[Rhodes22-list] I Hate My Trailer

[Peter Thorn]

Steve,

Can you provide more information about your trailer.  Single, tandem, who
made it?  Do you have trailer brakes?  What kind (elec or surge)?

I use commercial trailers in my construction business, up to 10,000 gross.
Tongue weight is very important on any trailer.  A bathroom scale will not
weight accurately enough . http://www.sherline.com/lm.htm

PT


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Alm" <salm at mn.rr.com>
To: "Rhodes" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 09, 2003 3:58 AM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] I Hate My Trailer


> Hi.  Mary Ann and I just got back from a four day trip with Fandango.  We
> went up north to Leech Lake in north central MN.  The sailing and living
> aboard were great (I'd love to tell you more about it sometime) but after
> putting the boat in and out several times in several locations with
varying
> degrees of steepness at the ramps, I've concluded that something is
> definitely wrong here.
>
> No matter what, I just can't get the boat far enough forward on the
trailer.
> The result is not enough tongue weight.  I had to take the motor off and
> lash it on the trailer tongue, put the rudder up in the V berth, along
with
> anything else that has any weight to it.  I used my bathroom scale to try
to
> find out how heavy the tongue really is:  the scale only goes up to 300
lbs.
> and I pegged the thing before the tongue even budged off the hitch--so
I'll
> bet I have at least 400 lbs, maybe more.  Still, the trailer fishtailed at
> anything over 55 mph and also lurched and tugged most of the way.  I use a
> 3/4 ton full-size cargo van with a V-8--more than enough.
>
> At one of the ramps that had a very gradual slope, I backed in so far that
> my tailpipe was almost under.  Using the tongue extension, the forward
ends
> of the bunks were just at water level and I drove the boat hard at the
> trailer, trying to get up on the damn things, but still no luck.
>
> And at the steep ramps it's even worse.  As we've discussed before, you
pull
> the boat all the way up to the bow stop, but when you pull the trailer out
> of the water, the bow rocks back away from the bow stop, and leaves the
boat
> too far back--actually NEGATIVE TONGUE WEIGHT!
>
> I really don't want to move the motor, rudder, etc. not to mention all the
> landing gymnastics every time I trailer.  Is it just me or is it a design
> flaw.  The trailer axle should be about 6-8 inches back or something.  Can
> anyone offer some insight, please?  Pretty please?
>
> Slim
>
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