Help with trailer draggin bad going up ramp

Fishmaster

We are moving into a different building next month and I tried to pull the boat in a few days ago and it was a nightmare. When the truck was going up the ramp the rear of the trailer was dragging bad on the concrete, then when the truck was in the building and the trailer on the ramp the bottom of the trailer was dragging so bad on the ramp we had to put like four 2x4's under the tires to raise it enough to get it in. I'm hoping it comes out easier the other direction and then I can just back it in but wanted to see if anyone else has had this problem and has any ideas.

Sledneck · Outlaw Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 162 City: Shitby

Where was the trailer dragging.?

I can't get mine up the drive w/o wood either but, it's only the prop gaurd that hits..

I'm going to try something similar to the picture below.. although I'm doubting it's going to help all that much...

cloud · Criminal Joined: 03 Nov 2005 Posts: 60 City: Austin

I have airbags in the back of my truck, so I can raise/lower it pretty easily to make up for a few inches. It really helps, and is pretty cheap. They're the Firestone "helper" bags, not crazy lowrider bags with blowoff valves, etc.

Commodore · Ladies Man Joined: 20 Jun 2005 Posts: 11636

I have the same problem putting my boat in the garage at my house.

Two things.
1) If it drags going in, it's gonna drag going out. Forwards or backwards.

2) What I did to fix the problem since I only put the boat in the garage for winter, I got one of the huge 9" drop hitches. It brought the nose down enough to get the back end clear, but be careful it's not too much drop otherwise the hitch will drag.

And since these are customer's boats? I am assuming. Since you won't be towing them all over the place a big drop hitch to get them in and out might be a cheap and easy solution. Get a boat on your truck then back it up and have someone measure the clearance between your current hitch and the ground. That's the amount of room you have to play with.

Let us know what you do and how it works out.

jonsmith2340 · Soul Rider Joined: 02 Feb 2005 Posts: 370

I had to do the same thing that haugy, said in #2 and it worked great. I adjust the hitch to raise the back of the boat when I need it and then readjust for towing. It takes alittle longer but I like the fact that my boat doesn't hit the cement.

rxdog · Newbie Joined: 09 Aug 2003 Posts: 47 City: Bowie

My trailer always dragged real bad out of my driveway and someother areas. When the stock leaf spring broke, Shocked

i replace with a little shorter & +200 lbs springs. This raised the trailer by making the shackle more straight and the additional spring force. Now I clear everything i encounter. The shackle length may have to be modified to work with vastly different sring lengths. My total cost was like $90 w/ all new bolts and u/bolts. Then level out with hitch as needed.

ercobrac · Outlaw Joined: 20 Jun 2003 Posts: 215

Luckily for me, my trailer came equiped with steel rollers built in. I have a dip at the bottom of my driveway where my prop guard drags for about a foot.

bradmo42 · Criminal Joined: 10 Jan 2006 Posts: 50 City: Houston

on our new boats trailer, they offered two rollers that bolt to the lowest part of the trailer in the back. they work great.

kinda like that pic wayy up there but lower than that

lcap · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 10973 City: Homeless

MonsterTower,

Buy a 4X4 Kubota Tractor for your yard and weld or clamp (My clamp just came today) a hitch on the front bucket to jockey the boats in and out. Will also come in handy with a backhoe for doing any work around the shop or at home.

Best of all you get to write it off and it's much quicker to hitch and go than hooking up a truck. That and your not dealing with the long wheelbase issues. Rent one and is if it works.

Mounting a reciever in the front of the truck may also work.

Fishmaster · Posted: Feb 05, 2006 5:16 am Post subject:

I like the idea of a tractor as I love anything with an internal combusion engine Smile

I need to find a cheap/easy way to get the job done. I think I'm going to start collecting 2x10's as we are definately going to need them to get boats in and out. Looking at maybe raising my trailer up a few inch with blocks and I'm definatley going to be trying different drop hitch settings. I think mounting a ball to the front of the truck would help for sure. We'll be moving in over the next few weeks and once that dust settles I'll figure something out. Thanks for the ideas.

So much for great ideas. When we looked at the building I saw the ramp and though it would be great, maybe even add an opener to it so I could just drive up with the boat, hit the opener and pull it in. We'll we are not getting an opener, just found out we would have to put in a different door that has a motor in the main tub and that would be nearly $3,000.

Bambamski · Posted: Feb 05, 2006 9:44 am Post subject:

So the Tige trailers not come with the castor type wheels by the prop guard? For someone that makes towers I would thing that would be a pretty easty weld? That should solve everything.

Fishmaster · Posted: Feb 06, 2006 8:12 am Post subject:

I do have the rollers on the prop guard but their steel and left some serious marks in the concrete when the truck was going up the ramp. The real problem was the truck gets inside the warehouse and the trailer is on the ramp. The "front cross beam" hits the ground becuase of the angle.

I'm thinking short term I can use wood to raise the trailer like getting it in but I'm afraid ($$$) that changing the ramp angle is the only long term solution to really fix it.

whitlock87 · Newbie Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 4 City: Valinda

What about a couple of 4 X 10 with tapered ends.

You could get some about 12 feet long and after the truck goes up the ramp, you could place them in front of the wheels for the trailer. This will get the trailer 3.5 inches higher across the ramp, and should cost less then $40.00

Just a thought.
David

Rolling Eyes

Bambamski · Posted: Feb 06, 2006 8:35 am Post subject:

Ok that makes way more sense. I was sure that I saw rollers on the Tige trailers last year.

Your only bet would be to raise the front part of the ramp and make it a little more gradual as you already know. My old Malibu trailer did the same thing, (scraped in the middle). I just screwed a couple of 2x6's together and put them on the road/driveway each time to raise the back end of the truck up. That was a real pain though, something more permanent would be better.

Did someone mention an old tractor? What about an old fork lift? That would be way better, that way you could raise the hitch up and down to get into the bay.

Commodore · Ladies Man Joined: 20 Jun 2005 Posts: 11636

Bolting some wood into the concrete would be a cheap and effective way.

Are you backing it in or driving forward? One part you said the truck gets in the warehouse then the front beam scrapes?

Just back it in. One more question, I am assuming this problem needs to be addressed for all makes of trailers? Not just yours since your customers will have a variety? Or do you just use one trailer? If it's just one. Add-a-leaves for your trailer. Will give you an addition inch to inch-and-a-half of lift.
Those and air the hell outta the tires should clear ya.