongue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

Re: can i turn my tongue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

I think you're going to have to, to gain clearance when you move the winch stand closer to the boat or move the boat forward.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: can i turn my toungue into a removable one? and where can i hide the tire?

My trailer has tabs welded on the frame just aft of where the bow eye is. Straps or a chain can be then attatched up to the eye to prevent the boat from moving up or forward.

I would consider buying a vertical mount for the spare tire.