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Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       04-13-2015, 9:14 AM Reply   
My driveway slopes down at about a 30 degree angle, which makes a nightmare trying to get my boat trailer in the garage. Previously, I've used a 8" drop hitch and 2x10's get the prop gaurd to clear the toe of the slope. This year, I decided to bolt some trailer wheels to the bottom of the prop guard which would lift the trailer up at the toe of the slope. Well, the wheels did their job, until I noticed the prop guard deflected so much that it pushed agianst the prop and bent my new Acme 911 prop
/rant
Old     (501s)      Join Date: Feb 2010       04-13-2015, 9:25 AM Reply   
That sucks, sorry to hear about your misfortune. Seems like a good idea.....
Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       04-13-2015, 9:29 AM Reply   
I didnt expect the prop guard to deflect that much! My driveway isn't THAT steep, just that stupid prop guard sits so low. I need to make it removable.
Old     (you_da_man)      Join Date: Sep 2009       04-13-2015, 10:33 AM Reply   
You could've gotten a bit more room if you turned your prop so your prop blade wasn't directly above that flat iron.
Old     (TomH)      Join Date: Jan 2014       04-13-2015, 10:43 AM Reply   
Bummer. I've got a friend that does the same thing with an old nautique he has, and hasn't had any issues yet. It'd probably work if you added some reinforcement to the prop guard to beef it up.
Old     (hco)      Join Date: Jun 2006       04-13-2015, 10:48 AM Reply   
Prop guards are designed to flex and can take a beating. By putting the wheels on you gave it two pressure points to bend it quick and efficiently. Sorry about your prop, would highly recommend taking the wheels off.
Old     (bcrider)      Join Date: Apr 2006       04-13-2015, 10:59 AM Reply   
That sucks man. As long as you have the clearance you could also look at having the leafs replaced or shackles added to lift the whole trailer. I had to do that on my old trailer for clearance.
Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       04-13-2015, 11:12 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by you_da_man View Post
You could've gotten a bit more room if you turned your prop so your prop blade wasn't directly above that flat iron.
Yeah, I noticed that after, but it still hit the rudder so I wouldn't want to do that again.
Old     (Michael)      Join Date: Mar 2010       04-13-2015, 11:57 AM Reply   
you need to get these, when you added the wheels you lost at least 4 inches of clearence, so instead of dragging you put the boat on the prop guard wheels.

http://www.bakesonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=1255
Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       04-13-2015, 12:35 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael View Post
you need to get these, when you added the wheels you lost at least 4 inches of clearence, so instead of dragging you put the boat on the prop guard wheels.

http://www.bakesonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=1255
Thanks for the link, but unfortunately I dont see how those would work given the prop guard trailer design with the hoop extending so low.

