Looking for boat trailer repair service
 

I'd like to shorten the tongue of my boat trailer by about 2 feet so it will fit in my garage. The tongue is a hot-dip galvanized steel 4"x5" box section. Does anyone have a recommendation for someone who can perform this work, including treatment of the cut surfaces where bare steel will be exposed?

East Coast Welding in Gilford. They did a similar job for me.

More Options = Good...
 

While trailers appear pretty straightforward, their performance on the road can be negatively affected by altering their center of gravity.

If it were mine, I'd keep the original length, but weld on a heavy sleeve and two hitch pins. Yeah, it's likely to eventually rattle, but the pins would allow the tongue's removal to fit in the garage.

:)

,

Swing away tongue?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l4kYCtYJ4c

Or this will do it;
 

Swing away
 

I would be against shortening the trailer because of the handling and backing issues it would create. As long as it tows fine now I would want to keep the same length. The other issue that shortening the trailer will create is the need to back the towing vehicle much further down the ramp and potentially into the water to launch the boat.

I would do this:
Amazon.com: Fulton HDPB330101 Fold-Away Bolt-On Hinge Kit for 3" x 3" Trailer Beam - up to 5,000 lb.GTW: Fulton: Automotive

This is for 5000 lbs weight, but they do have bolt on and weld on up to 9000 lbs.

Sent from my GT-P5210 using Tapatalk

Fulton's website shows 3x5 as their largest size. The OP says his is 4x5. I wonder if there is another mfg in the game.

Must be a big boat if the trailer frame is 4x5 and must be a big garage if its only two feet short. None of the swing couplers I've seen are for frames that big. I'd be concerned about the stress on the hinge. Forum members suggested that I see the trailer guy in Belmont when I needed a new axle and that sounds like a good place to go to get an expert opinion on options.

How big is your boat and its gross weight?

Sent from my GT-P5210 using Tapatalk

I'm confident I can adjust the axle location to maintain stability with a shortened tongue. I adjusted the axle position to suit the boat when I initially purchased the trailer.

Sleeving the tongue is not an option if I want to maintain functionality of the hydraulic brakes.

The combined weight of the boat and trailer is about 4300 lbs wet and with gear. The overall boat length is 21 feet. My garage is about 25 feet deep. It's a roller trailer so I'm not too worried about shallow launches.

After doing some more research, I think I may try to shorten it myself. It should be simple enough to disconnect the brake line, unbolt the coupler, and saw off a couple of feet. I can use cold galvanizing to seal the cut surface and new bolt holes.

Measure Twice...
 

Won't you end up with an over-shortened trailer? :eek:

(Tightened clearances between trailer and tow vehicle?)

The tongue can be sleeved and the hydraulic brakes retained—upon removal—by installing a longer hydraulic hose:

http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/d/l225...SQeAoyrLTQ.jpg

.

This is an easily solvable problem.... Look at Four Winns trails from 2000 ish era..... mine disconnects should I want to remove the tongue ........

Solution!
 

I decided on a solution. Those of you who recommended a hinge won me over after I realized my memory was poor and that my trailer tongue has a 3"x5" section. I purchased a Fulton hinge on Amazon for $84. I decided to cut 14" out of the tongue while installing the hinge.

The boat is now in my garage with the door closed. The boat's windshield cleared the garage door frame by 1/2". I have about 3.5' between the back wall of the garage and the transom; just enough to allow me to replace my bellows and gimbal bearing over the winter as long as I don't try to stand up under the swim platform.

Thanks to all for your advice.

A 1/2" vertical clearance would have me deflating the tires when pulling the boat out in the spring, especially if gear was off loaded while in the garage.

Re-Adjust your tongue weight... I think you will find your tongue weight might be a bit excessive due to the reduced length (14.00") If you used the hinge, shown in the above posts you could have kept the original tongue length without shortening. IMHO, you quite possibly have left yourself wide open to litigation should there be an accident.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYuQeWO0-FA

too much tongue weight does the same thing....

Woodsy

Why do you think I've left myself open to litigation?

IMHO... you leave yourself open to serious litigation should an accident occur. The burden of proof would be on you to prove your modification of the existing trailer (shortening the tongue by 14.00") was not a factor in the accident. The reason trailers are the length they are is because of balance vs load weight. Where the weight sits on a trailer is beyond critical. Shortening the OAL of the trailer by 14" effects the weight the trailer can carry safely. I could co on an on about the engineering behind it.

If it were me, I would keep the hinge but add the 14" back in.


Woodsy

While I agree with what Woodsy is saying and understand all the engineering involved.... I am not sure that this modification opens you up to any more or any less litigation....

But What this modification does to is likely change the fulcrum point and change you tongue weight.

You have also changed the overall length and effected the turning radius....

You will now have to back you tow vehicle further down the ramp...

etc. etc....

While the unit now fits in your garage, you have altered many other aspects importance to the usability of the trailer.....

I believe I've taken all your concerns into consideration.

The trailer was purchased in 2009 for a 1992 boat and I had to set it up initially to achieve the proper tongue weight. I moved the axle and cross-members to get the balance where I thought it should be.

The trailer was always much longer than I preferred. I've never had a problem getting the boat to float before my tow vehicle tires got wet, and the shorter turning radius should help with maneuverability.

