Extend Tongue Forward or Bunks Back?

[LDUBS]

@thill probably has it right. Get her out on the ramp. You will likely not have any issues.

 

[MrGiggles]

You have done some excellent work on that trailer, but it seems awfully high to me.

I would try it out before finalizing anything. If the ramps you normally use are pretty deep then you may get by with it, but on shallower ones you may be dunking the tow vehicle to float the boat off.

 

[Lost But Happy]

You have done some excellent work on that trailer, but it seems awfully high to me.

I would try it out before finalizing anything. If the ramps you normally use are pretty deep then you may get by with it, but on shallower ones you may be dunking the tow vehicle to float the boat off.

Thank you Sir!

The bunk mounts have yet to be adjusted down. They will come down an 1" or 2". I am at the point of drilling the holes in the bunks themselves and want to get the rear/aft position correct before I start making holes. I hate having to do things twice!

 

[Lost But Happy]

Welp, the trailer is just about ready for the maiden voyage...going to drag it and the Lund around the block to see how it goes. If it all tracks right, I'll be dunking Reba soon.

 

[thill]

With that light of a boat, it would track right, even without all that work, UNLESS you had a big motor on the back or a bunch of batteries back there to really throw things off. But with that axle where it is now, you will be good regardless of load.

It looks great. You will be good to go for a number of years. Just remember to grease your hubs regularly.

 

[airshot]

The issue I have been having is I cannot find a tongue extension that would slip over or in. Everything I have found is 3 x 3 x .120. Nothing bigger or smaller.

Nothing readily availiable over the counter....custom sizes are made every day, look for a local fab shop or building steel products company and call them with your dimensions. Sure it will cost a few extra bucks but far less than a new trailer. You really don't need a total square, a fab shop can make a U shape that slides over or inside once they know the weight your dealing with.

 

[Lost But Happy]

FINALLY got to take the boat and trailer out for a spin. She tracks beautifully as @thill said she would. Now the issue is (is there ever a time when there's not an issue? lol) is that the boat bounces around a lot and sort of does a side hop on bumps. Granted, there isn't any weight in the boat at all, but I think part of it may be my tires. Sidewall says 70psi max, so i put 70 in. lol I think i need to drop it down to 55-60 psi to get more cush on the sidewall. They are load rating D and I reckon that's pretty stiff.

These are the tires

https://www.northerntool.com/produc...VkffjBx11VQ1FEAQYASABEgJ-wvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Any thoughts Gents?

 

[thill]

When I have a light boat like that, I drop the tire pressure down to help absorb some of the shock, around 32 lbs or so.

Those tires won't squat or feel that setup, even with 20# of air in them. The pair is rated for 3,200 lbs, and you probably have 700 lbs on them. They are overkill, but good insurance. They will dry rot long before you wear them out. Nice choice!

 

[Lost But Happy]

When I have a light boat like that, I drop the tire pressure down to help absorb some of the shock, around 32 lbs or so.

Those tires won't squat or feel that setup, even with 20# of air in them. The pair is rated for 3,200 lbs, and you probably have 700 lbs on them. They are overkill, but good insurance. They will dry rot long before you wear them out. Nice choice!

Thank you @thill!

Exactly my thought when I got them...overkill=insurance. I don't want to be the poor guy on the side of a highway swapping wheels. lol

In the interim, I did a wee bit of searchin and found this website

https://tirepressure.org/
I reckon Im going to start at 50 psi and go down from there.

 

[Lost But Happy]

Welp, took yer advice @thill at dropped em down to 32 psi. Hopefully I can drag it around the block a bit sometime this weekend.

 

[LaqueRatt]

Holy crap those tires seem way over-priced to me. You should have maybe shopped around a little bit more.

 

[Lost But Happy]

Holy crap those tires seem way over-priced to me. You should have maybe shopped around a little bit more.

I did. Trust me, I did. lol

I wanted this specific wheel/tire combo. The D rating added like 20% to the cost. IIRC I bought em at $139 last year. Apparently they have jumped in price

 

[jethro]

Ah yes, D rating will do it and will add some cost. If you did a lot of shopping, you probably know of this place, but I'll shout it out here for anyone else looking for tires. I have 3 dual axle trailers so I know a few things about buying trailer tires and these guys are some of the best prices I know outside of the evil empire named after the South American rainforest and river. I have no affiliation with these people: easternmarine dot com.

Cheapest prices I've found. These guys have bias ply in your size, load D for $139 but you'd have to get just slightly wider tires.

https://www.easternmarine.com/loadstar-st185-80d-13-d-tire-white-painted-rim
You also could have gone radial in your exact size for $135 from them. Not trying to depress you at all, just information for the masses! I've bought literally thousands of dollars of tires from this place. Shipping may kill the price for some, but for me, DE to NH isn't that expensive and worth it.

https://www.easternmarine.com/loadstar-st175-80r-13-radial-tire-painted-rim-load-range-d

 

[airshot]

Thank you @thill!

Exactly my thought when I got them...overkill=insurance. I don't want to be the poor guy on the side of a highway swapping wheels. lol

In the interim, I did a wee bit of searchin and found this website

https://tirepressure.org/
I reckon Im going to start at 50 psi and go down from there.

Check the tire manufacture's web site, many trailer rire makers have charts on how much air is required for xx lbs of weight being carried. Safer bet to be sure...