Trailer question

Message

Joey92TT · #1 Post by **Joey92TT** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 7:47 pm

Hi, new to the board and just bought our first pontoon. Nice forum here. I had a question about trailers. Our pontoon we bought is a 2000 Northwoods 18 ft. with a 25 horse Evinrude. It didn't come with a trailer so we went today and bought a new one, a scissors type one with dual axles. We took the boat out for our first ride today and switched trailers with the old one we were using to the new one. The dealer told us when we loaded it to have the trailer just stick out past the rear of the pontoon a few inches when we load it up. The trailer is a Karavan and is made to haul a 18-20 foot pontoon. We loaded it up and it just seems to far back on the trailer with the trailer only a few inches past the pontoon deck. It seems so back heavy. I was wondering if we shouldn't be putting the pontoon further on the trailer and evening out the weight a little better? Any suggestions please? Thanks.

#2 Post by **HandymanHerb** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 8:23 pm

Welcome ,glad to have you with us.

You want the weight balanced, to much rear weight and it will swerve on you at speed and the scissors type are not that stable to start with, your axles are inside the load

Forced to edit, new keyboard types funny

Joey92TT · #3 Post by **Joey92TT** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 8:44 pm

So I should move the pontoon more to the middle of the trailer then to balance it better?

#4 Post by **HandymanHerb** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 7:57 am

Yes move it up, if the toung weight is to light, you won't like it at speed.

One good thing you can play with it in the yard to figgure it out not the boat ramp like I would have to do.

Once you get it where you want move your front stop if you can to stop it in the same place everytime

fishmor · #5 Post by **fishmor** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 1:32 pm

Move it forward until you have 80 to 100 lbs tongue weight. That's with it loaded like it will be when towing. The books say 10% of the total weight should be on the tongue but I have never gotten even close to that. Your trailer will sway when you don't have enough tongue weight so I adjust it or load it until the sway is gone.

Joey92TT · #6 Post by **Joey92TT** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 5:12 pm

Thanks so much for the replies. I learned something. Appreciated