towing - engine in neutral?

[KJM]

My brother told me that he was told when he bought a small OB motor that it should always be in neutral when on a boat being towed. The reason being that the wind would make the prop spin and thus turn over the engine and possibly do damage. I often forget to put my 90hp OB in neutral after powering onto trailer after an outing. I can't see wind turning over a 90hp motor, esp. in the raised position so that its not facing the wind dead on. Any opinions?

 

[racerone]

Just another tall tale that your brother heard !------Wind on a prop is not going to turn any motor over !!!-----If prop spins in neutral you could cause extra wear on seals as rubber could get warm with no cooling water around.

 

[dingbat]

My brother told me that he was told when he bought a small OB motor that it should always be in neutral when on a boat being towed. The reason being that the wind would make the prop spin and thus turn over the engine and possibly do damage. I often forget to put my 90hp OB in neutral after powering onto trailer after an outing. I can't see wind turning over a 90hp motor, esp. in the raised position so that it’s not facing the wind dead on. Any opinions?

How much torque does a starter generate?

Put the motor in gear, put a torque wrench on the prop nut, and try to turn it over in gear. Let us know how you make out…

 

[cyclops222]

Towing it on a trailer at 60 mph ? Motor is safe. Bearings are safe also due to Aluminum In fast air flow.
Worst case is a big engine with a smaller Trolling or extra MAIN POWER motors.
Towing any stopped motor in water ?? In or out of gear. Now we can have a real possible chance for severe engine damage.

Forgetting that stopped motor being dragged underwater at 40 mph ?

 

[KJM]

Just another tall tale that your brother heard !------Wind on a prop is not going to turn any motor over !!!-----If prop spins in neutral you could cause extra wear on seals as rubber could get warm with no cooling water around.

I never even thought of that, but makes sense.

 

[KJM]

Towing it on a trailer at 60 mph ? Motor is safe. Bearings are safe also due to Aluminum In fast air flow.
Worst case is a big engine with a smaller Trolling or extra MAIN POWER motors.
Towing any stopped motor in water ?? In or out of gear. Now we can have a real possible chance for severe engine damage.

Forgetting that stopped motor being dragged underwater at 40 mph ?

If the kicker was in neutral but the prop was in contact with the water, do you think that would do damage? I did that for a short time the other day before I realized the kicker wasn't raised enough to clear the water.

 

[JimS123]

I've been pulling a raised kicker in neutral since 1984. To be exact, there have been 4 motors hanging on one transom or another, both Merc and Rude. Inevitably at no-wake zone the prop spins in the water. At plane, they are out of the water.

Back in the day, (when companies actually had tech service people on board and they answered the phone) I contacted Evinrude and the answer they gave me was no problem. The last Rude kicker I sold was 35 years old and she had no problems at all.

But then again, my info was given to me by an OMC Engineer back in 1984. Likely the Millennials in charge today don't have a clue.

If your option of choice is to put it in gear, just think about the extra drag on the motor and transom bracket.

 

[racerone]

Post #1 clearly talks about the possibility of wind turning the propeller.

 

[JimS123]

Post #1 clearly talks about the possibility of wind turning the propeller.

If there is no problem with water turning the prop, then wind should be ok as well.

 

[airshot]

Really.......I would think there are far more issues than this with OB motors. We are worrying about something that is designed to turn at 5500 rpm's, and whether the wind might affect it ?

 

[flyingscott]

Really.......I would think there are far more issues than this with OB motors. We are worrying about something that is designed to turn at 5500 rpm's, and whether the wind might affect it ?

How do you figure it turns at 5500?

 

[racerone]

Most propshafts turn at 2500 RPM or less.

 

[flashback]

Had a 7.5 Honda on a sailboat, if I wasn't racing I was too lazy to raise it when sailing. I just put I in neutral and let the prop spin

 

[airshot]

Most propshafts turn at 2500 RPM or less.

Just making a general reference to engine rpm....5500 or 2500, still designed to go round and round far faster than what any wind would blow !

 

[mike_i]

I've always towed with the motor in neutral with no issues.

 

[racerone]

I have seen some props spinning on boats towed on trailers.-----Does not cause any immediate harm.-----But it does cause wear on the oil seals.

 

[cyclops222]

lets sell .......Prop Stoppers
Only $ 29.99 Free shipping.

 

[tphoyt]

I can see the infomercial in my head.
But wait there’s more but 2nd prop stopper for for neighbor and get half off while supplies last. Call NOW!

 

[airshot]

Or...the "prop stopper deluxe" with quicker installation for only 9.95 more !

 

[cyclops222]