Has any one moved the post on the Shorland'r trailer?

[MrMoose]

its not worth crashing for. Be safe my sweet peroghi.

 

[Julian]

I could never get a strait answer as to the hitch weight capacity, goes for most cars/trucks. Towing capacity : Q7 TDI - 6600 lbs (Canada/US) or 7700lbs in Europe.

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3.0L Q7 towing capacity is 7700 in the US.

 

[swatski]

3.0L Q7 towing capacity is 7700 in the US.

That makes more sense.
Those things feel like tow tugs, except it is hard to tell if you are driving 60 or 90mph without looking at the speedometer.
(I tow at 65-70)

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[swatski]

@swatski
From the crotch of the front winch arm to the tip of the hitch is 32 and 3/4". I have just over an inch overhang at the back.

Ha! I think we may be getting somewhere!
SO - I just measured mine (painted not galvanized, but the same design).
Interesting:
the back (hull) is recessed by almost 2" in the back (that would be negative 2" overhang) - and I never liked it
"the crotch of the front arm" (technical term) to the end/tip is about 29 1/4"

That means I will be moving my post by at least 3" backwards. Maybe more, lets see if there is a consensus.

In reality, what @Neutron does - can be done on a ramp, and it is going to be fairly easy to test in 1-2" increments. Which is probably a good idea anyway, given @txav8r point about little distance could make a bit difference/have big effect.

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[Julian]

Huh....mine in 33" from the bend in the hitch arm to the tip of the hitch. It is 57" from the tip of the hitch to the front of the V behind the hitch (I'm just giving that measurement as I wonder if our trailers are different). Mine is galvanized....

 

[robert843]

I have no clue about my front but my rear is similar as @swatski aprox negative 2 inches of overhang. My last boat the 2011 SX240 had aprox 2 inches of over hang so I figure I have about a 4 inch adjustment coming.

 

[Mainah]

@swatski, RANT ON: no time to read the previous posts, but all I can say is that my 2012 Durango R/T (soon to be sold) has had no problems with towing my 2015 AR240. Maybe your towing concerns stem from the vehicle that you are towing with... you know the one that fries it's brakes in the 35K mile range, compared to my Durango R/T that is at 78K miles on the original brakes, after two round trips towing from Houston to Ft. Lauderdale for the Bimini crossings... I know, bad grammar, but I only mention this because maybe it's a tow vehicle capability issue. I'm not a Dodge fan, nor am I promoting any other kind of tow vehicle, BUT I am currently searching for my next SUV. I hate that the Durango R/T is so long-in-the-tooth (ugly now relative to 2011), the Ford Expedition is ugly, the Chevy Tahoe is ugly, the GMC Yukon is ugly, the Cadillac is really expensive (and still kind of ugly), the Porsche is too small, the Grand Cherokee is also too small. The Infinity is big and capable but looks like a manatee. I'm frustrated, and I think that I'm going to buy another Durango R/T based purely on capability, and price relative to ugliness.
RANT OFF
Moose out.

Been where you are Moose. Wife wanted to get rid of her early model Durango Citadel that started to be plagued with issues. Looked at all of the same you are plus Volvos. Don't need it for towing since I have a truck but certainly needed 3 rows for our teenagers, AWD for snow, and a back up tow vehicle is not a bad thing. Don't know how it happened but a salesman remote started our current 2015 R/T while my wife was next to it and the search was over. In a year or two I may end up with the Durango R/T for the little towing we will be doing at that point and my wife will likely end up with a sports car. Hopefully she lets me drive the sports car once and a while. More to the point the AWD Durango R/T is one heck of a capable SUV and especially for not being on a half ton truck chassis.

 

[Neutron]

Just got off phone with Sean from Shorelanr Traliers. He said 10 to 15% way to much.
He said that particular boat/trailer combo should be 5 to 7%
Straight from the horses mouth....

 

[bronze_10]

I bought a replacement trailer last year. The tounge on this thing is waaay long. It added more tounge weight so to compensate i had air bags but under my 2005 durango. Afterwards it pulled like a dream.. the longer wheel base with added suspension stabilization made all the difference. The air bags were not cheap but they were required.

I am not a novice at towing. I grew up on a dairy farm... worked my way through school working at show barns for horses.. pulled some massive horse trailers... submitted a letter to the state govenor to gey an under aged class a cdl at the age of 19 and it was granted. Drove commercial trucks for many years... still have a class a. Weight on the truck is essetial.. too little is dangerous... the right vehicle to handle the weight is essetial... as the example above would suggest i woukd rather beef up my tow vehicle with some after market parts to bring it up than to lower the tounge weight too much. I know i know spmetines it may be required if the tounge weight is just simply too heavy and u have yo consider the tkres u r running if it is heavy but as a rule i would rather a little more than not enough.

Now i bought a new to me f250 and i dont worry about nothing.. lol!

 

[swatski]

Just got off phone with Sean from Shorelanr Traliers. He said 10 to 15% way to much.
He said that particular boat/trailer combo should be 5 to 7%
Straight from the horses mouth....

BINGO!!!

I would think those novel @Neutron's findings deserve a separate thread and a FAQ entry, or whatever.

This is way too important to be buried in a bunch of "what do you like to tow with" regurgitated stuff. IMHO.

