I don't know what trailer you have but if it is tubular you can have someone cut it and rig you up with a detachable tougue setup.
LS
Well it is still summer, which means winter is right around the corner in new england. unfortunately my trailer is sticking out of the garage in my new house. Is there a safe, cost effective way of removing the boat from the trailer for the winter?
I don't know what trailer you have but if it is tubular you can have someone cut it and rig you up with a detachable tougue setup.
LS
It is a competitive trailer...that is a really cool idea, I need to look into that.
TB:
I have a Competitive trailer that was modified (by Competitive) to be a swing-away tongue. I can send some pics to you if you like. This modification reduced the overall length of my rig from over 23 feet to right at 21 feet 6 inches, from the folding part of the trailer, to the tip of the PD nozzle.
SteveM.
I'd be interested to see the mods to your Competitive trailer. Mine won't fit in the garage due to the toungue also.
[This message has been edited by Heatseeker (edited August 15, 2001).]
Here's how Extreme does it:
Extreme Trailer Options (http://www.extremetrailers.com/page6.html)
http://www.extremetrailers.com/6-17.jpg
http://www.extremetrailers.com/6-18.jpg
[This message has been edited by Havasu Hangin' (edited August 15, 2001).]
A friend had the same problem, He cut a small hole in his garage door for the tongue.
058 has the right idea if you can just cut a small hole in the garage door then build a box over the hole.
As a mechanical/structural engineer with a strong background in design and stress analysis, I can tell you that I personally would not choose a swing away tongue like the one shown. Particularily with heavy tongue weights, that connection which provides the function you want, can act as an elastic hinge. Repeated loading as encountered while trailering results in high bending loads at this hinge point that are reacted across the pins. The words "cumulative fatigue damage" come to mind, as do the words "eventual failure". Perhaps this has not happened (yet), but then again, this design is fairly new.
When I fabricated my removeable tongue, my choice was to telescope a 2.5" square tube inside 3.0" square tube. Cross pinned with a pair of grade 8 5/8 dia fasteners/pins. These pins are in pure shear and all bending loads are carried across the composite beam section. Just look at the typical draw bar that inserts into your receiver and you will understand what I am describing. Another benefit is that the tongue was removeable, so it was rather difficult to rip off the boat/trailer. Surge brake hydraulics coupled with a standard hydraulic quick disconnect fitting.
GStark, I'm not an engineer of any sort, but (I know a thing or two about a thing or two) Cumulitive Fatigue is a characteristic of Aluminum Not Steel. The hinge pin as well as the locking pen where the lateral load would be placed are made of steel. With Steel if it holds, it holds throughout the test of time. (Providing no corrosion etc..)
RD