Just a few thoughts on the tongue weight comments. I have run across the truck scales with my 99 Subaru Outback and my M-15 on the Trailrite trailer that it came with. Boat and trailer came in at 1400 pounds, with very little in the boat; the sail bag, a paddle, boat hook, cushions, life jackets, porta-pottie, sheets and docking lines. The OB, trailer spare tire, and the ground tackle kit were al in the back of the car. With the trailer unhooked from the car, I can lift the hitch enough to readily move the trailer wherever I want to. I would guess the tongue weight to be only 60 - 80 pounds. I will have to weigh it when I get home to check. The Outback is rated to pull 2000 pounds and the hitch is rated at 250/2500 (tongue weight/trailer weight), and on the road it doesn't even know the boat is back there. The car was purchased with pulling the boat as a goal. I consulted with my mechanic re the auto VS manual transmission question. His recommendation was to go with the Auto Transmission because it is kinder to the engine, and with an accessory transmission cooler and regular maintenance it should last for many years. My preference was for the standard transmission which in my Toyota Tercel 4WD wagon has lasted for 475,000+ miles, with out a new clutch, trans, or engine, however, I trust my mechanic's opinion. The Outback is a 4 cylinder, I wish it was a 6, but it still gets about 22 - 24 mpg and seems to run easy with Pelican in tow. I wish I had a transmission temp gauge but Subaru did see fit to have an idiot light that will come on if the trans heats up. Guess we will know how well it works and how right the mechanic is when I get a few hundred thousand miles on the combination. The Outback is a bit low, and when retrieving the boat, it usually comes just an inch shy of getting tight to the rubber vee on the winch post. It sits solid on the bunks and doesn't appear to have moved when I get home. I'm thinking maybe I need to move the winch post aft to meet the boat where it usually sits. The trailer does not have a tongue extension and that is coming soon and will probably help with getting the boat farther up on the trailer. This is my limited experience, ( except for my 475K miles on my Toyota ), and hopefully it might help someone else along the decision path. Harvey & Deena H M-15 #348 Pelican Walla Walla, WA
Harvey, You are already courting disaster with your light trailer tongue weight. Don't move anything further aft on the trailer. All the experts say you should have at least 10% of the trailer/boat weight on the hitch ball to keep the boat and trailer from fishtailing in an emergency stop or during gusty side winds. Figure out a way to get the boat forward to the V-stop on the trailer, even if it means backing the car further into the water to float the boat to where it needs to be. Another quick fix that sometimes works: Tension the winch line as tightly as possible and make a few quick stops in the parking lot. The boat will usually slide forward a few more inches. The bow of the boat should rest snugly in the V-stop for highway travel. Joe Kidd M15 #207 "Poco a Poco"
Hey Harvey, At 3:22 AM -0600 4/28/02, Harvey Hochstetter wrote:
Just a few thoughts on the tongue weight comments. I have run across the truck scales with my 99 Subaru Outback and my M-15 on the Trailrite trailer that it came with. Boat and trailer came in at 1400 pounds, with very little in the boat; the sail bag, a paddle, boat hook, cushions, life jackets, porta-pottie, sheets and docking lines. The OB, trailer spare tire, and the ground tackle kit were al in the back of the car. With the trailer unhooked from the car, I can lift the hitch enough to readily move the trailer wherever I want to. I would guess the tongue weight to be only 60 - 80 pounds.
You better be talking 60 - 80 lbs. with the boat off the trailer... if that's the tongue weight with the boat ON the trailer, there is something seriously wrong and dangerous with your setup. Your tongue weight loaded with the boat should be in the 175lb.to 250lb. range or you are risking your life and boat! That boat going over the right type of bump or while stopping will lift the back end of your little Subaru right off the ground and jack knife you into tomorrow. I've seen it done... smashed car & trailer all over the road. 60% of the weight on the front half of the trailer, 40% in the back is the rule. If a trailer was balanced at the wheels (or even close; 60 - 80 lbs. tongue weight @ 1400 lbs.) its inertia could push you all over the road. Remember... that's 1400 lbs. pushing against you when you stop. When you have the extra 200 - 250 lbs. on your tow vehicle back wheels & frame while stopping, it counts for a lot. My trailer tongue loaded with the M15 is barely liftable single handed, so I think it's probably about 200 lbs., as that is comparable with me trying to dead lift a free weight of that lbs. -- Cal Spooner M15 #402 spoon@visi.com cspooner@mn.rr.com 763.574.1482
participants (3)
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Cal Spooner -
Harvey Hochstetter -
Joe Kidd