Launching and loading using my scissor pontoon trailer

[captmello]

Hi guys, just picked up a new to me pontoon (listed in my signature).

It came with a pretty nice scissor type, double axle trailer. I plan on trailering fairly often and despite what I've read on this forum am not afraid to use the scissor trailer.
the previous owner explained how he did it, but he slipped the pontoon and only had to launch and load once a year.

The trailer has a winch that cranks up the upper frame of the trailer but nothing to winch on the boat itself. the previous owner said he would simply lower the upper frame about halfway, run the boat up to the stops on the front of the upper frame and winch up the upper frame, thus lifting the boat up out of the water. He would then strap the boat to the trailer and call it good. I'm not sure this is the most efficient way, but then again I'm new to this type of trailer. I like the idea of a trailer that lowers because I'll often be launching at shallow landings and think I can take advantage of the scissor type trailer.

What advice can you guys offer as far as making my job as efficient, safe, and easy, when launching and loading my 'toon?

Thanks!!

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Launching and loading using my scissor pontoon trailer

ok to be completely honest I didn't even know about scissor lifts for pontoons until this week but this video may help you out some

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCX1zbdQvbE

Good luck, looks like a cool trailer!!

Edit to add, in the video you see the guy put his hand on the winch to use as a support......don't do that EVER

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Launching and loading using my scissor pontoon trailer

The reason most scissor lift trailers don't have a winch is that the pontoon has no way to slide on the bunks. Its aluminum directly on steel or wood bunk, not going to slide much...

So on my pontoon, I added a set of rollers that normally would be on the keel of a boat trailer, but they are on the front of the pontoon tucked up under the edge. (not even visible normally) To load, I don't even have to get the trailer tires wet. As long as the end of the trailer bunk is touching the water, I can just drive up on the trailer, much like a boat does. The back of the pontoon doesn't need rollers, as it is still floating as you pull it out. It just settles down onto the bunks.

This also means I don't have to screw around with raising/lowering the trailer. But that does mean I also need to winch it, much like a conventional boat. (If I back in deeper, no need to winch, but its far easier to load a 26' pontoon in a side wind using my method.)

scissor trailers are nice, I would personally never own a pontoon bunk trailer. If I traveled a lot with the pontoon behind, I might have a different story, but at best, my pontoon travels about 50 miles twice a season, the rest of the time, the ramp is a couple blocks away.

 

[captmello]

Re: Launching and loading using my scissor pontoon trailer

The reason most scissor lift trailers don't have a winch is that the pontoon has no way to slide on the bunks. Its aluminum directly on steel or wood bunk, not going to slide much...

So on my pontoon, I added a set of rollers that normally would be on the keel of a boat trailer, but they are on the front of the pontoon tucked up under the edge. (not even visible normally) To load, I don't even have to get the trailer tires wet. As long as the end of the trailer bunk is touching the water, I can just drive up on the trailer, much like a boat does. The back of the pontoon doesn't need rollers, as it is still floating as you pull it out. It just settles down onto the bunks.

This also means I don't have to screw around with raising/lowering the trailer. But that does mean I also need to winch it, much like a conventional boat. (If I back in deeper, no need to winch, but its far easier to load a 26' pontoon in a side wind using my method.)

scissor trailers are nice, I would personally never own a pontoon bunk trailer. If I traveled a lot with the pontoon behind, I might have a different story, but at best, my pontoon travels about 50 miles twice a season, the rest of the time, the ramp is a couple blocks away.

I like this method. but doesn't having the rollers on the front cause stress on front end of the pontoon since is up a bit higher than the rest of the cross bracing under the deck if the rollers are sitting on the trailer and not the front cross member?

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Launching and loading using my scissor pontoon trailer

I like this method. but doesn't having the rollers on the front cause stress on front end of the pontoon since is up a bit higher than the rest of the cross bracing under the deck if the rollers are sitting on the trailer and not the front cross member?

It hasn't so far. Keep in mind they don't need to be much higher than the surrounding metal framework, as the pontoon is coming in at an angle, only the rollers are touching until it is on dry land.

