Ok to shorten trailer's arm?

[Joolz]

As seen in the pics, my boat just barely fits in its space - and that's after carefully angling it. Needless to say this is a major headache given its weight and how I must wrestle with it on gravel, which makes things that much harder. This back-breaking process could be made slightly less arduous if the LOA could be lessened by 10". But before I install the diamond blade to the circular saw and make some sparks I wanted to first inquire with the experts, seeing how once this step is taken, there's no going back.

Am I safe to chop off 10" from the trailer's arm? Should still be plenty of clearance for the TV. As a sidenote my last boat was about 10" shorter and it functioned just fine during towing, launching, etc.

And since you're all eager to suggest I install a swing arm instead: I bought one but ended up returning it. Too damn heavy and I'm already struggling with too much tongue weight. Moving the boat ahead on the trailer by 10" could work if it wasn't for the aforementioned issue with tongue weight. So it leaves shortening the arm the easiest option. Do I have a green light?

 

[jimmbo]

With no brakes it just a matter of removing coupler, cutting, and drilling new hole for the bolts. If the bolts pass through the tube there might be spacers on the bolts inside the tube, to prevent collapsing. A shorter tongue will be heavier on the hitch too.

 

[GA_Boater]

All the moving around to reduce tongue weight was for naught if you shorten the tongue.

Is the outboard tilted when parking?

A swing away kit would be a better choice in my opinion. A heavier ball weight is better for towing as long as it doesn't exceed the rating.

Green light? Why do you have to have our approval?

 

[Joolz]

Green light? Why do you have to have our approval?

Hehehe cause this way if I screw up I just tell the wife you folks told me to do so (thus minimizing the earful) :embarassed:

And also cause I hadn't realized that shortening the tongue (which I mistook for an arm) increased tongue weight. See why it's always good to ask. Hmm, that sucks. It seems I can't take a step forward without being pushed back two.

Or am I better off just moving the boat ahead on the trailer 10 inches or so? Sure seems a lot easier than cutting the tongue.
Oh and another reason I ask questions: IT'S FREE!!

 

[GA_Boater]

You have a bolt on coupler. You can take if off and cut a couple of inches off which won't make that much difference in tongue weight and bolt the coupler back on.

But I think the back end of the trailer needs to be taken care of first because it's in danger of collapsing on you.

 

[jimmbo]

If you move the boat forward, you would want to move the bunks forward as well, some trailer are designed for that, by allowing the crossmembers and therefore the bunks to move, Of you place the boat too forward on the bunks the forward part of the hull be supported.

My Trailer came from the Manufacturer set up for a boat couple of feet longer than mine, I ordered the longest version that capacity of trailer, plus added the Swing Tongue. It was a very long configuration, towed nice, and was easy to back up

 

[Joolz]

Thanks for the side-by-side pics. Looks like you too shortened yours by 10". It makes sense to move the bunks ahead (it never even occurred to me that this was possible). Haven't looked at mine to see whether that's an option.

Had it not be for the tongue weight concerns this would be a preferred method since it doesn't cause irreparable damage to the trailer. But moving the boat 10" or so past the axel is sure to increase tongue weight. Way more than it would by shortening the tongue.

Took a closer look at the tongue. I plan to remove the entire piece and cut the back end (where it attaches to the trailer). This means I'd only have to drill 3 holes instead of 6. It would also be a good chance to paint the tongue and the stopper tower thingy.

Edit: what's with the boarded up school? You guys expecting a hurricane? Oh wait, you're in Alberta - we don't have these here.

 

[jimmbo]

Summer Break, that school is still open. I went to it in 1967 - 1971. That pic was taken in July 2012, the first was July 2002.

In the 1st pic, the Trailer had a Spring Axle. In 2005 while EZloader was replacing the Axle for a defect, I upgraded it to a Torsion Axle, Cost was $225(can) but I also got all new brakes too so I felt it was a very good deal.

 

[four winns 214]

I asked the same question right here about 10 years ago concerning my Four Winns deckboat trailer. It’s tongue seemed needlessly long. The advice back then: Don’t do it. The shortened tongue will place the tow vehicle’s wheels much closer to or in the water during launch. They were right.

 

[KD4UPL]

I'd slide the boat forward before I cut the tongue. I slid mine up about 6" because I wanted more tongue weight. I'm thinking of moving it a bit more.
If you move your winch post closer to the tow vehicle can you still open your rear hatch? Is that even an issue?
No matter what you do to shorten the length you will be placing the boat closer to the tow vehicle. This will increase tongue weight, no way around it. If the tongue weight is an issue it sounds like your tow vehicle isn't up to the task and should be modified or changed rather than your trailer.

 

[Scott Danforth]

get a swing-tongue kit

 

[Joolz]

If you move your winch post closer to the tow vehicle can you still open your rear hatch?

And that right there is the reason for asking first. This isn't something I had considered and thanks for bringing it up. We have two TVs, the one in the pic should work fine but the minivan will need to be measured. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Again, always ask. It's free and smart folks bring up issues you hadn't thought of.

