Power loading on to trailers - Pay the price!

[roscoe]

Re: Power loading on to trailers - Pay the price!

In 2' of water are your bunks even wet yet?

I'm of the opinion that if the ramp is built for it no harm no foul. Yet here in Wisconsin many of the ramps on these natural lakes are very short. Another popular one here are ramps that are made with concrete shaped like railroad ties. I grew up using gravel ramps and still do today which is why I have a tilt trailer with rollers. Just out of habit even when I'm at deeper concrete ramps I still load the same way. And yes it s-cks when you have to go into the water when there is skim ice.

Mine are.
They are only 19.5 inches above the ground. I've been thinking about lowering them another 2 inches just to get that lowrider look.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Power loading on to trailers - Pay the price!

The guys that say that they can retrieve their boats without getting their axles wet are the big offenders.

that's me. but the only motor I use is the power winch. The OB is off and raised even before the trailer is backed down.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: retreive your trailer after falling off ramp end

Re: retreive your trailer after falling off ramp end

What's pathetic? Trailstar (says the guy with a Trailstar trailer under his barge), or their launching and loading instructions? I didn't see anything in there that instructs boaters to rev the engine to 5k RPMs and ram the bow into the bow stop. Unless I missed something egregious their suggestions sounded pretty reasonable to me.

the instructions, and the sub-standard trailer they go to (not the guy who posted). they require power loading (and running up the trailer at low speeds is still power loading.) They have a defective winch that isn't a winch. A guy could be sold a faulty rig like that, go to his home-town ramp with his new boat, and find he can't get it in or out the water.

loading at idle is power loading, leaving the boat in gear while tying off is extended power loading. Gunning it is worse than idling, but it's still power loading.

NavyJr, you don't need to drive on to a roller tilt trailer. You are power loading to do it. Set the bow like you said and winch it all the way up. You start with the cable/strap at the end of the trailer. the person in the boat hooks it on. the person at the winch (whose feet are dry BTW) winches it tight while you hold position. You get out or go to the stern.

To get out you get on the pier next to the ramp. stand by with a boat hook and stern line on the pier-side cleat to straighten as needed. Or you walk up the board catwalk you installed on the trailer. Your feet stay dry, too. It's not a long walk b/c your trialer isn't so far back.

The bow line should be tied off, or held for a small boat, until the safety chain is hooked. I usually tie it to the winch stand to tighten the boat.

OK maybe this is crazy and my dad made it all up 55 years ago and tricked everyone on the east coast into doing it that way.

"For the boats I see and the ramps I use, I view powerloading as cheating and lazy combined with didn't pay attention in class. May not be the case everywhere on Earth but at the dozens of ramps I use, it is I believe"
Amen!

 

[flycaster]

Re: Power loading on to trailers - Pay the price!

I feel like boating/trailering highlights how many of society are really operating a couple cylinders short. For the boats I see and the ramps I use, I view powerloading as cheating and lazy combined with didn't pay attention in class. May not be the case everywhere on Earth but at the dozens of ramps I use, it is I believe. Regardless, I see the powerloaders and the big holes but I have a secret weapon. My roller trailer provides so many benefits and among them is that I never need to back it in enough to deal with the consequenses of powerloaders. I was at Lake Mille Lacs this week which is one of our really large lakes and the ramp had the worst power loading hole I have seen to date. I saw it when I got out to assess the ramp condition but know I'm immune to its dangers. A well set up roller trailer is like when you need a second spare trailer tire after you just used the first one and actually have one with you.

I hope that you don't get over confident. That scour hole has its consequences in that all of that fill that was removed has piled up just beyond the hole and is awaiting for you to back up into it, bearing your unprotected prop. The pile may be as tall as the hole is deep.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: retreive your trailer after falling off ramp end

Re: retreive your trailer after falling off ramp end

the instructions, and the sub-standard trailer they go to (not the guy who posted). they require power loading (and running up the trailer at low speeds is still power loading.)

FWIW - the Karavan trailer manual describes both winch loading and "drive on loading"

Our loading procedure is pretty simple

I back the trailer in until there are 6-8" of bunk sticking out of the water

Wife drives the boat towards the trailer at idle speed or a little faster if it is rough and takes it out of gear right before she gets to the back of the trailer.

