Lifting a sailboat from a trailer question

[davidmhull]

LloydB, I am not going to use the trailer wheel at all. It will be jacked up and folded back for the launch. I would only use it to hold up the tongue while I install, extend or whatever the extension. I hadn't thought of using the bucket to lift the transom and then brace it up. The tractor would lift the entire boat no problem. I lifted a Ford F250 completely off the ground with it so I know it will handle the boat. That's not a bad idea at all. Lift the transom, block it up and put the strap under the keel forward of the balance point. Good idea thanks.

 

[davidmhull]

rgranger, I value everyone's input on this issue. I know I can get the boat up in the air and I may be beating the proverbial dead horse but I think a wise man listens to others with experience, gathers as many ideas as he can and uses the one that suits the situation the best. Now if you are saying that I am being overly cautious here then please speak up. I don't want to damage the hull by doing something that is ignorant which I will admit to, not having ever done this. Thanks and happy sailing.

 

[rgranger]

rgranger, I value everyone's input on this issue. I know I can get the boat up in the air and I may be beating the proverbial dead horse but I think a wise man listens to others with experience, gathers as many ideas as he can and uses the one that suits the situation the best. Now if you are saying that I am being overly cautious here then please speak up. I don't want to damage the hull by doing something that is ignorant which I will admit to, not having ever done this. Thanks and happy sailing.

Just having some fun Dave. You gon't get to use that icon very often...There aren't very many threads that go to four pages long and most of those get to that length because they have diverged onto a few tangents along the way. Here we have four pages of people all saying about the same thing. But it is all good. It is too cold in most places to go sailing so this is all we got:neutral:

Fair winds if you got some,

r

 

[davidmhull]

rgranger.....my response was meant to be tongue in cheek as well with a wee bit of truth thrown in. If I actually thought you were messing with me then I would not have responded at all. And that is a really nice icon by the way which I would be itching to use myself if I were you.

 

[Chris Patterson]

Just hire a Sikorsky helicopter to pick it up, and put it anywhere you need it.

My lord, people....do I have to think of everything?......

 

[RTSKI]

Back to the extension question: trucker friend of mine pointed out an obvious (?) simple solution: buy a piece of square tubing the same size as a trailer hitch draw bar; have holes drilled in it for the pin that secures the draw bar; depending upon the vertical heights of the tow vehicle receiver and trailer coupler, either drill a hole in the top and install a ball, or weld a draw bar with appropriate drop to the end of the tube. A extension like this could be 6' or so long and fit inside your vehicle. At the ramp, unhook the trailer, replace the regular towing draw bar with the extended draw bar, connect the trailer using the same coupler on the trailer. You now have an additional 6' (or whatever) of distance between the trailer and the rear of the tow vehicle.

 

[Chief RA]

RTSKI: Check page #3, my entry. I have a 7' longx1/4" thick,x2" square extension and it works great! Chief

 

[davidmhull]

Hi Chief and RTSKI. I saw what you had suggested Chief and my thinking was that if I am going to make one I want it pretty darn long. I was hoping for 8' or so. I was afraid with all that hanging out there on my truck receiver it might bend due to all the leverage. Again, I don't have a clue what I am thinking about here because I haven't tried it. The forces may be well within the capacity of an eight or even ten foot piece of square tongue stock. I really don't want much weight on that lame trailer jack wheel which is about 5" in diameter and looks more like it belongs on some kids wagon. I guess I could kind of split the difference and just use the trailer jack wheel for stability as mentioned and take a little bit of the weight of the tongue off that extension. There are a bunch of ways to skin this cat and I'm sure I'll come up with something. I'm going to pull the boat on Friday after Thanksgiving so I'll try to take some pictures. Wish me luck.

 

[CloudDiver]

Better trailer jack/wheel for tounge extension.

I'm in the same boat as the posts above (no pun intended ). I'll need an extension and I think the best way to go is a square tube extension into the hitch receiver, but obviously as it has been pointed out that puts a heck of a lot of stress over a long length of unsupported tube. Ergo, the suggestion is to use the trailer jack/wheel to support the tongue weight... but those cheesy plastic wheels don't hold up well to anything except light rolling around on really clean, level surfaces.
My plan is this, I'll make my hitch mount extension, probably 8 feet, from heavy wall tube. I'll end up using the trailer jack/wheel to support so it needs an upgrade. Two ways to do this;
1. Just buy a new trailer jack. Fulton has some heavier duty trailer jacks that have heavy duty single wheels or two wheels. They swivel too, which is better than having to kick the darn thing around all the time! These Fulton jacks get pricey!
2. Just upgrade the wheel. Unfortunately the most common jacks that we all have are similar versions, the wheel is welded to the jack shaft. You'll have to cut the old one off and weld on a plate to get a new one. I'm a welder and have my own equipment at home so this isn't a big deal for me, but I know it is for others.
I get my caster wheels from an Industrial Overstock place in San Diego called K-Surplus, its like heaven for the DIYers. My Toy-hauler has an electric jack that came with a skid, no wheel. I got a heavy duty ball bearing caster with a poly wheel rated for 1/2 ton, luckily it was a bolt on application. It makes swinging the tongue on that trailer a breeze, plus the wheel is bomb proof.

 

[Chief RA]

Guys, I have had a 7' extension fabricated that I have used! This is not just a brain fart. This sucker works great and the wheel is only used for a stabilizer by just SKIMMING the ground. Now this is used with a dual axle trailer that rolls pretty well balanced anyway. If you have a single axle then you probably would have to beef up the jack wheel to ride on. I even have a spare mounted up on the front of the trailer that can be rolled down and pinned to roll on if I needed it! With the 10000lb reciever I think a10' unit would work fine. Remember, you are only doing a few mph while using it. If that doesn't convince you, I am an Ind. Eng. and one of my 4 minors is metal. Chief

 

[CloudDiver]

We'd love to see a pic of this set-up!

Guys, I have had a 7' extension fabricated that I have used! This is not just a brain fart. This sucker works great and the wheel is only used for a stabilizer by just SKIMMING the ground. Now this is used with a dual axle trailer that rolls pretty well balanced anyway. If you have a single axle then you probably would have to beef up the jack wheel to ride on. I even have a spare mounted up on the front of the trailer that can be rolled down and pinned to roll on if I needed it! With the 10000lb reciever I think a10' unit would work fine. Remember, you are only doing a few mph while using it. If that doesn't convince you, I am an Ind. Eng. and one of my 4 minors is metal. Chief

 

[Chief RA]

CloudDiver: Sorry, Compass Rose is put away in her boat house for the winter. I might also add, all this discussion doesn't even address the fact that I have another 10' extension that slides out from under the trailer tongue! This is a 27' boat that needs 6' of water to get her off the trailer! Chief

 

[Chief RA]

CloudDiver: Compass Rose is put away in her boat house for the winter. I didn't mention that the trailer has another 10' extension under the tongue. Compass Rose is a big trailerable and requires 6' of water to get her off the trailer! When she is in the water people are amazed that she is a trailerable. She also has a 32' mast and a wing keel.
Later, Chief

Tried to remove this 2nd response but can't seem to. Thought the 1st one had been deleted. Oh well

 

[davidmhull]

Well I got the boat off the trailer thanks to you guys. It's off to the galvanizer. Thanks for all your help.

 

[woodster]

Well I got the boat off the trailer thanks to you guys. It's off to the galvanizer. Thanks for all your help.

hay hay hay that rigging looks familiar ....congratulations

 

[rgranger]

Way to go Dave

btw: Hull is a good name for a boat guy