Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

[JASinIL2006]

Hi all, I've been reading all the perennial questions about using a transom saver/defloperizer, and it got me to thinking: how many of us actually have FIRSTHAND knowledge of an I/O outdrive tilt/trim failing catastrophically while being trailered? As often as this sort of failure is mentioned, it seems like it must happen with some frequency, so I'd like to know how many of us have ever experienced it.

Have you or someone you know experienced this? To answer yes, it must either your boat or the boat of someone you've known whose tilt/trim failed while being towed. (Please do not answer yes if "a friend of a friend heard about it" or if you read about it on a boating forum.)

Given the membership of iboats, the results should be useful information, I'd think.

Thanks!

Jim

 

[Silverbullet555]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

No.

When I first started boating I would put the red clips on the rams of the I/O when we trailered. I don't any more and I don't think they are necessary. I would expect I would notice some kind of problem first and then would correct. I probably should throw them in the trailer so if I have a tilt problem I could put them on to get home.

 

[QC]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

Typically it is assumed that the issue would be the failure of a hydraulic hose or fitting. I think the time it takes to put the clips on could be used to check the fittings. The next thing mentioned is that the transom is saved by not having the weight of the drive flopping on it. I submit that the torque applied during planing exceeds that force by a brazillion %, so that gets no concern from me at all. Last, if you do use the red clips, try running your trim down on them at full speed. You can pop off the clips. My assessment? Worthless.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

Nope, not on a boat. I do have first hand knowledge of catastrophic hydraulic cylinder failure on a Bobcat though. My ex-BIL was badly injured when he was crushed by something heavy he was holding in the air with the bucket of a parked Bobcat. One second it was in the air, the next it was crushing him into countless surgeries and 12 months of physical therapy.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

No!

I would expect that as the forces while underway at power are higher, and the time underway under power are both higher than the Forces and Time in transit in the trailer; You would expect to see more On the Water failures than On the Road failures.

The On the Water failures are Nil, and the On the Road failures are even "NILier". :facepalm:

 

[JimS123]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

No, I've never heard of a failure. But I'm sure Mr. Murphy could arrange one if necessary.

This is one of those "why not" scenarios. The parts are only a coupleabucks....pennies really. The time it takes to put them on and off are less than it takes to go to the potty at the launch ramp.

Butttt, IF it were to fail, its a lotacrap to contend with and probably a new lower unit.

So, I ask, WHY WOULD YOU NOT WANT TO USE THEM?

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

s. The next thing mentioned is that the transom is saved by not having the weight of the drive flopping on it. I submit that the torque applied during planing exceeds that force by a brazillion %, so that gets no concern from me at all. .

yet people think their transom is instantly going to fall apart if they don't use a 'transom saver'. As someone who understands the physics, the torque trying to twist your transom off while boating at full throttle over rough water is MANY, MANY magnitudes more than anything you could throw at your boat while going down the road.

 

[90stingray]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

Not a part failure but a buddy had a tube aired up flopping around in the cockpit while boat was being trailered and it must have went up and fell down on the trim button. Cause while he was driving he felt a grinding and pulled over to find the skeg and prop ground down and a lot of the boats weight on the drive. He had to jack up the trailer to trim up the drive. Bad deal. Yeah, $20 clips could have saved hundreds. And a big headache to deal with in the heat.

I did not vote as this story doesn't have a spot... but I thought it was worth sharing.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

No, I've never heard of a failure. But I'm sure Mr. Murphy could arrange one if necessary.

This is one of those "why not" scenarios. The parts are only a coupleabucks....pennies really. The time it takes to put them on and off are less than it takes to go to the potty at the launch ramp.

Butttt, IF it were to fail, its a lotacrap to contend with and probably a new lower unit.

So, I ask, WHY WOULD YOU NOT WANT TO USE THEM?

Because they cost a couple of pennies and they take almost a minute to install and remove.
You money would be better spent on a can of fresh water shark repellent. :facepalm:
or adding a lightning rod to the boat, the odds of ever needing either is greater.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

...fell down on the trim button. Cause while he was driving he felt a grinding and pulled over to find the skeg and prop ground down and a lot of the boats weight on the drive... Bad deal. Yeah, $20 clips could have saved hundreds...

