Trailer Tongue Weight?

[Joe Gates]

Anyone happen to know what the tongue weight would be for an 03' SSV on a tandem wheeled Boat Mate Trailer? I'm thinking about moving it around with a 20hp lawn tractor due to limited space availble with my truck. Thanks.....JG

[DKJBama92Mariah]

The listed weight for the boat with trailer is 4,300 lbs. Tongue weight is usually between 10%-15% of the total towed weight, or at least it should be for proper towing. That would give you a tongue weight of between 430lbs and 645lbs. I've moved my bass boat around with our lawn tractor, but it is only about 2000lbs (200lbs tongue weight) dripping wet. You could run into several problems trying this. First, the weight on the back of the tractor could cause it to do a wheelie. Second, with that much weight on the back of the tractor, you might need to increase the air pressure in the tires on the tractor to support the weight. Third, probably the most important one. If your tractor has hydrostatic drive (as opposed to an old fashioned gear drive transmission), you run the risk of burning up the tranny. Hydrostatic drive uses a hydraulic pump on the output of the engine. The transmission then uses a hydraulic motor to turn the wheels. If the weight you're trying to move is too much for the hydraulics, then the tractor wont move and you'll burn up the transmission. I, personally, don't think i'd risk it because that transmission is not gonna be cheap to replace if you kill it.

I can understand your frustration though, i run into this problem all the time. The storage unit i keep my boat in during the off season is in a bad location. The distance between the door to the unit and the fence at the edge of the property is almost exactly the same as the length of my truck and trailer combined. That coupled with the fact that i have about 2 inches clearance on each side of the trailer going into the door requires lots of patience and some fancy jackknifing of the trailer backing it in.

One thing you might consider if you decide against using your tractor. There are several companies that make receiver hitches that mount below the front bumper of a truck. These are intended to be used to temporarily mount a winch, but it might make it easier to move the trailer with the front of the truck. I've never tried it, and you'd have to learn to drive all over again, but i would think it would give you better manauverability fitting the trailer into tight spaces.

Sorry for the long post, i'm on a study break and i guess i've been trying to put off getting back at it. Hope this helps and wish me luck, i'm going to take a constitutional law final.

Cheers,
DKJ

[Joe Gates]

DKJBama92Mariah,

Thanks for the reply. You hit the nail on the head regarding some of my concerns. My tractor does have a hydrostatic tranny thus would defintely be subject to abnormally high loads when trying to jocky the beast of a boat and trailer into the garage. I too have limited space on the sides to work with and have already bounced my rub rail off the garage door frame. That said, I'm sure I'll find a workable solution and will speard the word when it happens. Thanks again...Joe

[DKJBama92Mariah]

Joe,

I just had one more thought on your issue. There is a thing called a trailer dolly. You'll sometimes see them used at boat dealerships to move small trailers by hand. You can see an example if you just do a google search for "trailer dolly." If you think your tractor can move the boat, then you could somehow fashion one of these to attach to the back of your tractor. That would take the tongue weight of the trailer off of the tractor, hence solving two of your issues. Anyways, it was just a thought. If what i just said sounds moronic or doesnt make any sense, you'll have to forgive me. I havent been to bed yet and i'm getting a little delerious. Looks like its time for a another pot of coffee.

Cheers,
DKJ