I just picked up my new H260 and the baot is going to be a lot of fun. But while towing went very well the boat sways very badly at speeds over 60 MPH, and if not cought quickly it think it could get violent. I noticed it when the dealer pulled it behind his Tahoe and it was not different behind my Jeep. Below 60 it could not pull better. Above that could be life threatening. Has any one else seen this? Or more importently is there something I could do to correct it. In most trailers moving the load forward or closer to the axle will help this, but I cannot really take a lot more weight on the hitch.
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Don't go over 60 MPH
Congrats on the new boat. This subject is well covered in the archives, as I think all of us trailer sailors have experienced some swaying. If you want to drive over 60 mph you will need more tongue weight. Just be sure not to exceed your tow packages limit for tongue weight. I have a H240 with a 8 hp Honda attached to the motor mount and also experience the sway over 60. If I wasn't so lazy I would take the motor off and put in the bow of the boat and I might be able to go faster. I guess I would rather be lazy and drive slower. Towing something that big over 60 mph I don't think is a good idea anyway. Check the archives and good luck with your H260 Barnacle Bill
Congrats on the new boat. This subject is well covered in the archives, as I think all of us trailer sailors have experienced some swaying. If you want to drive over 60 mph you will need more tongue weight. Just be sure not to exceed your tow packages limit for tongue weight. I have a H240 with a 8 hp Honda attached to the motor mount and also experience the sway over 60. If I wasn't so lazy I would take the motor off and put in the bow of the boat and I might be able to go faster. I guess I would rather be lazy and drive slower. Towing something that big over 60 mph I don't think is a good idea anyway. Check the archives and good luck with your H260 Barnacle Bill
Agree with Barnacle Bill...
Larry, I agree with Bill on this- I don't like the idea of towing a trailer this large with a standard-soze vehicle. If you keep the speed down, you shouldn't have any problems towing the boat. I've found that I can get my H23 up to about 65 MPH before the sway gets REALLY ugly, but control starts to get a little squirrelly after about 60. Tongue weight and tire selection seem to be the two greatest contibutors to this swaying, according to the archives. I remove my outboard and try to stow all my sailing gear in the V-berth when towing, and don't have any real problems with trailer sway below 60 MPH. Good luck with your new boat! --Jon Bastien H23 '2 Sheets to the Wind'
Larry, I agree with Bill on this- I don't like the idea of towing a trailer this large with a standard-soze vehicle. If you keep the speed down, you shouldn't have any problems towing the boat. I've found that I can get my H23 up to about 65 MPH before the sway gets REALLY ugly, but control starts to get a little squirrelly after about 60. Tongue weight and tire selection seem to be the two greatest contibutors to this swaying, according to the archives. I remove my outboard and try to stow all my sailing gear in the V-berth when towing, and don't have any real problems with trailer sway below 60 MPH. Good luck with your new boat! --Jon Bastien H23 '2 Sheets to the Wind'
HP and Wheelbase
I own a 240. With the single axle trailer. You must have Wheel base length, Horse power, oil cooler, trans cooler. Horse power: Helps you pull the weight over rough roads, no bouncing. Wheelbase: The heavier the load, the more length you need here to keep the trailer from driving the tow vehicle. Coolers: Just have to have these to keep the liquids cool. Also, be sure your boat is centered on the trailer. This is the most common cause for trailer sway.
I own a 240. With the single axle trailer. You must have Wheel base length, Horse power, oil cooler, trans cooler. Horse power: Helps you pull the weight over rough roads, no bouncing. Wheelbase: The heavier the load, the more length you need here to keep the trailer from driving the tow vehicle. Coolers: Just have to have these to keep the liquids cool. Also, be sure your boat is centered on the trailer. This is the most common cause for trailer sway.
