Extend Tongue Forward or Bunks Back?

[airshot]

Keep in mind that any extension on the hitch ball side or reduces towing capacity and tongue allowance of the vehicle.Any beam side addition reduces the towing capacity of the trailer. However I do not believe you are dealing with anything that’s topping the scales…….

Have you seen this. It bolts on and you can add a small length for what you need. No welding required…..

https://www.etrailer.com/Folding-Trailer-Tongue/Fulton/FHDPB330301.html

You are correct, already took that into consideration...the extender is rated for 5k and my boat trailer combo is less than 2k. My Jeep is rated for 4400 lbs with its tow pkg. We seem to have a lot of shallow ramps in my area so that extra 12" does help. I have also thought about adding an extra 2 ft onto the tongue just because of the shallow ramps..

 

[Lost But Happy]

Well Gents, I took the dive and hired a mobile welder. He welded the tongue extension with 2x 2' long pieces of 1/4" angle iron. This sucka aint goin anywhere. lol




My question to the forum is, are there any problems if the transom of the boat is 6" in from edge of the back of trailer?

Issue I have now is that the bow mount is not wide enough to go around the angle iron. If I attach the bow mount just forward of the angle, it will put the transom 6" forward of the edge of the trailer. I have new bunks I will be installing of which I can line up wherever I need to. Thank you!

 

[LDUBS]

To me the overriding priority is to have at least 10% - 15% of the total boat/trailer weight on the tongue. Either put the bow mount where it needs to be to do that or move the axle. If you are moving things forward, you may be OK -- fingers crossed.

I can't think of a serious problem with the rear trailer frame extended back beyond the transom so long as the outboard doesn't hit it. Seems it would be deep enough during launch and retrieval to not get in the way. You might forget and bang your shins, but that will only happen a couple of times. Lol.

 

[Lost But Happy]

To me the overriding priority is to have at least 10% - 15% of the total boat/trailer weight on the tongue. Either put the bow mount where it needs to be to do that or move the axle. If you are moving things forward, you may be OK -- fingers crossed.

I can't think of a serious problem with the rear trailer frame extended back beyond the transom so long as the outboard doesn't hit it. Seems it would be deep enough during launch and retrieval to not get in the way. You might forget and bang your shins, but that will only happen a couple of times. Lol.

LOL oh it'll happen! Even after 25 years of messing with Chrysler products, I always forget about the stupid hood latch and smack my head on it. :lol:

This monster...



I reckon the 2 pieces of angle iron are plenty heavy enough to have weight on the tongue, not to mention the bow of the boat would be about 2.5' from the hitch. At this point, she's electric only, so not too much worry bout the outboard. Though it may bite me in the butt in the future if I add a gas motor.

How far rearward of the trailer frame do the bunks have to be for a proper launch/retrieval? I did purchase a set of new 6' Ultimate bunk boards that will be installed once I figure this all out.

Thank you kindly! :LOL2:

 

[JL8Jeff]

There are different styles of bow mounts and some reach farther back. Here's my trailer for comparison, yours look pretty short compared to the one on my trailer.

 

[Lost But Happy]

Yes. Mine does not have an extension like yours. Basically it is the the winch bolted to the post and then the winch clips to bow.

 

[LDUBS]

How far rearward of the trailer frame do the bunks have to be for a proper launch/retrieval? I did purchase a set of new 6' Ultimate bunk boards that will be installed once I figure this all out.

Thank you kindly! :LOL2:

It is common for the transom to extend beyond the rear trailer frame. In that case the bunks need to be extended so that the transom is fully supported. Because you don't have that issue, I don't think they need to extend back at all. I can't think of an advantage to extending them back.

 

[Lost But Happy]

How far rearward of the trailer frame do the bunks have to be for a proper launch/retrieval? I did purchase a set of new 6' Ultimate bunk boards that will be installed once I figure this all out.

Thank you kindly! :LOL2:

It is common for the transom to extend beyond the rear trailer frame. In that case the bunks need to be extended so that the transom is fully supported. Because you don't have that issue, I don't think they need to extend back at all. I can't think of an advantage to extending them back.

I was thinking that if the bunks didn't stick out (even a little) it would be troublesome to launch/put back on trailer. Though the trailer would be mostly in the water anyways, so you're probably right.

 

[LDUBS]

How far rearward of the trailer frame do the bunks have to be for a proper launch/retrieval? I did purchase a set of new 6' Ultimate bunk boards that will be installed once I figure this all out.

