Pontoon scissor trailer - locking pin doesn't align when top rack cranked up

[stout93]

Hello, new to forum.
I have a newer Trophy 24-45 double axle pontoon scissor trailer. I just bought it along with a pontoon last fall. The pontoon was sitting on it all winter and finally got it into the water a few weeks ago. After dropping the boat in the water and in order to store the trailer in my barn, I cranked the top rack up all the way but then I noticed the locking/safety pin that goes through the top rack and the bracket (by the winch) does not align so I can't get the pin through. It was aligned and working when I had the pontoon on the trailer, but now I'm afraid when I take the pontoon out of the water in the fall I will not be able to put the pin through to lock it in the top position to ensure the pontoon/top rack doesn't fail and drop the pontoon on the road...

Any ideas? As you can see in the first picture, the top rack should be at least 1/4 inch if not a full inch higher than it is when it is cranked all the way up. Is there anyway to adjust this? I just can't figure out why it would have been aligned when the pontoon was on it. I talked to the guy that sold it to me and he never had an issue, but who knows???

 

[jhande]

Are you sure something isn't catching and preventing it to go higher?

Can you physically raise the trailer that extra height either by hand or with a jack?

Doesn't make sense to me that a cable winch would just stop at a maxed out limit. I mean it should keep cranking until no more cable can be pulled in from either to much pressure or you run out of cable.

 

[stout93]

Tried raising it by hand and it won't move. Tried sticking the pin in where I could and prying it up, it will move a bit. But I'm thinking once the pontoon is sitting on it, then it ain't moving at all.

 

[jhande]

How about trying this...

Loosen the cable a bit to give it slack. Try lifting the trailer by hand or even a jack. Just don't force the jack when trying to lift the trailer. Look for anything that might be catching or binding. If the jack or by hand can easily line up the holes then you know it has to do with the winch setup. Which I would be surprised since the previous owner said he didn't have any problems with it, unless he never used that feature. Plus the cable itself would not be in the way of lifting it.

I would guess something is catching or binding in the frame work.

 

[briangcc]

I'm thinking there's something in that pocket that locks the frame to the trailer. I'd lower the frame and see if there's anything in there. Weirder things have happened....wife's 4Runner had a black walnut resting on the engine block - darn squirrels.

 

[stout93]

No dice. Just went out and played around with it again. Lowered it all the way down, checked to see if anything was blocking it. When I lowered it and there was slack it still would not budge by hand. Cranked it back up and it aligned to the same spot, still can't get the pin through it. I will try a jack tonight.

 

[briangcc]

It's binding somewhere. Next place I'd check are all the pivot points and how the cable is spooling on the winch.

 

[stout93]

So I cranked it all the way down, and pulled all the cable out and then respooled it by cranking it back up all the while making sure it spooled on correctly row by row. Got to the top and same thing, still not aligned. Checked all the pivot arms and so forth and nothing seems to be amiss.

 

[jhande]

So I cranked it all the way down, and pulled all the cable out and then respooled it by cranking it back up all the while making sure it spooled on correctly row by row. Got to the top and same thing, still not aligned. Checked all the pivot arms and so forth and nothing seems to be amiss.

I would break out the jack, even a cheap bottle jack would suffice.

It's really hard to tell for sure looking at the angle of the photo, but...
Run a straight edge from under the hole for the safety pin back behind the cross frame where you have the pin sitting. The longer the straight edge the better, at least 3 to 4 feet long. Check to make sure there's no gap between the frame and straight edge. Just wondering if maybe that frame piece where the hole is got slightly bent down??

 

[Grub54891]

Is the nose of the pin rod hitting the winch frame? I'd think cutting it a tad shorter would make the thing not line up either. Just my morning thoughts without enough coffee.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Looks like those pivot arms that can be seen have room to move into the proper position. I would put plenty of slack in the cable and do as the others said and gently use a jack. It could be one or two of the bolts holding the pivot bars got super tight, assuming they are bolted, can’t see from photo. If they are bolted you might want to loosen them a bit and try it. Your binding somewhere.

 

[stout93]

So are the pivot arms supposed to be straight up and down? Because you're right, they are not straight up and down, there is an angle to them. And they are bolted onto the rack so I will try to loosen them a bit and take some slack out of the cable and try to jack it up. May not be for a few more days before I get the chance however. Thanks for the suggestions, will respond back whether successful or not.

 

[stout93]

Is the nose of the pin rod hitting the winch frame? I'd think cutting it a tad shorter would make the thing not line up either. Just my morning thoughts without enough coffee.

No, if I crank it all the way up so that it is hitting the winch frame, then I'm way out of alignment (too forward). I have to back it off (crank it down) just a bit to get to the point you see in the first picture in my original post above. So then I am horizontally aligned, but not vertically. If that makes sense.

 

[Grub54891]

No, if I crank it all the way up so that it is hitting the winch frame, then I'm way out of alignment (too forward). I have to back it off (crank it down) just a bit to get to the point you see in the first picture in my original post above. So then I am horizontally aligned, but not vertically. If that makes sense.

Yup. I was just trying to figure it out myself.

 

[jhande]

Read my previous post about using a straight edge.

 

[Grub54891]

Jhande may be right. The top of the oval hole looks to be stressed From someone raising it to high.

 

[stout93]

Read my previous post about using a straight edge.

I did. It actually is bent up slightly rather than bent down so it's actually helping a little with it being bent up.

 

[Grub54891]

I did. It actually is bent up slightly rather than bent down so it's actually helping a little with it being bent up.

Maby it’s supposed to be bent up more?
Edit. Could we suppose the lift arms up front are compromised? If they were slightly longer it would come up higher.

 

[ahicks]

I'm curious what it would look like when loaded. If it looks the same, second the vote to have a look at the front arms and attach points.

 

[stout93]

Just to follow up on this. Here is what I ended up doing.

The bracket that holds the winch on it. That is held to the main lower frame by three C-bolts. I was able to loosen those up and move the bracket about an inch toward the tongue. When it cranks up now, the upper lift arm advances forward enough to allow the locking pin to go through. I just hope I didn't compromise the trailer in any way, which I don't think I did, it was just an inch, if that.

But again, I'm surprised I even had to do this. The trailer and locking pin has been working (for the guy I bought it from) for the past 4 or so years. Just weird that it happened now...