This particular pontoon has had this setup on it for 10 years, and my dad has been using the exact same method for more years than I can count, on about a dozen pontoons. No problems yet...

What you could also do is mount several, maybe 4 or 5, per side on the framework, and more or less make it into a full roller trailer, except the rollers are on the pontoon. Once you do this, you absolutely need a safety chain & winch, it could roll off fairly easily otherwise!

 

[captmello]

Re: Launching and loading using my scissor pontoon trailer

It hasn't so far. Keep in mind they don't need to be much higher than the surrounding metal framework, as the pontoon is coming in at an angle, only the rollers are touching until it is on dry land.

This particular pontoon has had this setup on it for 10 years, and my dad has been using the exact same method for more years than I can count, on about a dozen pontoons. No problems yet...

What you could also do is mount several, maybe 4 or 5, per side on the framework, and more or less make it into a full roller trailer, except the rollers are on the pontoon. Once you do this, you absolutely need a safety chain & winch, it could roll off fairly easily otherwise!

thanks for the reply. Now you've really got my wheels turning. the trailer already has roller guides on the sides to guide the toons around the trailer, with multiple rollers under the toon, it would work great. The landings we have around here really can vary so having a versatile trailer/roller setup could be a bonus.

The other bonus I see with the multiple rollers, is that I've been trying to think of a way to get the Toon up on shore at the Inlaws cabin which is on a large body of water and you can't leave a boat overnight tied to the dock.
I could fabricate something fairly simple out of wood that the rollers under the pontoon could roll on right up on shore!!! The more I think about it, the more it makes sense.

Thanks again for the input and Happy Spring!!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Launching and loading using my scissor pontoon trailer

Better rethink the rollers under the pontoon on shore. You will definitely bend the bottoms of the pontoons.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Launching and loading using my scissor pontoon trailer

Better rethink the rollers under the pontoon on shore. You will definitely bend the bottoms of the pontoons.

Correct, the rollers i'm talking about are under the framework. Mounting rollers to the toons themselves would be a bad idea.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Launching and loading using my scissor pontoon trailer

It hasn't so far. Keep in mind they don't need to be much higher than the surrounding metal framework, as the pontoon is coming in at an angle, only the rollers are touching until it is on dry land.

What you could also do is mount several, maybe 4 or 5, per side on the framework, and more or less make it into a full roller trailer, except the rollers are on the pontoon. Once you do this, you absolutely need a safety chain & winch, it could roll off fairly easily otherwise!

You could also have a notch or cupped spot on the bunks where the very first roller is to be when pontoon is fully on trailer.
Thus allowing all cross members to be resting on the bunks.

 

[captmello]

Re: Launching and loading using my scissor pontoon trailer

Sorry guys. What I meant was that if I had full sets of rollers mounted up under the deck on the cross members, they could also be used to roll onto a framework that I could easily build (being a carpenter type) out of wood. The toons would simply hang on each side of the structure 3 inches off the ground.

I'd mount the rollers under every other crossmember and winch the boat onto my trailer or onto my shore track system. Just a winch at the end of the tracks would be the only moving part besides the rollers already mounted underneath.

How 'bout that?

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Launching and loading using my scissor pontoon trailer

Depending on your launch, you may find that you don't need to muck with the sissor at all - just drive it on. You don't really need much water depth at all. We load/launch my dads 21 foot in 3 feet of water without lowering the trailer deck.

 

[captmello]

Re: Launching and loading using my scissor pontoon trailer

Depending on your launch, you may find that you don't need to muck with the sissor at all - just drive it on. You don't really need much water depth at all. We load/launch my dads 21 foot in 3 feet of water without lowering the trailer deck.

Ya, thats good to know. I'm going to go practice once the lakes soften up. I'm seriously thinking about adding the rollers to make loading the boat easier and storing in off shore at the IL's cabin on a homemade track.

Its a 2fer, IMO.

 

[Bunk47]

Re: Launching and loading using my scissor pontoon trailer

I had the same type of rig as in the video for several yrs. Most of the time I only had to back in about a foot or 2 more than the video showed & the pontoon would float off the trailer just like a regular boat without using the winch at all.