The shortened tongue will place the tow vehicle’s wheels much closer to or in the water during launch.

Sorry but I fail to see how this is any different than moving the boat ahead. In both cases you'd still need to move the rig further into the lake in order for the back of the boat to float. As per my calculations 10" closer to the lake equates to rear tires being around 2.5" deeper in water.

However that is a valid point. I do appreciate how the new rig means I can climb out of the driver's seat onto a dry ramp, where the old boat (that had a shorter tongue) meant climbing into the water. This too is something I hadn't given much thought to.

It all points to having a swing tongue to make the most sense. I'm paying a visit to Princess Auto to see if I can still find the kit I returned last fall. Just hope I can still get it for the sale price, can$88 was a great deal. I don't recall if it was bolt-on or weld. I'm sticking to bolt on.

 

[Joolz]

Solved!
Just brought home the Fulton fold-away hinge. Wouldn't have done this had it not been for all the input from the fine folks here. You guys made me realize that this really is the best solution. Should have gone with my instincts and not returned it a week after purchasing it last fall. Especially since it was on sale. Store gave me a sweet discount, given my dilemma, so it ended up only costing me $25 extra. Which is still well below what BassPro and other local stores want for it (double what I paid, actually).

Anyone in Canada please take note that the best place to buy this is at Princess Auto. However no one there knows what a swing-tongue/foldaway hinge is. Here's their sku number for future reference: SKU 8476459.

Now going to remove the entire tongue/tube to make it easier to cut and drill all 18 holes and then paint. Yes, also bought a set of drill bits for the job. Good thing I already have a diamond blade. Kids will love the fire show.
Thanks everyone for the assistance with my query.

 

[jimmbo]

Just make sure the Wiring Harness for the lights isn't harmed when you cut, and that there is enough slack to allow the Tongue to pivot

I just realized you're about 300km south of me

 

[Joolz]

Good tip on the wiring. I do plan to remove the tongue entirely but will ensure it has enough in order to make up for the bend.

I started to move things out of the way in order to access the tongue when a huge thunderstorm kept me at bay. Really keen to get started on this but wifey talked out of it for the time being. This afternoon I found that the issue I'm having with the trailer (see other post 'is my trailer compromised') may be more serious then I first realized. Found that not only is the damaged frame sagging, it's also pivoting to the side (where the hack weld job is). So the plan now is to address that first. Just in case the trailer turns out to be too big a job to fix and we end up buying a different one, it'd be wise not to add the hardware to the tongue. So all else is put on hold till I can finally unload the trailer at the lake and take a closer look at the frame without a load. Trying to jack up the boat didn't go very well. Hoping to finally take the boat out next week. Yes, will be driving carefully while avoiding potholes.

PS: is using a diamond blade on a circular saw a good bet for cutting a 3x3 tube? Or am I better off with a hacksaw? Never cut something this thick before.

 

[jimmbo]

If you are worried about the integrity of the trailer, I would suggest not towing it loaded, meaning no lake trip. Just consider your Liabilities if it were to fail... Maybe clamping a piece of angle Iron with a couple of Square U-bolts fore and aft of the weak area would give it some added integrity? But there is still the Liability issue. The boat would have come off for any repair any way. Any Idea how much it weighs?

 

[Joolz]

I took the boat to a highway scale shortly after getting it and it clocked at 1130kg (with half full gas tank). As for traveling with it I'm not too concerned as the framing appears well designed where the load is spread around nicely.

This weld was so poorly done that it broke loose a while back, you can tell it's been like this for some time. And I picked this rig just north of you last fall and drove it home in heavy rain without any issues. So a quick hop to the lake 70km away isn't likely to turn into a disaster. But one thing is for sure, I'm not happy with this and it needs to be addressed immediately, if anything for my peace of mind. Was even looking at renting a 2 ton engine hoist in order to lift the boat off the trailer. These are only $20/day but honestly I have no idea if this can even be used to lift a boat. I see a couple of places in the engine that I could attach a hook to but no idea if it's even a possibility. Jacking up the boat from under the transom didn't work very well either. Hope that someone can let me know if using an engine hoist to be doable as I'd much prefer to address the damage at home instead of driving that distance to unload the boat at the lake, drive back home and hope to get it all done before it gets dark (wouldn't want to leave the boat there overnight). And hoping that someone doesn't steal the boat while docked for the day.

 

[jimmbo]

How much deadrise does the Hull have at the Stern? Deep Vee, Shallow Vee, Flat Bottom?

 

[Joolz]

Don't enjoy being smacked around, therefore Deep V it is. Not sure how to measure the deadrise. Are you trying to answer whether this boat can be lifted with a portable engine hoist?

 

[jimmbo]

I was asking, so as to ascertain if the hull could be placed on the ground, placed on blocks, or Dollies/Cradles after removal from the trailer. At boat shows I helped drag boats off the trailers onto Dollies/Cradles, they were Deep Vees, and often needed touchups to the Gelcoat.