Extend tongue or not?

[T_Herrod]

My trailer has what i think is a short tongue. I have to nearly put the rear bumper of the tow vehicle in the water get the boat to float off the trailer. Are there any adverse side effects to extending the tongue? I was thinking about making it 3 feet longer. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[JB]

Re: Extend tongue or not?

Extending the tongue will require a complete re-rigging of the trailer to maintain correct weight distribution. You would end up with the axle cradle moved back. That might help with the launching.

Do not extend the tongue without re-rigging for correct weight distribution (10% of trailer weight on the tongue). The result could be dangerous to tow.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Extend tongue or not?

Extending the tongue will require a complete re-rigging of the trailer to maintain correct weight distribution. You would end up with the axle cradle moved back. That might help with the launching.

Do not extend the tongue without re-rigging for correct weight distribution (10% of trailer weight on the tongue). The result could be dangerous to tow.

Excellent advice.. What I'm going to tell you is more work and cost but the results are better and safer. What you can do is call Pacific Trailer Sales and have them set you up with a new axle that will lower the trailer. You would be amazed at how much 2" makes when launching. I changed the one on my last boat never again did I walk around with wet shoes. My current boat came with a low water launch EZ loader. If you go to a Marina or dealer that sells upper end heavy aluminum boats you'll find most of them on low water launch trailers and you can get an idea of what the axles look like. Torsion axles have advanced quite a bit also and are now a viable alternative to springs.

 

[joewithaboat]

Re: Extend tongue or not?

I once saw a guy who had a custom hitch made for his receiver hitch. Once to the parking lot he would put wheel chalks a foot behind the trailer wheels and pull the pin on his hitch and let a foot more length out of the receiver and reinsert the pin. Obviously a custom extra long male part of the hitch. It had two sets of holes for the pin. What ever you do don't remove the safety chains while doing this and of course be on level ground. I thought is was quite clever. Please consider the dangers and take all necessary precautions. Maybe have a stop welded on the back of the tube so it cant come out.

I have also seen people with sail boats, that need to go very deep to come off of the trailer, with telescopic trailer tongues. Not sure if they were custom jobs or if you can buy them like that.

here check these out...

http://www.xtend-a-hitchnorthwest.com/

http://captainslog.janktheproofer.com/trailerextension.htm

 

[SolingSailor]

Re: Extend tongue or not?

I knew one sailor who carried a tongue extension bar on the trailer with his boat. At the ramp he would replace the short hitch bar with the long one. It was basically a square tube that slid into his truck's receiver, was about 10 feet long, and had a hitch ball on the end.
I never saw it in use, but he was happy with it.

 

[T_Herrod]

Re: Extend tongue or not?

Thanks for the input and the links. I was wondering about the negative tongue weight. It looks like the extension is the way to go.

 

[dlngr]

Re: Extend tongue or not?

Check your tongue weight first-if it's plenty heavy,extend the tongue. I have a 14' lund on a short trailer. I extended the tongue AND flipped the axle,because my favorite fishing spot has a very low ramp.[mount the axle above the springs instead of under the springs]
My 16' Lowe is on a long trailer,but I still had to flip the axle on that one too.

 

[halfmoa]

Re: Extend tongue or not?

I'd look at flipping the axle and/or adding additional lowering blocks before I'd go chopping up the tongue.