Obvious Noob here

[Luckyeddie]

Hi guys. I'm new to the board and new to boating/trailering.
I've got what's got to be a stupid question but I can't find the answer just searching around.

I've got an older trailer with what looks like a spring loaded release pin on it on top of the frame about a third of the way down from the tongue.

Looks like a tilt?

Can someone clue me in as to the function of this and where/why you would use it?

You guys have given me a ton of knowledge just from reading past posts, this is a great resource.

Luckyeddie.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Obvious Noob here

yep it is a tilt trailer... used for shallow water launch and retrieve
in 20 years of boating I have only used the tilt feature of a boat trailer once in the water and a couple times to drop a boat or load one from dry land

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Obvious Noob here

yep it is a tilt trailer... used for shallow water launch and retrieve
in 20 years of boating I have only used the tilt feature of a boat trailer once in the water and a couple times to drop a boat or load one from dry land

Same here, the only time I've ever used the tilt feature was to drag a boat up off someone's lawn. Its supposed to help get the bunks up under the bow without having to lift the bow up in shallow water with the winch.
I suppose it's more useful on lighter trailers than heavy trailers. I had a rather large tandem trailer with the tilt feature, with the tandem axles, the only way you could tilt the trailer was to lift the front axle up. I never got why the put a tilt set up on a tandem trailer like that.
On my smaller boats, I like single mount, free floating rear bunk boards that flop down as the boat comes in contact with the bunks. This helps center and lift the boat onto the lead keel roller.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Obvious Noob here

.....Its supposed to help get the bunks up under the bow without having to lift the bow up in shallow water with the winch. ...I suppose it's more useful on lighter trailers than heavy trailers. I had a rather large tandem trailer with the tilt feature, with the tandem axles, the only way you could tilt the trailer was to lift the front axle up. I never got why the put a tilt set up on a tandem trailer like that....

On the bigger trailers, with the release pin removed, once the bow hits the first roller and/or bunk, the weight of the boat is sufficient to drop the trailer tail and it will progressively "un"-pivot as the boat is loaded up to the bow stop on the trailer.

I have a 'smaller' trailer under my MFG which had a pivot. I welded the thing cuz I got sick of listening to it creak and rattle behind me. It sure would be handy to have it still pivot at a couple of launches though. At Caspian Lake I have to put all 4 wheels of my car in the water to offload/launch the boat, and the pivot would reduce that. Rear bumper underwater to get boat off. That's unnerving

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Obvious Noob here

I posted this in 2001 on how to figure out your tongue weight.....

Obtain a 5 or 6 foot beam (4 x 4 wood works good), a bathroom scale, a brick or block, and two pieces of pipe. Place the scale and the brick EXACTLY 4 feet apart (yes 5 will work too) and lay a piece of pipe on the scale and a piece on the brick/block. Lay the beam across the two pipes and lower the trailer tongue onto the beam one foot from the brick and 3 feet to the scale. * The beam would be in the same position as your bumper * Now multiply the scale weight by the distance between the block and the scale pipes. Now for example if the scale reads 37 lbs and the block and the scale are 4 feet apart you would have a tongue weight of 148 lbs. If your Boat/trailer weight is 1500 lbs you are in the right ballpark.This gives you a good tongue weight and will not destroy the family bathroom scale in the process.

 

[Luckyeddie]

Re: Obvious Noob here

Thanks for the replies everyone. Now I'm that much smarter.

I think I'll have to try it once just to see.