Newer 24ft boat in shorlander trailer must do mod!

[Betik]

I heard on the grapevine that moving the axles is more work than moving the bow stopper. Also it is kind of important to have them perfectly square to the frame.

So I just moved my bow stopper and now I have a 31 foot rig to tow!!!!!! on the positive side though. There is now enough room between my bow and the cabin of the truck to fit my jetski

 

[jcyamaharider]

I heard on the grapevine that moving the axles is more work than moving the bow stopper. Also it is kind of important to have them perfectly square to the frame.

So I just moved my bow stopper and now I have a 31 foot rig to tow!!!!!! on the positive side though. There is now enough room between my bow and the cabin of the truck to fit my jetski

Then you would put more tongue weight back on........GEEEZZZ LOL

 

[adrianp89]

So the scale should be here today. Anyone with a SX210 adjust their weight yet? I estimate boat is at 4500lbs loaded.... and 5-7% should put me around 225lbs - 315lbs on the tongue. Maybe aim for 270?

I will have to check where my bunks end but the boat likes to move backwards as I trailer it - so maybe it's better off a little further back.

 

[Betik]

There should be public scales so you do not have to guess. Just go and weight with boat and without boat . Maybe sure your boa that a full on fuel and it has all the usual crap you carry with you while towing

 

[swatski]

I have a warning or heads up for those that have moved the boat back actually. The rear of my bunks end about a foot or so before the back of the boat. Obviously the strongest part of the bottom of the hull is where the transom is.

Thanks for posting (so glad you are back!!!) - great info on the wheel/axle/fender/brake/leaf spring assembly!
If your boat is already hanging out past the bunks I would, indeed, not push it any further without careful consideration. In that case, moving axles may be a good idea.

However, this warning above may be flawed for most 24' boats, for a couple of reasons (and for those boats moving bow stop, not axles, may be a better way to go).

First, the 240 boats like mine tend to have the transom recessed vs the end of bunk boards, from factory, and that can cause it's own problems. Having those squared off with the transom, or transom hanging past the end of bunk boards by a couple inches, is the way to go.

The transom is probably NOT the strongest part of a YJB hull, these are not outboard bearing transoms, but rather curved and thin/flimsy. If you look at the stringers - and there are no real stringers in those hulls, but whatever those reinforcements are - they tend to extend forward in the bilge towards the engine compartment, but the transom inself has no reinforcements and is just thin FRP shell. I would guess the most reinforced part of the hull is actually few feet forward of the transom, and right under the engine mounts.

ALso, if you look at the @Rod5 pics posted above - the bottom of the hull bows... So if it sits flat in contact w/ the bunks, as mine does (and did before I moved the bow post) - that indicates the bunks are bending (have some "give") - to accommodate that curvature.

In my book - at least for the 24' boats - the @Neutron trailer mod with bow stop move back a few inches is still the way to improve towing balance.
Notwithstanding - I will be checking all the bloody bolts on the trailer suspension after reading your warning words!
(as soon I get back to the States)
--

 

[Neutron]

Before i moved mine on day one of ownership, my bunks extended past the transom. Now there is aprox 7 inches

Lets not forget that psi along each bunk is probrably not the same in any given spot.
I am sure the areas of the mounting brackets for the bunks have the highest psi

 

[LukePrinsloo]

keep in mind with @Betik 's scale you can use a car jack to weight it with the tongue at ride height with the trailer level.
with the 4x4 method shown before the boat tongue is 10 inches lower than normal ride height.
For me i varied at ride height up to plus 4 inches and minus 4 inches. +/- 100 lbs tongue weight... (two axles so one gets more load as you lower the tongue from level).

 

[MidnightRider]

keep in mind with @Betik 's scale you can use a car jack to weight it with the tongue at ride height with the trailer level.
with the 4x4 method shown before the boat tongue is 10 inches lower than normal ride height.
For me i varied at ride height up to plus 4 inches and minus 4 inches. +/- 100 lbs tongue weight... (two axles so one gets more load as you lower the tongue from level).

Well you can still set it at the right ride hide using a pipe bolted to the board or some such solution. But yeah, I'm not arguing, if you can get a scale like Betik's to use it would be magnitudes easier than this hack solution. My only point was in a pinch this does work.

 

[LukePrinsloo]

agreed, just wanted to point this out to some that may use the methodology.

 

[rsg1963]

at the current paste, there is a very good change the traveling scale will in Ouachita next Friday and Bahia Mar for the June crossing.
for the record, I think I hold the record for towing with 875 lbs of tongue weight. LOL

Well, this may be cheating since my trailer is no longer a Shorelandr, but I gotcha beat on boat trailer tongue weight @Betik with #1470 pounds!!!

 

[Betik]

LOL come on that is a custom trailer with jetskis on the front. Needless to say your truck and mine are a league apart

 

[LukePrinsloo]

You must have to push that trailer miles into the water to launch the ski's...

 

[Betik]

I think he just lifts them up

 

[2kwik4u]

Well, this may be cheating since my trailer is no longer a Shorelandr, but I gotcha beat on boat trailer tongue weight @Betik with #1470 pounds!!!

