Outdrive Support

[davemoore]

So, what is the real story on supporting and immobilizing my outdrive while towing?

I've read several different opinions on this ... are those ram-clips really necessary?

Should the drive be tied off so it doesn't swing back and forth on the road?

Any thoughts?

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Outdrive Support

They are all a safety measure if the trim hydaulic system failed. The trim ram clips, the old safety-hools for the pre-alphas, etc were just a fail safe. The weight of holding up the outdrive is negligible in relation to the trim hydraulics. I can lift and hold the outdrive in the full up position with one hand for probably 30 seconds or so. That minor amount of weight shouldn't stress the trim rams in the least.

As far as the steering sway is concerned, I've never seen anyone use an apparatus that would stop it, and you don't see/hear about many steering components breaking because of a little bit of side load from hauling on a trailer . . . don't worry about it.

For what it's worth, I used the top-hook on my outdrive for 15 years until the metal loop broke on my pre-alpha. I now use trailering clips just for safety, and they were a total of $20. Cheap price for peace of mind, but in all the years we've had the boat it's never saved the unit from hitting the ground since we've never had a trim system failure.