It runs up the bunks

I hook up the strap and crank it the last 2-3 feet (passengers walk to the back of the boat to make my life easier)
Pull boat out of water

Pretty quick operation, much better than when I used to do it all myself - Old procedure was basically the same but required me to run back to the tie up dock to get the boat and then climb out the front of the boat onto the trailer to hook and crank.

Not sure why it took so many years to get my wife confident enough to put the boat on the trailer - she has always been an excellent tow driver on the lake.

 

[dingbat]

Re: retreive your trailer after falling off ramp end

Re: retreive your trailer after falling off ramp end

To get out you get on the pier next to the ramp. stand by with a boat hook and stern line on the pier-side cleat to straighten as needed. Or you walk up the board catwalk you installed on the trailer. Your feet stay dry, too. It's not a long walk b/c your trialer isn't so far back.

OK maybe this is crazy and my dad made it all up 55 years ago and tricked everyone on the east coast into doing it that way.

Sounds like you've never fished out of Kiptopeake in December. No pier. Ice on the ?catwalk, 100 boats waiting to load behind you and it?s getting dark fast. "Power loading" is the norm, even with roller trailers so obviously your dad didn?t have the same effect on everyone on the east coast.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: retreive your trailer after falling off ramp end

Re: retreive your trailer after falling off ramp end

no one has yet convinced me that powerloading is a necessity - EVER. especially when half the time they are at 3/4 throttle to get the boat that last 2' and just tore up the ramp.

especially when it takes me a whole 2 minutes to walk my boat from the back of the dock to my trailer, and winch it the last 5' to the bow stop as a solo retrieve. During the season where there are no docks, there are hip boots. pull the boat near shore, jump in, wade to shore get truck, and walk the boat up the trailer, then winch the last 5'

ok, so by powerloading someone saved a whole 90 seconds, tore up the ramp which now takes a pile of tax dollars to repair and just pissed off those that understand the damage that was done by prop wash or jet wash.

 

[mrdancer]

Re: Power loading on to trailers - Pay the price!

I had a trailer fall off the end of a ramp once. Here's how we got it out.
1) Tied a rope from the trailer tongue to a 2nd tow vehicle.
2) Unhooked the trailer from the primary tow vehicle.
3) Pulled the trailer sideways/angled with the rope/tow vehicle.
4) The angle allowed one wheel of the trailer to climb the ramp edge, which provided clearance for the second wheel.
YMMV, depending on your trailer design.

BTW, there is only one natural lake in Texas.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: retreive your trailer after falling off ramp end

Re: retreive your trailer after falling off ramp end

INCOOP,

I would guess, the large warning that says not to use the winch as a winch! HAHA wow - my wonderful 'boat holder' on my trailstar must really be working hard for a living

I suppose if my wife can crank it our boat up the last foot or two ...it isn't stressing it past its limits! haha

Must be using inferior winches and straps on those trailers. Winch mine up all the time and many time when finished the skeg wont even touch the water while the engine is down.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Power loading on to trailers - Pay the price!

The guys that say that they can retrieve their boats without getting their axles wet are the big offenders.

Want to come over and see how it's done? I do it all the time because I have to. And just so you know the engine is always off and in the full up position so you'd better rethink your comment! How can that be you ask, easy with a fullroller tilt trailer!

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Power loading on to trailers - Pay the price!

Mine are.
They are only 19.5 inches above the ground. I've been thinking about lowering them another 2 inches just to get that lowrider look.

Yes roscoe I know. And you'd pull your boat on skateboards if you could get away with it.

How's the water level up your way? We're down about a 15".

 

[bonz_d]

Re: retreive your trailer after falling off ramp end

Re: retreive your trailer after falling off ramp end

Sounds like you've never fished out of Kiptopeake in December. No pier. Ice on the “catwalk, 100 boats waiting to load behind you and it’s getting dark fast. "Power loading" is the norm, even with roller trailers so obviously your dad didn’t have the same effect on everyone on the east coast.

No, but I've fished Wisconsin in December with no piers and skim ice on the water and have still never power loaded!

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Power loading on to trailers - Pay the price!

Boy oh boy, go to sleep for a few hrs. and then go to work and look at all the fun I missed!

I just hope we get some rain soon before we run out of water so we can even think about boating.

 

[Rancherlee]

Re: Power loading on to trailers - Pay the price!

