[Rhodes22-list] Trailer Extension Replacement

[ROGER PIHLAJA]

Peter,

Nice work finding these photos!  The only other relevant photo I can think of would be a shot of S/V Dynamic Equilibrium all rigged and ready to launch on its trailer at Sandusky, OH (Lake Erie). In the picture, the trailer has its tongue extension deployed and the tow vehicle is a red 1989 Ford Aerostar minivan.

My Lil Dude tandem axle boat trailer did not originally come with a tongue extension.  As you can see from the photos, I built a couple of stand-offs welded onto the tongue.  The height of these stand-offs are designed to cause the tongue extension to run at a downward slope towards the tow vehicle.  The tongue extension just clears the surge brake master cylinder and then ends up at the original ride height of the standard tongue at the trailer coupling.  This design has the advantage of not having any flexible hydraulic lines to accommodate the tongue extension.  The tongue extension stores in a custom rack under the trailer next to the keel bunks when the trailer is going down the road.

Also note the tow bar stowed (backwards) in the aft stand-off. This tow bar provides a total of 6” of extra lift vs the over the road tow bar.  The extra 6” of lift raises the bow to a better angle for launch/retrieval.

So, conversion from over the road involves:
1. Uncouple the trailer coupling
2. Remove the over the road tow bar
3. Install the launch/retrieval tow bar
4. Drive the tow vehicle forward about 15’
5. Install the tongue extension 
6. Back up the tow vehicle and couple the trailer
    coupling to the launch/retrieval tow bar.

Note, there is so little tongue weight and so much leverage with the tongue extension; that, the trailer coupling is easy to hook up.  As long as the tow bar is maneuvered anywhere close to the trailer coupling, it can be easily moved by hand over the ball.  In the over the road configuration, my trailer has a tongue weight of about 350 lbs. Trailer hookup isn’t possible without the tongue jack and careful tow vehicle positioning.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 22, 2021, at 9:49 AM, Peter Nyberg <peter at sunnybeeches.com> wrote:
> 
> Here are a couple of pics from the archives:
> 
> http://www.rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/attch/200308/16/CopyofSternViewLabeled.jpg
> 
> http://www.rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/attch/200308/16/CopyofStarboardBowViewLabeled.jpg
> 
> I was able to find these pretty easily due to some work I’m doing to make the archives more accessible.  It’s not ready to be released yet, but I think this test case shows that it will be useful. 
> 
> Was there something more?
> 
> —Peter
> 
>> On Apr 22, 2021, at 7:02 AM, Todd Tavares <tavares0947 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Roger,
>> 
>> Do you still have the annotated pictures of your trailer? The ones of your
>> front and rear tie downs and one of your trailer tongue extension setup did
>> not make it to the new website gallery.
>> 
>> Todd T.
>> 
>