Swing tongue

[jethro]

Installed a swing tongue last night. Needed some more length to my trailer, bow stop was so close to the truck I couldn't open my tailgate and it was rough launching becuase I have to put the truck so far in the water my tailpipe was underwater. So if anyone needs an easy way to add some length, this is it. Still need to install longer safety chains because they need to be behind the pivot.

 

[ProduceMan]

I have the same problem with a short tongued trailer. I needed to leave the tongue short to make it up my hillclimb of a driveway. My trailer's main center tube is 3 x 3" square. I was able to buy an 8' piece of 2 1/2 x 2 1/2"x 3/16ths square tube with rounded edges that fit inside the trailer's main tube at a metal supply store. That gives me 5' of extension and 3' still inside the main tube for rigidity. Bought two 5/8" receiver pins at Harbor Freight to secure the tongue in either extended or retracted positions. When i finish it I will start my own post about it. Did you add length to your tongue or was the hinge just enough added length?

 

[jethro]

Did you add length to your tongue or was the hinge just enough added length?

I added 26" of steel, the piece between the hinge and the coupler. My coupler originally was where the hinge fixture is right now. The bow stop was so close to the coupler that I couldn't open the tailgate to my truck- I couldn't even step over the trailer tongue to get to the other side of the truck. To make it worse, my trailer had ZERO tongue weight, so the bow stop needed to move forward about 4 inches which I couldn't do without making the tongue longer. It also made it a bear to launch and retrieve because on some ramps my tailpipe was just about underwater.

I called my favorite boat shop to see how much it would cost me to get a 24" length of 3x3 galvanized tube steel. They just happened to have a section from a trailer that was modified and told me I could take it for free. So I bought the swing hinge assembly from them as well and had at it. Removed the coupler and put the hinge on in it's place, cut a 26" section of the tube steel, drilled a lot of holes and then bolted it all up. Then had to rewire the harness. Then was able to move my bow stop 4" forward.

Now the tongue weight is correct and I can launch at the shallow ramps around me much better.

 

[Johnny]

good job !!

This is the preferred method of attaching safety chains to an extended tongue with a pivot hinge.








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[richg99]

I own and have used a swing hinge. It isn't on now because I switched trailers and the new trailer is a bit longer. I may have to re-install it though... if this trailer won't fit into my Summer place's garage.

However, check out this post from BassBoat Central that came up THIS morning. It appears that they aren't as foolproof as I thought. The guy's comment about his trailer mechanic saying that they have seen them fold up often caused me a bit of alarm.

richg99
https://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=810784&page=2

 

[Johnny]

Rich - I agree that you are increasing the stress points with the pivot hinge.
excellent idea to inspect the assembly OFTEN for metal fatigue.

 

[richg99]

Johnny, unfortunately, most of us ( me included ) wouldn't know metal fatigue if it bit us in the A$$.

richg99

 

[Johnny]

oh my - LOL

If I had a pivot hinge on a trailer, and after seeing some of them fail,
I would look for bolts that are loose that should be tight, small cracks in the metal,
distorted metal where it should not be distorted, if the assembly appears to become
"sloppy" after a few years, if the connection pin is excessivly loose, if the pin is worn,
maybe it is time to replace the whole assembly.

 

[LDUBS]

I have one of these (Fulton HD Fold-Away) so Rich's Bassboat Central link about the hinge failures definitely caught my eye. I did a little checking on Google and see that practically all failures reported were caused by either the pin or hinge bolt breaking. Not sure why, but at least it gives us something to inspect. Tomorrow I will definitely be looking at both.

Fulton is adamant that there be no deviation from their install/use instructions. I suspect that there are a fair number of "self installs" out there that are not done correctly.

 

[LDUBS]

Johnny, unfortunately, most of us ( me included ) wouldn't know metal fatigue if it bit us in the A$$.

richg99

I get mental fatigue all the time.

 

[jethro]

WOW, this has me a bit freaked out. :shock: I fish some very remote areas that have me driving my boat 500 miles in a weekend and sometimes over the roughest roads America has to offer. Not to mention this is the heaviest boat I have ever owned at 2300lbs. I could have spent the same or even less money just replacing the entire tongue of the trailer but I assumed the hinges were really quite good. Silly me.

I only bought the swing assembly to add length easily. I don't need to save any space with the trailer when I park it. Guess I should have just bought a whole new tongue assembly.

 

[Johnny]

Jethro - just inspect the assembly often - pay particular attention
to the bolts and hinge pin - if you see anything suspicious, then it is
time to get it inspected by a trailer place or the place you purchased
the hinge. . . . . stay away from U-Haul !!! they employ monkeys
that only do what they have been taught - right or wrong.

happy and safe boating !!!!!!!!!!

 

[Stumpalump]

WOW, this has me a bit freaked out. :shock: I fish some very remote areas that have me driving my boat 500 miles in a weekend and sometimes over the roughest roads America has to offer. Not to mention this is the heaviest boat I have ever owned at 2300lbs. I could have spent the same or even less money just replacing the entire tongue of the trailer but I assumed the hinges were really quite good. Silly me.

I only bought the swing assembly to add length easily. I don't need to save any space with the trailer when I park it. Guess I should have just bought a whole new tongue assembly.

Me bets you never break it... If your one of those bass tards with 250hp on the back of your 18' plastic boat and pulling it with your Brodozer truck rolling on 20's with 38's at 75 mph then yea it will break.
I've read your posts. Your not a moron and will not destroy it.

 

[LDUBS]

Jethro, assuming your trailer tongue is 3x3, adding 26" is within Fulton's specs for gross trailer weights of up to 4,700 lbs. Looks like that part is good. Did you install the "male" half of the coupler to the trailer side -- can't tell from your photo. To me it doesn't seem like it could make any difference, but the Fulton instructions I have are very specific that the male half go on the trailer side and the "female" half go on the swing tongue.

I'm like you. I don't want to be worrying about the hinge every time I go over a bump. I will be monkeying with the boat today and will include an inspection of the pin & bolt. I am actually supposed to be doing some yard work. Well, the boat is on the side of the house which is technically part of the yard. So if I "work" on the boat, which is in the yard, then that could be defined as doing yard work. Definitely a solid defense.

 

[jethro]

Jethro, assuming your trailer tongue is 3x3, adding 26" is within Fulton's specs for gross trailer weights of up to 4,700 lbs. Looks like that part is good. Did you install the "male" half of the coupler to the trailer side -- can't tell from your photo. To me it doesn't seem like it could make any difference, but the Fulton instructions I have are very specific that the male half go on the trailer side and the "female" half go on the swing tongue.

Actually what I added makes for a 38" distance from the pivot point which is still within the acceptable range for my boat and trailer according to the instructions from Fulton. Boat weighs 2300lbs and trailer is no more than 700 so I am sure I am under 3000lbs loaded. I did install exactly how the paperwork detailed, can't remember which side is which off hand but I know I looked at the diagram and what I did matches exactly.