Re: Tilt trailers again
Gordon (hlg@pacbell.net)
Fri, 16 Apr 1999 12:46:04 -0700
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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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>Hello All,
>
>I've been very interested in the tilt trailer discussion, as I have a
>Highlander trailer that came
>with my boat and I've really never used it. I tried once or twice, but
>the boat seemed
>stuck on the trailer when I lifted the tilt mechanism, so I figured it
>wasn't worth it.
>
>I've been doing a little experimenting in the barn to try to see if I
>could improve things.
>With the boat snugged up to on the trailer, I adjusted the bunks so that they
>we're just lightly touching the hull. I gave myself about 6 feet of winch
>line to grab
>the boat if it started accelerating, and tried to tilt it off onto the
>soft floor of the barn.
>With a little bouncing and coresion, I got it down about 3 feet, but it
>seemed to get
>stuck. A little inspection showed that the center skeg was off of the
>rear roller, and
>the bunks were now supporting the boat, which would explain why the boat
>wouldn't
>move easily.
>
>When I winched 'er back up, I noticed that I had about an inch of space to
>between the
>bunks and the boat with it resting on the rear roller. How do you guys
>adjust the bunks so
>they don't grab the boat halfway down the tilt launch, but still provide
>*something* sturdy
>to allow you on and off the boat while still on the trailer (it will rock
>like crazy with the bunks
>any looser than I got 'em. Note I also pounded my roller brackets out so
>they would let
>the rollers move freely. My trailer has three rollers, all located on the
>tilting portion.
>
>TIA for any advice tilters can offer
>
>Derek Jensen
>p-15 #694 "El Nino"
>Portland, OR
I don't know what's happening on your trailer. Maybe it is because you are
on level ground instead of a slanting launch ramp, assuming your trailer is
connected to a vehicle. If your Highlander is like my Little Dude, you
should be able to adjust the bunks firmly up to the hull and not get hung
up. The three rollers should then be supporting the weight of the boat.
Does the roller height need adjusting?
I have launched my boat onto a padded garage floor or driveway, but I think
I had the trailer disconnected from the car at the time so that I could
raise the tongue. I have mangled the license plate and broken trailer
lights in this manner, but the boat hasn't hung up once it starts moving
(unless I don't have the centerboard fully retracted).
When you said the center skeg was off the rear roller, did you mean off to
one side? If so, you may need a different shape roller that will tend to
keep the keel centered. Or did you mean the boat was raised above the
roller? I've never paid attention to whether the boat stays in contact with
the three rollers during launching since it has never been a problem on
mine and I probably can't see all the rollers from the winch position
anyway.
Possibly the skegs are hitting the bunks. That would explain why the boat
hangs up after sliding two or three feet. The bunk brackets may have to be
rotated outward. Mine are positioned just slightly outboard of the skegs.
Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA