Trailer questions

[inair]

Last fall I bought a 1991 Sunsport that had no trailer. The trailer I ended up buying was for a newer vdrive so the engine is farther back. The trailer is also for a slightly longer boat so there is about 8" of bunk sticking out behind the transom when the boat is against the rubber roller in front.

So. Two problems. With the boat fully forward the tongue weight is way hi for two reasons. One because it is too far forward and the other is because the engine is in the middle instead of being in the back.

Any idea what the average tongue weight for one of these things is? I've always been able to lift (with difficulty) the tongue of boats I've towed. This one is way to much, maybe 350 or 400 lbs. I've moved the boat back so the engine is more or less centered over the wheels and I still cant lift it. I was planning on re positioning the winch about 1 1/2 feet back to solve some of this but now it doesn't seem far enough? other than the inconvenience of not being able to lift the tongue myself can you think of any problems with leaving it like that?

[Jetlink]

Besides vehicle stability while towing? That is probably the greatest concern right there.

[DKJBama92Mariah]

The general rule for all trailer has always been that tongue weight should typically be 10-15% of gross trailer weight. Your boat and trailer combo should come in somewhere between 4500 and 5000 lbs. Assuming a best case scenario, your tongue weight should be at least 450lbs.

My Mariah (same length as yours, just shorter sides) sits on a factory trailer and there's no way i could lift the tongue without ending up in the hospital. They put a jack on there for a reason.

As far as reconfiguring the trailer to sit the boat farther rearward on the trailer, that might be feasible. Depending on the trailer's configuration, you might be able to get a welding shop to move the crash post back a bit. Pictures of the trailer, loaded and empty would be very helpful here.

DKJ

[inair]

I'm towing with a 3/4ton diesel. So far the farthest I've gone is Charlotte to Atlanta. Seemed pretty stable. I want to tow without worrying about it. I guess that is why I'm asking. Can y'all lift the tongue?

[inair]

Hey Derek, that is great info. I've seen enough pictures of Supra trailer configurations to come up with a design that will look factory when finished and move the winch and boat back about 16". I already cut the steel and just need a pro to weld it up for me. I used an industrial scale to weigh the tongue weight with the boat positioned there and it is as you said, 465lbs.

I feel better now! Thanks alot. What a great resource this place is. I'll post pics when I'm done.

[DKJBama92Mariah]

I'm towing with a 3/4ton diesel. So far the farthest I've gone is Charlotte to Atlanta. Seemed pretty stable. I want to tow without worrying about it. I guess that is why I'm asking. Can y'all lift the tongue?

Incorrect tongue weight can cause a few issues. Tongue weight that is too light will exacerbate trailer sway, this is obviously not your problem. Too heavy tongue weight causes the rear end of the tow vehicle to sag and taking weight off the front of the tow vehicle causing poor steering response. Since you have a 3/4 ton, your rear springs are more than enough to hand the extra weight and the heavy duramax will keep the front of the truck down.

I'd say, if you had no driveability problems on the Charlotte to Atlanta run, then just leave it as is.

Only other thing I might worry about with the short boat on the long trailer is the clearance between the prop/shaft/strut and the prop cage on the trailer.

To answer your question specifically, No, I cannot lift the tongue of my trailer by hand with the boat on the trailer. Heck, it ain't exactly light with the trailer empty.

[michael hunter]

I have a 89 sunsport on the original SMP trailer let me know if you want to do some measuring to set up your trailer?

[DKJBama92Mariah]

When I made my last post, I hadn't seen your post from 6:59pm. Didn't know you'd already started cutting.

You might consider not going so far back. My bunks stop about 4 inches forward of the transom. You can kind of see it in this pic
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v55/dkjpika/Boat/IMG_0688_1280.jpg

What you absolutely don't want to do is get your tongue weight too light, as I said above, this will cause trailer sway on the highway. My estimate above on tongue weight was bare minimum and assuming the boat/trailer rig weighs 4500 lbs. It could easily hit 5k, maybe even 5200 when you throw in a full tank of fuel, gear, coolers, etc. If it does weigh, that much, then you're under your 10% minimum tongue weight. These trailer weights are also assuming a well-built tandem axle trailer.

Also, as I said above, a little extra tongue weight isn't going to make much difference with your particular tow rig; it might even make it ride a bit smoother too.

[michael hunter]

I agree with Derek you dont want to make the tongue weight too light 10-15% of total weight is where you should be. What lake do you go to? Here are a few of mine on the trailer I hope it helps.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn127/suprahunter/SkiDogHHRSupraPicture009.jpg

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn127/suprahunter/SkiDogHHRSupraPicture016.jpg

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn127/suprahunter/SkiDogHHRSupraPicture015.jpg

[inair]

Hey those pics are very helpful. It's a boatmate trailer so I'm not really worried about it's integrity, just getting the boat positioned on it right for safety and handling. The way I have it tentatively positioned now is 42 inches from the back of the back tire to the transom. That leaves 2 inches of boat hanging behind the end of the bunk. The motor pulleys are roughly even with the front of the front tire, leaving 11 feet of boat in front of the front tire. I've just been experimenting with moving it back and forth so I cant really drive it anywhere to check actual weight. My 18 year old son and I together still cant lift the tongue so I'm thinking its still good enough? I guess I won't feel 100% about it till I get an actual tongue weight though.

I live on the southwest side so Allatoona is closer and that is where we normally go. When I get finished getting it lake ready I'll store it near Kellogg Creek for the summer.