I can't imagine a situation where removing 14" from the tongue length could be shown as a cause for an accident provided the tongue weight and height are correct.

Why wouldn't the burden of proof be on the other party to show my modification WAS a factor in the accident? Innocent until proven guilty, correct?

I'm VERY confident nobody would even think about looking at the construction of the trailer were there to be an accident--especially close enough to know lengths, etc.

Sent from my XT1528 using Tapatalk

I will respectfully disagree.

Someone would have to notice the change in length and that is highly unlikely. Even if it were noticed by police at the scene of an accident in the state I am most familiar with there is no chapter and section of the law that a police officer can cite you for as it relates strictly to the modifications. Homemade trailers are allowed in every state in the country and while there are requirements such as fenders and tire tread depth, and brakes over a certain weight, there are not regulations that apply to altering the length of a trailer.

As for: " The reason trailers are the length they are is because of balance vs load weight." That is simply not true. Every boat trailer I have owned (I currently have four trailers) has adjustments for the end user. The winch stand is adjustable forward and back and the axle location is also adjustable. The bunks and rollers are usually in slotted channels so that they may be set for the shape of the hull or pontoons of the vessel to be carried.

The manufacturer has no idea (unless it is a trailer that comes with a boat) what size and weight boat you will be transporting. The manufacturer only specifies (by law) the maximum weight the trailer can carry. Boats come is all sizes and weight distributions, some with one engine and even some with as many as four engines. It is up to the end user to make the specific adjustments that will enable their use of the trailer to transport their boat.

Yes.. there are some adjustments.... you can move the boat fore or aft slightly to adjust tongue weight (usually by moving the front support) and you can raise or lower bunks to match the hull. Usually, the axle placement is not easily adjustable if at all. By taking 14" out of tongue it limits the amount you can move the front support. In any case.... if you shorten the lever arm, in order to keep your tongue weight the same you need to move the axles (fulcrum) forward. You cannot just shorten a lever arm, not move the fulcrum point and expect it tow safely.

As to liability.... look at the video I posted. An improperly balanced trailer, too light or too heavy in the tongue weight will fishtail as in the video.

So if you start fishtailing and get into an accident.... and some witness says he saw you fishtailing just before the wreck... guess the first place they are going to look? The trailer setup....

As to homemade trailers... yes they exist, however, they are inspected before they are given a VIN to allow them to be registered. I know I have built a couple. :)

Sorry you guys disagree... best of luck!

Woodsy

If the flange itself did not fail, I don't think it would be factored into the investigation. Especially if the trailer OME design allowed for length adjustment. (imo)

My trailer has a torsion suspension. I simply loosen 4 U-bolts and slide the axle to where I want it.

In my case, if I shorten the tongue by 14" I've decreased the lever arm which increases the tongue weight. I'd need to move the axle rearward to maintain the previous tongue weight.

Dbreskin...

You have it wrong.... and you could get seriously hurt or hurt someone else. Let me explain.

Levers & Fulcrums are pretty much the oldest machine known to man. All trailers are essentially a lever and a fulcrum. Trailers are designed to carry a certain amount of weight over the fulcrum (Wheels). That weight carried by the lever is divided over the fulcrum point fore and aft such that that the weight exerted on the tow vehicle hitch is 10% to 15% of the total load. So you have to add up the boat weight, trailer weight, extra weight (gas, tubes, coolers etc) and multiply by .125 (12.5%) to get proper tongue weight.

When you shorten the lever arm (trailer tongue)... you change it all up.

The only thing you got right was the increased tongue weight for because of the shorter tongue (lever arm) there are 2 reasons for this. First, there is a certain percentage of the boat weight forward of the fulcrum point. Second, because you haven't yet moved the fulcrum point. Shortening the lever arm increases the force (weight) exerted by the boat weight on the forward side of the fulcrum. This INCREASES the tongue weight or downward force exerted by the lever.


In order to decrease the tongue weight, and keep the proper balance of the weight over the fulcrum (wheels) you have 2 options... Both essentially move the fulcrum point.

1. Move the weight (boat) towards the rear. This will decrease the amount of downward force or tongue weight.

2. Move the fulcrum point (wheels) forward. This will also decrease the amount of downward force or tongue weight.

Moving the axles rearward seems like a great idea, but in reality it puts a larger percentage of weight on the forward side of the fulcrum (wheels) so thus will INCREASE your tongue weight.

Google it.... use a ruler as a lever arm and a marker as a fulcrum and some quarters for weight... move the fulcrum around. This isn't rocket science.

What I would do is get the tongue weight for your current (shortened) setup and do the math on the overall weight to see if you fall within the 10%-15% guideline for tongue weight. But make sure you get accurate weights. You might be OK. If not, you can do the math and figure how best to change it. Because a lever and fulcrum multiply force, the change you may have to make is a small one. You may only have to move the boat 6" or so aft to get it right.

Hope this helps... Not trying to be a jerk, just passing on the engineering.

Woodsy

Woodsy, you're correct. I had it backwards. Thanks for the explanation, which is a good example of your forum signature. :)

I will be sure to measure the tongue weight when I finish the hinge installation.