thill
Well-known member
I just posted this on the trailer subforum, but this is a common enough problem that I thought I should repost it here for others to benefit from.
If you find it a challenge to center the front of your boat on the roller on your trailer tongue, what has proven to work successfully is to install one of these:
It is a 12" self-centering roller. They are about $20 or so. Here is one on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081MQV7D4/
You want to mount it so it lays flat on the top of your trailer. On some trailers, this might be the area where your side rails and tongue come together, or wherever you can make it fit. The bracket should look like this and lay flat across the top of the trailer framing:
I strongly recommend that you drill holes to bolt the bracket where you need it on YOUR trailer. It works fine even on a skinny tongue if you drill (4) holes and use (2) 1/2" U-bolts. You need to buy decent U-bolts if you don't have any. DO NOT use some cheap, skinny little U bolts and hope it works.
I just found a 12" bracket on Amazon. There are others, but this type works well, and doesn't tend to catch/scratch your boat when mounted flat on top of the framing:
https://www.amazon.com/CE-Smith-Trailer-10305G40-Bracket/dp/B01FF356I2/
Once mounted, with 12" of roller to hit, you should be able to hit the roller. Then, the grooves in the roller will pull your boat to the center automatically.
These work really well as long as you install them the right way. The grooves should look like a "W" when viewed from the back of the trailer. If you accidentally mount it so it looks like a "M" it will cause you a huge headache, so double check.
I hope this is helpful. I've had annoying trailers, and these are a good trick to make things better.
If you find it a challenge to center the front of your boat on the roller on your trailer tongue, what has proven to work successfully is to install one of these:
It is a 12" self-centering roller. They are about $20 or so. Here is one on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081MQV7D4/
You want to mount it so it lays flat on the top of your trailer. On some trailers, this might be the area where your side rails and tongue come together, or wherever you can make it fit. The bracket should look like this and lay flat across the top of the trailer framing:
I strongly recommend that you drill holes to bolt the bracket where you need it on YOUR trailer. It works fine even on a skinny tongue if you drill (4) holes and use (2) 1/2" U-bolts. You need to buy decent U-bolts if you don't have any. DO NOT use some cheap, skinny little U bolts and hope it works.
I just found a 12" bracket on Amazon. There are others, but this type works well, and doesn't tend to catch/scratch your boat when mounted flat on top of the framing:
https://www.amazon.com/CE-Smith-Trailer-10305G40-Bracket/dp/B01FF356I2/
Once mounted, with 12" of roller to hit, you should be able to hit the roller. Then, the grooves in the roller will pull your boat to the center automatically.
These work really well as long as you install them the right way. The grooves should look like a "W" when viewed from the back of the trailer. If you accidentally mount it so it looks like a "M" it will cause you a huge headache, so double check.
I hope this is helpful. I've had annoying trailers, and these are a good trick to make things better.
Last edited:
