Tips for trailering a boat/trailer

So this weekend I am bringing my skid house permy to storage (SW MN) and swapping it for the boat. I have to bring the 8′ x 20′ hydrolic tip down trailer (with electic winch) back to the cities. I would like to avoid making a second trip so I am planning on putting my V177 Warrior (single axle trailer) on the flatbed trailer.

Has anyone ever done this? I have seen it done with new boats and trailers but haven’t done it myself. TBH it scares me, but I over worry when it comes to this stuff.

Let me know if I am missing anything.

I plan to block the boat trailer wheels on each side and link the blocks together and clamp them to the trailer (since it is a steel flatbed). I plan to run a 4″ wide yellow strap over the boat trailer just in front of wheels. I’ll flip up the jack stand and strap the tongue down too trailer. I then plan to have one strap pulling tounge to front of trailer and one strap pulling on boat rear tie down to back of trailer. Then just drive her home slow and steady.

I would like to not dump my boat off the flatbed Appreciate the input.

We use those yellow ratchet straps all the time and they work good. However when I have something I absolutely don’t want to move at all I use a come-a-long in conjunction with the straps. Remember the motor weight will want to bounce if the tongue isn’t held firm. I see you have a winch. Hook the winch to the trailer and pull it tight, strap everything and you should be OK.

Oh, my 20′ tilt is only like 7′ wide at the wheel wells so make sure you can get the weight forward of the balance point to get the trailer to tip down and lock.

Dutchboy wrote:

Remember the motor weight will want to bounce if the tongue isn’t held firm. I see you have a winch. Hook the winch to the trailer and pull it tight, strap everything and you should be OK.

Good call on the motor wanting to bounce I will make sure that front is secure and pulled forward tightly with the winch.

This trailer tip down is the full 8′ wide with the wheels under the flat bed.

I am torn on whether or not to leave the jack stand up, it depends on where the winch is mounted height wise….but I agree with Dutch, use the winch to pull and hold the trailer tongue all the way forward.

Also be mindful that electronic winches are not designed internally for constant jarring under load. The internal brake in the winch can fail under these conditions. At the same time, i’m sure doing it once wont be an issue, but you never know. I have hauled my 14′ Alumacraft duck boat on a flatbed before with no issues.

Mount a ball to the back of the flatbed and triple tow.

Ha, I wish but I believe you can only do crazy redneck stuff like that in MN surrounding redneck states…but not here (unless the first one is a fifth wheel)

404 ERROR wrote:

Also be mindful that electronic winches are not designed internally for constant jarring under load.

Another good point Eagle. I will check to see if it has a manual brake over ride, but otherwise I will just run another strap pulling it forward if winch brake happens to fail.

dtro wrote:

Mount a ball to the back of the flatbed and triple tow.

Maybe you could mount a ball on the front top of the flatbed though…

sticker wrote:

Maybe you could mount a ball on the front top of the flatbed though…

Mind….BLOWN

I’m with you, Evan, I’m always concerned about a load coming loose and IMO it’s smart to be concerned and take extra care. I moved a farm disc last spring and I was nervous as hell because that thing can both roll and slide in any direction. I had it strapped down 5 ways from Sunday.

Just be sure you have plenty of those 4 inch wide ratchet straps. They’re only like $15 each, so they are cheap insurance.

For anything that has suspension and springs, you want to ratchet it down hard enough so the leaf springs compress and “push back” against the straps. You want enough tension so the boat trailer won’t bounce and create slack on the compression stroke, so to speak.

Stickers idea of mounting a ball to the front of the flatbed is sheer mechanical artistry.

Grouse

I have a saying that applies here.

” Be smarter then the piece of equipment you are working with.”

One strap over everything, couple over the trailer, come-a-long and a couple blocks of wood and you will be good to go.

When you tie stuff down you should pull it forward and backward in a criss-cross pattern. That way it cannot slide sideways or move forward or backward. By that I mean take your left fr. strap to the right rear, r. front strap to the l rear and reverse it from back to the front the same way. 4 straps will hold in every direction it can possibly go.

Also what FG said about tension on the suspension.

Dutchboy wrote:

Oh, my 20′ tilt is only like 7′ wide at the wheel wells so make sure you can get the weight forward of the balance point to get the trailer to tip down and lock.

^^^^ what he said. The trick is to get the boat trailer far enough forward on the tilt bed.

HRG

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Straps so tight it ripped the hull in half!

Again I appreciate all the comments. Sorry I laugh, but I just picked up the trailer from my uncle and clearly the memory of the one time I used it has failed me.

The bed goes between the wheel wells for the length of the trailer (appears to be 6.5′ wide)…looks like there will be no trailer on trailer action

LOL, I was wondering about that. Unless you have a deck over it gets narrow between the wheel wells. I didn’t want to say anything because you never mentioned what you had for a rig. With the great weather forecast for the weekend multiple trips will be ok anyway.

Evan Pheneger wrote:

Straps so tight it ripped the hull in half!

Again I appreciate all the comments. Sorry I laugh, but I just picked up the trailer from my uncle and clearly the memory of the one time I used it has failed me.

The bed goes between the wheel wells for the length of the trailer (appears to be 6.5′ wide)…looks like there will be no trailer on trailer action

Just so you know Evan, I am

cribbing or dunnage take the wheels and suspension out of play! this is the correct way if you blow a tire on boat trailer your whole load can shift