Reducing weight on tow ball for non-adjustable boat trailer

[Capt'n Caution]

The actual weight on the towing ball is 125 lb. The boat and motor and galvanized trailer, all brand new, now gross at 600 lb. The trailer max gvw is 1500 lb. I have the 15' alu jon transom an inch forward of the bunk rear ends. I cut 3' off the tongue to save 30 lb. I do not want to install stronger bunks and push the boat further back. The spring hangars are welded to the frame and then all is hot dipped galvanized. The 10 hp motor weighs about 80 lb. less that the weight of the 25 hp motor allowed on this boat. Any gear will put more load on the ball as the axle is only 2.5' ahead of the transom of the boat and everything will have to be loaded forward of the aft seat except for the gas tank. I have read about bolting a heavy steel bar across the back end of the trailer frame. This would reduce tongue weight and also soften the hard ride. Has anyone got any experience with adding an 80 lb or heavier weight like this?

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

What is the ratings of the tow vehicle and hitch?

 

[Capt'n Caution]

Ick: The 2012 Toyota Highlander is rated for 1000 lb. max for an unbraked trailer. The hitch is rated for 500 lb. The gross weight of trailer, boat, motor, gas and all our gear in the boat will be less than 700 lb. I have not loaded the boat for a trip yet, so I don't know what the weight will be on the ball. There are only two of us in the vehicle and we travel light, so we won't be loading up the back of the vehicle. Most of my concern now is due to the current difficulty maneuvering the trailer by hand with such a weight on the swivel tongue jack. This would be especially bad on rough ground that I might encounter in backwoods launching ramps. Any thoughts on the exra 80 lb or so, at the back end of the trailer? I would not be overloading anything with that weight. This is what you get when you do not check out a COMPLETED trailer before you buy one.This is my sixth trailer of about this size, and all the others had movable axles. I did not even know that non-adjustable trailers were built for this size of boat and gross weight, but I see now that many manufacturers do sell them. Beware!

 

[fhhuber]

Where's the battery in the boat?. If its not all the way back... move it back while towing.

 

[Capt'n Caution]

fhhuber: Thanks for your interest. Unfortunately, no battery to move. The well for the gas tank is not very large, and anything else heavy will get stored there on 3/4" plywood to protect the delicate bottom.

 

[airshot]

Being to heavy is not an issue, only being to light! You could put a couple hundred pounds on the ball without any problems. Heck, just go stand on the ball and see how little it moves. Now having said that you don't want 500 lbs on there but a couple hundred is not an issue at all.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Ick: The 2012 Toyota Highlander is rated for 1000 lb. max for an unbraked trailer. The hitch is rated for 500 lb. The gross weight of trailer, boat, motor, gas and all our gear in the boat will be less than 700 lb. I have not loaded the boat for a trip yet, so I don't know what the weight will be on the ball. There are only two of us in the vehicle and we travel light, so we won't be loading up the back of the vehicle. Most of my concern now is due to the current difficulty maneuvering the trailer by hand with such a weight on the swivel tongue jack. This would be especially bad on rough ground that I might encounter in backwoods launching ramps. Any thoughts on the exra 80 lb or so, at the back end of the trailer? I would not be overloading anything with that weight. This is what you get when you do not check out a COMPLETED trailer before you buy one.This is my sixth trailer of about this size, and all the others had movable axles. I did not even know that non-adjustable trailers were built for this size of boat and gross weight, but I see now that many manufacturers do sell them. Beware!

You will be just fine.
Also longer trailers are easier to back up so there was no real need to cut 3' off your trailer.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Also you can get a trailer dolly.
I have bad knees and a very bad ankle. With my trailer dolly I can move my boat in and out of the garage with ease.

 

[thumpar]

You want a tongue weight of about 10% of total weight so you were probably better off with the longer tongue. A couple years ago I had mine extended 3'.

 

[hemi rt]

Shortening the tongue will make the tongue weight go up, put the 3 feet back on :lol:

 

[fhhuber]

Putting it back is usually not quite as easy as chopping it off.

 

[Capt'n Caution]

Thanks all for the interest and the good advice. I reread my initial post and see I stated I saved 30 lb by cutting 3' off the tongue. That was supposed to read 13 lb., the actual weight of the 3' piece of galvanized 2x3 tube. I had weighed the trailer with boat and motor before cutting the tongue, with a digital scale exactly where the hitch contacts the ball. Nothing was altered between weighings. The weight with the 3' shorter tongue was 5 lb, more. I did not help the balance at all but thankfully not much weight was added to the ball. I built a trailer dolly a few years ago for an 18' boat and it works well at home, but too big to take back into woods. The shorter trailer will be more like previous ones I used with 14' boats and will be easier to maneuver in tight spots, as long as I can get more weight off the tongue jack. More than once I have had to disconnect and turn a trailer by hand to get out of a tight spot or in one case a traffic jam. Looking forward to more ideas. Thanks again.