Towing questions - Motor up or down? How to lock crank?

[lugoismad]

All fixed.

Bunks are right on the transom now.

Ta-Da!

Jack is a little further forward than I'd like, but oh well.

New tongue weight with the battery and full tank of gas is 130lbs.

Which is questionably too much for my civic. And I'm a year out from being right-side-up on the loan, so that kinda sucks.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

I would have moved the small brackets up the winch stand but that should work. When you get your new winch you should move the bow stop so it above the bow eye. Actually I would replace the bow stop bracket with one made from a square tube. Those bent flat ones aren't the best.

 

[duckfish]

I can't see details from your pictures, but how is your axle & fenders attached to the trailer frame? If they are just bolted like some small trailers I've seen, can you move your axle slightly forward to solve your tongue weight problem?

 

[lugoismad]

I can't see details from your pictures, but how is your axle & fenders attached to the trailer frame? If they are just bolted like some small trailers I've seen, can you move your axle slightly forward to solve your tongue weight problem?

Hey, good point! I can just loosen the u bolts and slide it forward. Thanks!

 

[surfman]

Most manufacturers recommend the motor be trailered in the upright position to minimize stress on the transom and bracket but, they will also say that if ground clearance is a problem, and often is, that a trailering bracket of some sort should be used to help support the motor to keep it from bouncing.

A heavy tongue weight is better than a light tongue weight, the trailer will fish tail if it is too light on the tongue.

 

[jethro]

I have been stopped by strangers running and yelling at me when leaving the ramp, "Your engine is still down!!" but that is how I like to tow. On my setup, the skeg is higher than the axle and I have trailered thousands of miles without an incident. In my opinion it puts less of a twisting force on the transom to keep the motor in the locked down position.

 

[surfman]

When I said upright I meant in the normal running position, not tilted up. Just to be clear. I had to tilt mine up because it wasn't all that high and once pulling out of a parking lot with a deep dip at the entrance the skeg hit the ground and got a nice chip in it, now I tilt it up and put a 2x4 under it to support the motor and strap it down. it works a lot better.

 

[Tallpine]

It looks like your tongue is a little short. You could move your tongue jack forward as far as it will go, move the upright forward, and put a longer bow support on it. Check out how this trailer winch is set up.