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[Mainah]

My measurement came out the same as @Julian, 33". I went ahead down to the ramp and made a quick adjustment to push it back 2 inches. It did make a small difference in towing for me and a bit more level. I would not want the boat any further back so more adjustment would require moving the axles.

I put my 400lb bathroom scale direct under the tow point with a post and a flat 2x10 in between to distribute the load on the scale evenly. Level trailer still over 400 lbs (not sure how much over as I can't spend more time on this right now). I also have some more stuff loaded in the bow of the boat now so won't be accurate. As an FYI a 3/4 or 19mm lug wrench is all someone needs to do this. I will give this setup a go and report back after the long haul this weekend. If you see black ram with Maine veteran plates hauling a gray 242 ls with the shipping cover on headed south on 81 this weekend; thats me.

Edit - To be clear I am 35 inches now and still over 400 lbs of tongue.

 

[swatski]

The tounge on this thing is waaay long.

A longer tongue will exert less weight on the hitch than a shorter tongue. (longer will weight less if you weight at the coupler)

BTW - my Q7 does not squat, so please lets not confuse issues here. Tow vehicle squat is NOT why I posted about the trailer issue here, and not the topic of my concerns.

THE ISSUE is, we are not following the OEM recommendations. If my trailer falls apart while I tow because its weight distribution is OFF, it would be a shame.

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[Neutron]

I would think too much tongue weight would have more strain on front axle/wheels. As would too little would affect rear axle.

 

[Julian]

BTW - my Q7 does not squat, so please lets not confuse issues here. Tow vehicle squat is NOT why I posted about the trailer issue here, and not the topic of my concerns.

My Q7 DOES Squat more than I'd like, which it never did with my 230....which is in part why I'm wondering if my tongue weight is way high (that and my experience trying to lift it myself in comparison to my 230). Squatting they way it does will cause uneven wear on both my tow vehicle AND my trailer....so I'd like to rectify that if possible. If Shorelander's recommendation is in the mid 400s for my trailer....I'll be shooting for that.

 

[bronze_10]

A longer tongue will exert less weight on the hitch than a shorter tongue. (longer will weight less if you weight at the coupler)

BTW - my Q7 does not squat, so please lets not confuse issues here. Tow vehicle squat is NOT why I posted about the trailer issue here, and not the topic of my concerns.

THE ISSUE is, we are not following the OEM recommendations. If my trailer falls apart while I tow because its weight distribution is OFF, it would be a shame.

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I wasnt talking anout your vehicle swatting.. i was talking about mine and what i did to fix it and the results i found with it.

 

[blacksapphirez]

i moved mine about 3 inches. immediately felt better. but would be hesitant to move it any further back at this point.

 

[swatski]

i moved mine about 3 inches. immediately felt better. but would be hesitant to move it any further back at this point.

That's great! I'm thinking of moving mine 4-5" when I get to it, always bothered me to see the hull recessed on the bunks - I'm just SOOO kicking myself for not figuring this out any sooner and doing it. Should have noticed that bow post needs to be moved and it is not welded with the frame . This really is such an obvious tweak.

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[swatski]

I finally got to play with this - moving the bow post assembly around. Below are some thoughts/observations.

I also did some more reading on the subject and concluded that indeed a target tongue weight for our boat trailer is 7.5% of total. 7.5% tongue weight translates into some 350-400lbs for my boat.

Here is one good source (for easy reading): http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/trailering/trailerCalculations.html


I moved the post back and forth taking some tongue weight measurements.
Here are my observations, experiences:

1. moving the post back requires a ramp (or an empty trailer) but making small forward adjustments is easy and can be done in a driveway
   
2. it is difficult (impossible) to accurately measure tongue weight in DIY settings - for example, every time you move the boat/trailer and the slope of the ground changes (ever so slightly) it pivots the boat/trailer (forward or back - moving COG and ruining your measurements); in other words - unlike total weight, which can be ascertained at a weight station, slope of the ground makes tongue weight measurements inaccurate at best;
   
3. with the above notwithstanding, from the factory - my combo was NORTH of the double of the target 7.5%... don't know exactly, but clearly not good
   
4. after making 4 or 5 adjustments (with short tows in between) I arrived at a comfortable distance of moving the post (backwards); I am not going to give specifics but the distance I moved the post is greater than 5"
5. there is a safety margin in case the boat does not slide all the way forward (and does not rest on the roller) - with the bow not touching the roller and sitting approx. 5" back from it I still can not lift the tongue, not even close, it is still over 300lbs;
   
6. moving the post is super easy (w/just a 3/4" wrench)
7. I feel WAY WAY better about this trailer now; I think there is a substantial difference/improvement in towing - time will tell
8. this IS very much a recommended mod (thank you @Neutron)
   
9. be careful, every trailer and boat combo will be different depending on how it is loaded.

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[Rod5]

Wow 5 inches, so you must have 2 or 3 inches overhang off the back now? Great write up!

I checked mine this morning and its flush or perhaps negative 1/8 inch. No complaints but it is pretty heavy up front...

 

[rsg1963]

Great, more things to tweak on, added to my list...sigh...**I picked the wrong day to quit methamphetamines....

**all credit to the movie Airplane.