Thank you kindly! :LOL2:

It is common for the transom to extend beyond the rear trailer frame. In that case the bunks need to be extended so that the transom is fully supported. Because you don't have that issue, I don't think they need to extend back at all. I can't think of an advantage to extending them back.

I was thinking that if the bunks didn't stick out (even a little) it would be troublesome to launch/put back on trailer. Though the trailer would be mostly in the water anyways, so you're probably right.

Yeah, I'm trying to visualize what might work best. Can't really put my finger on it one way or the other. Just like I don't see a problem with them not extended, I can't really see a problem if they extend out a little. You could always mount them sticking out a little like you say. If it works, then there is much happiness! If you do encounter some problem, you can always move them forward.

 

[Lost But Happy]

Much happiness indeed! lol

I think Im going to mock everything up before I start making holes etc, take a few pics and post em here. Maybe a visual reference will spark some thoughts. 8)

 

[JL8Jeff]

Did you search Facebook marketplace and craigslist in your area for "winch mount" or "winch post" to see if anything pops up? I saw several in my area but I do get a lot of boat related stuff popping up from the jersey shore area.

 

[Lost But Happy]

Did you search Facebook marketplace and craigslist in your area for "winch mount" or "winch post" to see if anything pops up? I saw several in my area but I do get a lot of boat related stuff popping up from the jersey shore area.

I have not, honestly. I am not on facebook and craigslist searches for my area suck. lol

My winch post is solid and I would like to try and reuse it.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Did you search Facebook marketplace and craigslist in your area for "winch mount" or "winch post" to see if anything pops up? I saw several in my area but I do get a lot of boat related stuff popping up from the jersey shore area.

I have not, honestly. I am not on facebook and craigslist searches for my area suck. lol

My winch post is solid and I would like to try and reuse it.

You need a longer arm on the winch post. That way the bow stop is moved farther out.

 

[Lost But Happy]

Did you search Facebook marketplace and craigslist in your area for "winch mount" or "winch post" to see if anything pops up? I saw several in my area but I do get a lot of boat related stuff popping up from the jersey shore area.

I have not, honestly. I am not on facebook and craigslist searches for my area suck. lol

My winch post is solid and I would like to try and reuse it.

You need a longer arm on the winch post. That way the bow stop is moved farther out.

So do you think it would be worth the cost and trouble getting the bow stop and winch extension just to gain 6"?

 

[Lost But Happy]

delete

 

[LDUBS]

OK, this is blue sky seat-of-the-pants stuff on my part.

If I understand the issue, adding the 1/4" angle prevents you from putting the winch post where you want it.

Seems it would be a fairly straightforward to modify the base of the post to fit. For example, cut the wings off, weld a flat plate on the bottom, and then use u-bolts to hold it on. If you want to avoid welding, seems a flange or something could be added to either side for u-bolts.

 

[Lost But Happy]

OK, this is blue sky seat-of-the-pants stuff on my part.

If I understand the issue, adding the 1/4" angle prevents you from putting the winch post where you want it.

Correct. But If I put the post just forward of the angle iron, the transom will be 6" forward from the edge of the rear of the trailer.

Would the transom being 6" forward of the edge of the trailer be a problem? That was my original question.

I should be able to mock everything up today and take pictures. I know they are worth 1000 words. lol

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

At this point you need to weigh your boat and trailer with fuel and gear.
That will tell you where the boat needs to be on the trailer. You want about 10% of the weight on the tongue.

 

[LDUBS]

If I'm visualizing this correctly, it seems by moving the boat forward along with the tongue extension you would be adding tongue weight. So, for example, if it was originally 10% you would likely be more than that now. Up to 15% seems to be generally recognized as the upper limit.

Weighing the boat is a great idea. Mount the post forward like you say. Put the boat on the trailer with the motor and normal gear. Take it to the scales. Who knows, you may within the 10% to 15% tongue weight target.

 

[JL8Jeff]

Your winch post looks like it was already cut/customized by somebody and that extra cut in it could compromise the strength. It doesn't look like your boat is all that heavy so it probably isn't an issue but that post does not look like the original for the trailer to begin with. I'm not sure I would want to pull the boat that far forward since it's already a small trailer. With a more angled post you might be able to mount it behind the extension and keep the boat back farther. With your winch post you would probably need to have some extensions welded on each side to be able to fit around your wider tongue extension to keep the boat in the right place on the trailer.

I circled the spot on your post that looks cut and could be starting to crack along it.