Pontoon Center Mount Trailer - Questions and Concerns - Any Suggestions ?

[kevinstan]

Looking at a pontoon boat and thinking about getting it. I keep hearing negative stuff about the center mount pontoon trailers and that is what this has. Trying to figure out the bad rap for them. I heard the blow all over with the boat and are hard to tow? Any input - I might go get this boat this week and need to know what to expect when towing it. Any help would be awesome. Thanks in advance!

 

[Scott Danforth]

scissor trailers like you mention are best for short hauls. they are not that stable at speeds due to the narrow wheel track width. they are, however the most multi-purpose version of a pontoon trailer there is. my buddy owns one, hauls about half the pontoon boats out on his lake. picks them up at the ramp, drops them in the customers yard on foam blocks for winter. its like the thing prints money every fall and spring Great for that, however I wouldnt want to tow over 50miles (or 55mph for that mater)

 

[kevinstan]

Is it just the sway ? I live about 45 minutes from the lake we boat at. It is frequent that we take the highway to get there. I don't mind going slow, but I need to know what to expect when towing it home as well.

 

[Scott Danforth]

depends. sway is part of it, so is the easy ability for the trailer to tip on its side if you have a heavy cross wind.

the problem with most scissor trailers is that they are not maintained. the pivots wallow out a bit and the whole trailer gets a bit wobbly on top of the narrow track width.

 

[oldjeep]

We have one for our 22 ft pontoon. You need to watch it when cornering, especially if the turn has a dip or elevation change since you can easily drag a log. On the highway I think it is fine, cog is lower than a bunk trailer.

 

[guy48065]

I never realized just how BAD the roads & highways are until I brought mine home 200 miles. For me it isn't sway--it pulls like a dream--but the uneven slabs, potholes, road construction with lane shifts & lane-narrows. An 8.5' load riding on a 3' wide trailer = white knuckles. Add to that scissor-lift trailers rarely have good places to strap the boat down, and of course the straps have to attach near the center since it's so narrow.. The big tie-down eyes on the logs are BELOW the trailer.

Oh and I've never seen one come with brakes--though I'm sure it's available.

 

[oldjeep]

I never realized just how BAD the roads & highways are until I brought mine home 200 miles. For me it isn't sway--it pulls like a dream--but the uneven slabs, potholes, road construction with lane shifts & lane-narrows. An 8.5' load riding on a 3' wide trailer = white knuckles. Add to that scissor-lift trailers rarely have good places to strap the boat down, and of course the straps have to attach near the center since it's so narrow.. The big tie-down eyes on the logs are BELOW the trailer.

Oh and I've never seen one come with brakes--though I'm sure it's available.

Ours has brakes on both axles

 

[guy48065]

Ours has brakes on both axles

Your scissor-lift pontoon trailer?

 

[oldjeep]

Your scissor-lift pontoon trailer?

Yes, it is an older version of this one. Dual torsion axle with brakes on all wheels.
http://www.hoosiertrailer.com/bx_and...n-trailers.php

 

[guy48065]

Then you are indeed fortunate(?) to own many boats and trailers.

 

[oldjeep]

Then you are indeed fortunate(?) to own many boats and trailers.

The pontoon is my parents, but I'm the one that tows it for them. Behind a Lexus gx470 I thought it towed pretty poorly, behind my crewcab ram it was fine. Tow vehicles matter more for some loads than others.

 

[kevinstan]

I am still trying to debate what to do. I currently have a bowrider ski boat, but the family wants a pontoon. I was going to make a trade to someone for the pontoon but it is on this type of trailer and I am scared of it now after everything I have heard. I can't decide what to do.. I am only 45 minutes from where we go to the lake, but still.... Towing on one of these doesn't seem fun.

 

[oldjeep]

I am still trying to debate what to do. I currently have a bowrider ski boat, but the family wants a pontoon. I was going to make a trade to someone for the pontoon but it is on this type of trailer and I am scared of it now after everything I have heard. I can't decide what to do.. I am only 45 minutes from where we go to the lake, but still.... Towing on one of these doesn't seem fun.

Nice thing about trailers is that you can always switch it later. As long as you are willing to drive you should be able to find someone to trade a scissors for a bunk trailer as some folks need one vs the other.

 

[H20Rat]

I am still trying to debate what to do. I currently have a bowrider ski boat, but the family wants a pontoon. I was going to make a trade to someone for the pontoon but it is on this type of trailer and I am scared of it now after everything I have heard. I can't decide what to do.. I am only 45 minutes from where we go to the lake, but still.... Towing on one of these doesn't seem fun.

45 minutes of highway or 45 minutes of 25 mph roads? I wouldn't want to regularly drive a scissor trailer at highway speed, that is not relaxing! You can always find a different trailer and swap, or can you find a place to store the pontoon instead of trailering it at all? (Better option!)

 

[kevinstan]

45 min of hwy driving - or about 1 hour of backroads to get to the lake. So that's a no? You wouldn't even like driving it 45 minutes down the hwy ? Your making more nervous about it....

 

[oldjeep]

45 min of hwy driving - or about 1 hour of backroads to get to the lake. So that's a no? You wouldn't even like driving it 45 minutes down the hwy ? Your making more nervous about it....

Wouldn't bother me with our boat/trailer. Longest trip I towed it was when my folks bought it, about 2 hours of highway driving and it was fine. If it is windy then it is going to handle worse, but as far as I'm concerned the higher COG that you get with a bunk trailer coupled with the ridiculous little lawn tractor tires on most pontoon bunk trailers makes them handle more alike than most will say.

 

[H20Rat]

Wouldn't bother me with our boat/trailer. Longest trip I towed it was when my folks bought it, about 2 hours of highway driving and it was fine. If it is windy then it is going to handle worse, but as far as I'm concerned the higher COG that you get with a bunk trailer coupled with the ridiculous little lawn tractor tires on most pontoon bunk trailers makes them handle more alike than most will say.

My concern was never sway, it was a tire blowout. With the undersized tires, chances are if you blow one, the other one will go if it is a tandem. With such a narrow wheel base, your odds of ending rubber side up increase dramatically, whereas a bunk trailer will just skid to a stop.

 

[oldjeep]

My concern was never sway, it was a tire blowout. With the undersized tires, chances are if you blow one, the other one will go if it is a tandem. With such a narrow wheel base, your odds of ending rubber side up increase dramatically, whereas a bunk trailer will just skid to a stop.

I don't worry too much about blowing tires on this particular trailer. It has 4 - 5.30 - 12 D rated tires on it - 100PSI. They are rated for 1250lbs a piece to haul a boat that weighs about 1700lbs and an 800lb trailer. (5000lbs of capacity for 2500lbs)

 

[kevinstan]

This trailer only has two tires - it is not a tandem axle

 

[oldjeep]

This trailer only has two tires - it is not a tandem axle

Got a picture of this boat/trailer you are looking at? Curious if it is actually a scissor or one of those goofy things where the "triangle" rotates back to dump the trailer.