The pump pressure in a hydraulic trim system is 3-5000psi+.
The trim is capable of Up Trimming a 300hp engine at WOT with hardly a strain.
Install a set of the clips and press the Down Trim Button and hold it for a 10 count.
Odds are the clips are going to buckle and the engine is coming down.

Send me some Alpha one clips and I'll make the video and post it here.
I'll even send you the clips back.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

Where's the "heck no. it's an urban legend" box? LOL

 

[Mason78]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

My boat has been in my family since it was new (1994). It has spent most of its life on a trailer and has been towed all over the place. No one, including myself have ever used transom savers, red clips, whatever you call them. We have never had an issue.

 

[Silverbullet555]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

I already posted but I see red clips and transom saver interchanged. Red clips can't have any impact on the transom since they take no weight off of the transom. Real transom savers connect to the trailer. Not saying they are of Amy benefit or not as I don't have experience.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

yet people think their transom is instantly going to fall apart if they don't use a 'transom saver'. As someone who understands the physics, the torque trying to twist your transom off while boating at full throttle over rough water is MANY, MANY magnitudes more than anything you could throw at your boat while going down the road.

The system is designed for a static stress, not for the dynamic stresses of flopping down the highway.

The OP question was if anybody ever saw an OD fall. As a matter of fact, I DID see a transom literally fall off because of not using a transom saver.

Regardless, looks like the thread has gotten off track. Transaom savers are for outboards.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

Where's the "heck no. it's an urban legend" box? LOL

Must have been Mercury Marine that started the legend, since the Mercruiser Owner's manual suggests using the "red clips" when trailering.

Of course, everbody kows that the manuals are wrong. I mean, change the gear oil annually, water pump after 100 hours. Geez. Everybody knows you can let that stuff go for years!

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

So, I ask, WHY WOULD YOU NOT WANT TO USE THEM?

Because they are a pain in the ***** and in the highly unlikely event that my drive dropped it barely touches the ground and I've got insurance

 

[airshot]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

Well might as well throw my two cents in here, a number of years back I was following a boat being towed. As we went down the road I thought I saw the outdrive lowering slightly each time the trailer hit a rough spot in the road. At first I thought I was seeing things but continued to watch more closely. When we came to a set of railroad tracks which were rather rough and 6 sets of tracks wide the continous bouncing up and down of the outdrive finally lowered it to where the skag was bouncing along the roadway and the rails causing the skag to break off before my eyes. I swung out around the tow vehicle and motioned him over as he had no idea his outdrive was down.
I stopped along with him to examine the damage. He climbed up inside and hit the trim switch and it went right back up so it was working.
Now..what was the long term problem, I don't know as I never saw him again, however my outdrive now has clips on it and will have every time I tow as they are much cheaper than a new outdrive or welding a new skag back on.

Airshot

 

[rbh]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

Well might as well throw my two cents in here, a number of years back I was following a boat being towed. As we went down the road I thought I saw the outdrive lowering slightly each time the trailer hit a rough spot in the road. At first I thought I was seeing things but continued to watch more closely. When we came to a set of railroad tracks which were rather rough and 6 sets of tracks wide the continous bouncing up and down of the outdrive finally lowered it to where the skag was bouncing along the roadway and the rails causing the skag to break off before my eyes. I swung out around the tow vehicle and motioned him over as he had no idea his outdrive was down.
I stopped along with him to examine the damage. He climbed up inside and hit the trim switch and it went right back up so it was working.
Now..what was the long term problem, I don't know as I never saw him again, however my outdrive now has clips on it and will have every time I tow as they are much cheaper than a new outdrive or welding a new skag back on.

Airshot

Sounds like the holding valve was on its way out.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

The OP question was if anybody ever saw an OD fall. As a matter of fact, I DID see a transom literally fall off because of not using a transom saver.

the queston was...

[Do you] actually have FIRSTHAND knowledge of an I/O outdrive tilt/trim failing catastrophically while being trailered?

The question concers the failure of the Tilt/Trim system, and the drive lowering itself uncommanded, not the transom.

Never the less, it is going to be hard to argue that a perfecty sound transom fell off the boat because drive trailering clip were not used.

 

[QC]

Re: Do you have firsthand knowledge of an I/O trim failing while trailering?

Never the less, it is going to be hard to argue that a perfecty sound transom fell off the boat because drive trailering clip were not used.

Particularly an I/O