I had a trailer fall off the end of a ramp once. Here's how we got it out.
1) Tied a rope from the trailer tongue to a 2nd tow vehicle.
2) Unhooked the trailer from the primary tow vehicle.
3) Pulled the trailer sideways/angled with the rope/tow vehicle.
4) The angle allowed one wheel of the trailer to climb the ramp edge, which provided clearance for the second wheel.
YMMV, depending on your trailer design.

BTW, there is only one natural lake in Texas.

sounds like a good plan! Both times I had to go swimming, hook up a pair of ratchet straps to the front of my pontoon, and slowly work the ratchet straps to "float" the trailer up enough. Glad it was my pontoon both times, I don't think my 16' Lund would have had enough floatation to do it.

I had one power loader, that I told off, claim that its "too hard" to winch up a boat at a shallow landing. I MADE him stay there and WATCH me load. I backed my pontoon trailer so the rear of the bunks just got wet, pulled out 20' of strap, and drug the pontoon the full length of the carpet with him watching........... If I can winch up a 1800# pontoon on carpet he sure as heck can winch up a 16' aluminum boat.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Power loading on to trailers - Pay the price!

Every boat trailer I've ever seen has a winch.

Let me know when you can winch a Sea RaY 268 up onto a trailer, even a roller trailer, all by yourself.

Fact is, power loading can be done without destrying the ends of ramps. And if it does, well then the ramp was too short to begin with.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Power loading on to trailers - Pay the price!

I had one power loader, that I told off, claim that its "too hard" to winch up a boat at a shallow landing. I MADE him stay there and WATCH me load. I backed my pontoon trailer so the rear of the bunks just got wet, pulled out 20' of strap, and drug the pontoon the full length of the carpet with him watching........... If I can winch up a 1800# pontoon on carpet he sure as heck can winch up a 16' aluminum boat.

And the whole time he was just standing there thinking "I'm glad I never have to do that"!

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Power loading on to trailers - Pay the price!

Fact is, power loading can be done without destrying the ends of ramps. And if it does, well then the ramp was too short to begin with.

Sorry Admiral but if the ramp was too short to begin with then you shouldn't be using it!

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Power loading on to trailers - Pay the price!

Want to come over and see how it's done? I do it all the time because I have to. And just so you know the engine is always off and in the full up position so you'd better rethink your comment! How can that be you ask, easy with a fullroller tilt trailer!

I don't think we are talking about little 14' 35Hp aluminum fishing boats here that you can practically lift onto a trailer. We are talking about real boats!

 

[04fxdwgi]

Re: Power loading on to trailers - Pay the price!

Wow.... Folks sure are passionate on either side of this subject. Truth is, my 2550 Chap is a tad big to be winching up any type of incline, so I frequent ramps that are concrete and extend out consideably further than my bunk trailer needs. I back in as far as I need to, LIGHTLY power on, then happily get my feet wet to attach the winch and crank her in tight and pull her out to the staging area and finish what I need to. Takes 5 minutes and I'm done, plus no harm, no foul.

If one needs to power on, go to a ramp that will accomidate it and is OK to do so. If boat is too big to winch up, don't go to ramps that are too short or are illegal to power on at. A tad of common sense goes a long way in deciding where to launch and where not to.

 

[BoatDrinksQ5]

Re: retreive your trailer after falling off ramp end

Re: retreive your trailer after falling off ramp end

Must be using inferior winches and straps on those trailers. Winch mine up all the time and many time when finished the skeg wont even touch the water while the engine is down.

Yeah a 20'ft boat with bunks is slightly different... but yea I was used to hand launching and cranking a 14' my whole life with procedure described by HomeCookin (snap on at end of trailer then crank) but mainly due to the small 5" center roller as the guide on...and a tilt trailer...

Everything on the trailer seems constructed well and of good materials (fulton jack, high quality roller stop, nicest winch i have used(not saying much)) only downfall is incandescent bulbs.

But I think it is a catchall/liability issue for them - because i have cranked it up plenty easy and it hasn't seemed to be under much stress at all! Why not put it in there...then you are definitely not liable for any overloaded boat crankup/snap/clickerfail/strapfail/user operation issue --- LAWSUIT (we are in America afterall...:facepalm

The "engine on" = power loading misses the point completely. A fully trimmed up motor at fast idle or slightly more at 95% of ramps in civilized areas or lakes WITH water in them.... should have minimal/no impact!

If you are launching a 24' boat in a puddle....yes, you are going to have problems. But typical launches are 5-9' depth near the rear of a boat...trimmed up with a floating stern...