Isn't that still a little heavy? Class V only rates the hitch to 1200lbs tongue weight.

https://www.drawtite-hitches.com/learning_center/general-towing-classes

 

[rsg1963]

Isn't that still a little heavy? Class V only rates the hitch to 1200lbs tongue weight.

https://www.drawtite-hitches.com/learning_center/general-towing-classes

Yes it certainly is. I run a WD hitch to cover that issue. Good catch though!!

 

[2kwik4u]

Yes it certainly is. I run a WD hitch to cover that issue. Good catch though!!

Copy that. Glad to hear a WD hitch is in use. Even on that monster of a truck I'm sure it helps.

Also, LOVE that setup. Not sure how far/often you use that, but it sure looks cool sitting there!

 

[rsg1963]

Copy that. Glad to hear a WD hitch is in use. Even on that monster of a truck I'm sure it helps.

Also, LOVE that setup. Not sure how far/often you use that, but it sure looks cool sitting there!

hahaha, thanks. Yes it's a beast and the WD setup does help the truck a little (I guess) but mostly I like it because it takes a lot of weight off the tongue of the trailer. It's a square tube that slides into a larger square tube (this way I can fit it in my back yard) and that tongue tube looks like it would bend without the additional support of the WD hitch.
We use the setup for about 5 months out of the year equaling about 15-20 trips is everything goes well, and most trips are 2 hours each way. Living in the SF Bay Area forces a multiple hour drive in most directions to get to a decent lake.

 

[TS4811]

Interesting, I had a problem backing my trailer last week. I was surprised as I had not had the problem ever before.

When we pulled out and I noticed the boat was a couple inches back from the winch roller I wasn’t too worried about it.

Of course I didn’t know how to lock out the brake. I didn’t knock I had a brake lockout insert.until I pull the manual on the trailer and this goofy piece dropped into my hands.
The day was hot and of course I was blocking the lane.
And as anyone who has attempted to use this “device” will know, it dropped out of the spot it needs to sit to defeat the brake in reverse. (So, add that to trailer MOD list.)
Reflecting on events later, it occurred to me the boat was too heavy on the tongue to the extent the brake probably isn’t working correctly. I was considering moving the winch back, but your reasoning makes a lot more sense. Especially as I will be going over the trailer closely after reading some of these posts.

Question:
I have a ‘17 SX210 do you have any measurements of stern to bunk end? Also a measure of stern to back axle would be helpful, I suspect my SX is a bit lighter in the stern than your 212. What kind of tongue weigh do you run?
BTW, Thanks for all the great information, I can see I am way behind on my modification list. The trailer has been low priority but I am going to take first real road trip next month so I guess I best get on it. I think I will be going to tire store too.
Safe boating

 

[Ronnie]

Interesting, I had a problem backing my trailer last week. I was surprised as I had not had the problem ever before.

When we pulled out and I noticed the boat was a couple inches back from the winch roller I wasn’t too worried about it.

Of course I didn’t know how to lock out the brake. I didn’t knock I had a brake lockout insert.until I pull the manual on the trailer and this goofy piece dropped into my hands.
The day was hot and of course I was blocking the lane.
And as anyone who has attempted to use this “device” will know, it dropped out of the spot it needs to sit to defeat the brake in reverse. (So, add that to trailer MOD list.)
Reflecting on events later, it occurred to me the boat was too heavy on the tongue to the extent the brake probably isn’t working correctly. I was considering moving the winch back, but your reasoning makes a lot more sense. Especially as I will be going over the trailer closely after reading some of these posts.

boating

My surge brakes engage sometimes when I put back the trailer up and always when I have to back up a small grade, like a driveway, before I can back down a ramp (like the spare supposed to/designed to).

I Believe that the device is called surge brake lockout aka a “D” key. If you need it to stay in position after the pressure on the surge brake cylinder is released put a strip or two of duct tape under/on your trialer’s tongue to tape the key in place when you need to shift in and out of reverse (which would normally engage and disengage the surge brakes/and cause the key to fall out). In a pinch, like if you lose or forget your D key at Home Nickels fit that spot perfectly as well, again better with tape. At one poi t I had nickels taped to the bottom of my trailer’s tongue. I eventually bought a few of these magnetic keys online (the second/orange one in the picture not the first but I like the first ones in the pic, especially the reminder tag) and attached it with a wire so it’s always easily accessible and more difficult to steal. In any case if you use any of these mechanical blocks don’t forget to remove them before the trailer hits the road again.

Miscellaneous note: there is probably a tab under the trailer tongue that releases the tension on the clip on the shaft of the cylinder, clip and it’s function analogous to a car emergency/parking brake, by pushing the tab/button under the tongue you are releaseing the parking or e brake. I push it every time i move the tow vehcile with the trailer in tow, we’ll every time I remember to do so.

 

[Neutron]

Why dont you just wire in the flat 5 pin connector that has the 5th pole to energize the reverse brake lockout. Its very easy