[JDBassman]

Hey guys, seems I bought myself a bassboat that doesnt fit in my "currently being built" garage very well. :roll: The garage is just under 20' deep and the boat and trailer combo is just at 22'. I cant make up the difference by parking the boat at an angle enough to close the door, and someone suggested that I should have a break-away tongue on the trailer, or one that bolts on and is removable. Does anyone know who does this? Decent prices? and is the trailer still functional or has this proceedure caused problems? The tongue sticks out just under 2' past the bow of the boat. Let me know if you guys know of anything that can help. And before you get started, "Buying a different house or boat", "Parking it in the front or backyard", "keeping it in boat storage", or "re-shaping my garage" are NOT options :lol:

 

[Delw]

Jd

Find a guy that can weld decent and they are very easy to make.

Dont have a friend do it that only welds so so, other wise when you go down the freeway you might see your boat pass you by.

you can also make one with out a welder.

Find a piece of iron(tube type) that fits snuggly(slip fit) over your existing trailer tounge. get a piece about 8-12" long

cut your tounge as far back as you can leaving about 4"-6" inches put the square tubing over that slide the piece you cut off into the tube then drill 2 big pin holes on each part. I would use 3/4 pins Min.

then when you are done hauling your trailer just pop the pin out for storage(kind like the reciever on your truck)

look at your truck reciever hitch to see how thats made, it would almost be the same.

One thing if you do this is make sure you put your safety chains on the trailer that has not been modified, this way if something happened your safety chains will still stay attached.

I know a few guys that have done it this way and it works great, I also know some guys that have built the swing away tounges and they work great as well.

Ive done this to a few trailers as well,( 1 boat trailer and a bunch of ATV trailers) if you need any further help let me know I can draw you up something or tell you how to do it so you get the idea.
I dont do this for people unless I know them personally do to libility issue's. Even if someone forgot to put the pin in I could be held liable.
It is very easy to do, and only takes a few hours at the most, the main thing is that you or your friend doesnt mickey mouse anything and the safety chains on the trailer MUST be moved to behind the work you did.(its not a law but it makes good common sence ).




Delw

 

[ned02]

My trailer came with the slide out trailer tongue and is held in place with 2 pins, as Del said any trailer repair shop should be able to do it for you, the break away type sounds more convenient though.

 

[Lone Ranger]

There is a big trailer place somewhere in central Phoenix that has been in business a long time that maybe can help. I don't know the name of it but my boss takes his trailer there for periodic trailer maintenance. My 20'6" Ranger bass boat fits in my 19'x19.5'garage diagonally. But I have a detachable tongue that slides out. It's held in place by 2 stainless steel pins. Removing the tongue reduces the overall length of my rig from 25' down to 23'. The 23' includes about 2' for the engine. Also, because I have a twin axle trailer, it is hard for me to move the trailer tongue diagonally. (I'm not young anymore). So, I jack up each of the front trailer wheels separately and put a $20 car dolly under each wheel and the tongue can be positioned very easily. It takes me a total of 6+ minutes to put the boat into the garage and in its place. I figure it is worth it as a 10'x30' storage area with no electric would cost me $160 per month. Do whatever you can to keep your boat in your garage. 8)