Swing & Sway
It sure makes a world of difference when we move the outboard and the rudder up to the tow vehicle for our H23.5. I never bother when the trip is under 50 miles but on longer trips it's well worth the extra trouble. Be sure your trailer tires are round and balanced --- this causes more grief than we realized. Am I paranoid or do people who are passing cut back in sooner when there's a boat in tow. Seems that I brake occasionally to save my front fender. Ken S/V Wouff Hong
It sure makes a world of difference when we move the outboard and the rudder up to the tow vehicle for our H23.5. I never bother when the trip is under 50 miles but on longer trips it's well worth the extra trouble. Be sure your trailer tires are round and balanced --- this causes more grief than we realized. Am I paranoid or do people who are passing cut back in sooner when there's a boat in tow. Seems that I brake occasionally to save my front fender. Ken S/V Wouff Hong
drag link
I don't know if this will help but, I just towed a h26 from kansas to new york. the way to stop the sway is to speed up when it happens, then...once your heart stops pounding, slow down. there is a company that makes a drag link to reduce sway. it attaches to your hitch and the trailor. there is an adjustment nut that you tighten and the drag that that produces stops the sway. This works well. we have used it to tow my dads studabakers to meets all over the place, and that trailor is heavyer than my h26.
I don't know if this will help but, I just towed a h26 from kansas to new york. the way to stop the sway is to speed up when it happens, then...once your heart stops pounding, slow down. there is a company that makes a drag link to reduce sway. it attaches to your hitch and the trailor. there is an adjustment nut that you tighten and the drag that that produces stops the sway. This works well. we have used it to tow my dads studabakers to meets all over the place, and that trailor is heavyer than my h26.
Trailer
I do not recommend that you go over 60 for safety reasons as you do not have the experience. Take your time to get there and be safe than sorry. I travel over 70 or 75 but that is with experience of over 2 1/2 millon miles of towing. I think I know your problemm. Just move the trailer winch stand forward at 2 inches per time to put more weight on the tongue. This should correct your problem. Also, you have brakes and if you suddenly brake, guess what, you will feel the rig braking and holding your car back. When you pass tractor trailers, you will notice a slight pull due to the air flow toward the rig which is more noticable with one axle. Check tongue weight and go no faster than 60. Like to see ya around for years to come so you can pick on me. Crazy Dave
I do not recommend that you go over 60 for safety reasons as you do not have the experience. Take your time to get there and be safe than sorry. I travel over 70 or 75 but that is with experience of over 2 1/2 millon miles of towing. I think I know your problemm. Just move the trailer winch stand forward at 2 inches per time to put more weight on the tongue. This should correct your problem. Also, you have brakes and if you suddenly brake, guess what, you will feel the rig braking and holding your car back. When you pass tractor trailers, you will notice a slight pull due to the air flow toward the rig which is more noticable with one axle. Check tongue weight and go no faster than 60. Like to see ya around for years to come so you can pick on me. Crazy Dave
Oops...
Must be a sign of busy forums... when more than one post is submitted in the very same second, they get the same unique ID # (which is based on the time)... which leads to more than one reply coming up when you click a link. When your reply is the one on the bottom, it can be disorienting! I fixed this one, Dave, and will look into the problem. Thanks for letting me know! p.
Must be a sign of busy forums... when more than one post is submitted in the very same second, they get the same unique ID # (which is based on the time)... which leads to more than one reply coming up when you click a link. When your reply is the one on the bottom, it can be disorienting! I fixed this one, Dave, and will look into the problem. Thanks for letting me know! p.
Swaying over the bounty sea!
Larry; If your 260 trailer is swaying, then the most common problem is the location of the boat on the trailer. IF too far back, then you have no weight on the tongue and you will experience swaying. Two things to look for. Are you storing alot of gear in the back and if so, move it forward and see what happens. If you are still having the problem, then you may want to consider moveing the winch stand two inches forward so the boat will go forward another two inches on the trailer. Try that and if it appears to have helped but need to do it again, then move it forward another inch or two. Your trailer is a magic tilt and generally, these are good trailers. Try this and then post your results in the forum to let me know if this corrected the problem. Crazy Dave
Larry; If your 260 trailer is swaying, then the most common problem is the location of the boat on the trailer. IF too far back, then you have no weight on the tongue and you will experience swaying. Two things to look for. Are you storing alot of gear in the back and if so, move it forward and see what happens. If you are still having the problem, then you may want to consider moveing the winch stand two inches forward so the boat will go forward another two inches on the trailer. Try that and if it appears to have helped but need to do it again, then move it forward another inch or two. Your trailer is a magic tilt and generally, these are good trailers. Try this and then post your results in the forum to let me know if this corrected the problem. Crazy Dave
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