Last edited by fouroheight68; 04-13-2015 at 12:38 PM.
Old     (Michael)      Join Date: Mar 2010       04-13-2015, 1:19 PM Reply   
Maybe have a 90 degree angle bracket made and side mount the wheels you have?
Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       04-13-2015, 1:22 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael View Post
Maybe have a 90 degree angle bracket made and side mount the wheels you have?
I think I'll have my brother in law fab something up. Either way, the boat only goes in the garage once a year - the whole tower has to be removed to get it in and out, which is a PITA!
Old     (Salister)      Join Date: Nov 2013       04-13-2015, 9:59 PM Reply   
if you only put the boat in the garage once a year, how about just taking off the prop before putting it in and put it back on when you pull it out for summer...
Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       04-14-2015, 7:45 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by Salister View Post
if you only put the boat in the garage once a year, how about just taking off the prop before putting it in and put it back on when you pull it out for summer...
It hits the rudder though, and I dont want all that weight on the rudder...
Old     (moon)      Join Date: Oct 2008       04-14-2015, 10:02 AM Reply   
Raise your bunks. Obviously it won't stop the trailer from bottoming out but it is less likely to have the prop or rudder hit.
Old     (Michael)      Join Date: Mar 2010       04-14-2015, 10:48 AM Reply   
Solution #2: get some long boards and prop them between the driveway and garage dip, so you can get the trailer wheels off the ground a few inches.
Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       04-14-2015, 10:51 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael View Post
Solution #2: get some long boards and prop them between the driveway and garage dip, so you can get the trailer wheels off the ground a few inches.
That was what I did orginally, but I figured the wheels would eliminate this whole process.
Old     (mikeski)      Join Date: Aug 2003       04-14-2015, 11:48 PM Reply   
If you have torsion bar springs raise them up 2 clicks, pretty easy to do. I would lose the wheels, they hang too low. You might be able to get some solid steel rollers that slot into the flat bar on the bottom. I have them on my trailer, they work OK. They only reduce the clearance by about 1/2" versus the 3" ish you have lost with your wheels.
Old     (cadunkle)      Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: NJ       04-19-2015, 12:36 PM Reply   
I bolted a block of PTFE maybe 3/4" or 1" thick to the bottom of my prop guard. Used 3 allen head bolts countersunk into the PTFE to attach. Yes it wears when it drags but load is more evenly distributed and it slides more than gouges the pavement. Cheap and easy to replace when it wears. Thought about raising the trailer with new springs maybe a bit more arch but ramps here on the tidal river and bad enough around low tide so didn't want it sitting any higher than it needs to.
Old     (bill_airjunky)      Join Date: Apr 2002       04-26-2015, 1:01 AM Reply   
Seems like the trailer wheels idea would work fine if they were mounted to the trailers main frame support & not the flat guard.

Old     (fman)      Join Date: Nov 2008       04-26-2015, 4:42 PM Reply   
One of the issues with your roller system I am noticing is the prop guard itself does not appear to be able to support the actual weight of the trailer which is where the wheels are mounted. My current boat had to have a lower trailer built to fit in my garage so they added larger caster wheels and beefed up the rear prop guard roller so it will handle the weight of the trailer. I do rub on the wheels for about 1-2 foot of the driveway when I back in the boat to my shop, so far this setup has been perfect. The wheels are 3.5" steel on 1/2" grade 8 bolts for the axles, they are rated for 4000 lbs each. Just something to consider but I would recommend beefing up your actually prop guard roller cage and try some steel heavy duty wheels.
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Old     (jsans)      Join Date: Apr 2015       04-26-2015, 5:44 PM Reply   
I had a similar problem. If you disperse the weight more evenly by adding a 3/4" block of plastic ( I used a custom cutting board company online) then the prop guard should be good for it. I tried castor wheels first which immediately broke.
Old     (WakeDirt)      Join Date: Jun 2011       04-27-2015, 9:41 PM Reply   
Have you looked into a crazy long drop hitch? Something you won't tow with ever but just for putting her away? Like if you're currently using a 4, try a 8 or 10?
Old     (fouroheight68)      Join Date: May 2006       04-28-2015, 10:33 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by WakeDirt View Post
Have you looked into a crazy long drop hitch? Something you won't tow with ever but just for putting her away? Like if you're currently using a 4, try a 8 or 10?
The one I have is the lowest I can go and get the tongue on. I let the wheel all the way down and it takes some serious force to get the wheel rotated up and on the hitch ball. John, Im not sure what you mean by dding a 3/4" block of plastic. Where do you add the plastic? The wheels I put on are $100 wheels specifically designed for RV's
Old     (DenverRider)      Join Date: Feb 2013       04-28-2015, 1:43 PM Reply   
Have you considered putting a bit of lift on the trailer? I did a shackle reversal on an old trailer which was extreme but it allowed me to back my boat up the fairly steep hill in my yard so I could get it put away. Many boat trailer companies offer a way to lift their trailers by a few inches or so. You can also use a hydraulic jack or high lift jack as opposed to the standard trailer jack in order to get your trailer mounted to the drop hitch. A bit of a PITA but not as difficult as moving to a new house with a flatter driveway.
Old     (volzalum)      Join Date: May 2009       04-28-2015, 2:09 PM Reply   
You can use a floor lift jack to mount the trailer to the lower hitch. Just place it on the tounge out of the way of the ball location. You'd be able to go s low as the floor jack allows.

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