Jayl13

Okay when I back the Apache in the water at the ramp the trailer is so long and I guess has a good amount of tongue weight that the boat trailer scrapes as the trailer is on the ramp and the truck is on the level part of the parking lot. I have the hitch flipped upside down (not much of a drop hitch) and the ball sits up on top at bumper height. Not enough, when I pull the trailer out of the water with no boat on it she does not scrape at all. So the weight of the boat on the tongue of the trailer makes the back of the dually squat enough that this occurs.
I have stock wheels and tires on the truck, Would putting 285-75-16's lift the truck up enough to keep the trailer scraping or do I have to start messing with helper leaves or small lift kit for the truck to prevent this? Im sure SOME of you guys have had this in the past. What have you done to eliminate this or at least have the scrape decreased to a minimal scratch?
Just for information, the trailer tires are 225-75-15's load range D tires from Goodyear. Im thinking maybe a cheap set of wheels for the trailer and put the 235-75-16 tires from the dually on the trailer (load range E) and have the trailer have a little bit of height increase as well as address the larger tires on the truck to get the whole package up higher off the ground.
Any ideas would be helpful
Thanks
J

cuda

See if you can measure the height of the trailer loaded and unloaded. Remember, every inch taller tire only raises the trailer half of it. There was one steep ramp a buddy of mine always scraped on. It was a real wide ramp, so he started backing down at an angle. Not so easy to do with a 41 footer.

offshoredrillin

get an 8 inch drop and flip it, my dually is lowered 8 inches in the rear and I dont drag pulling out a 42 tiger.

pachangalpina

What about air bags? Does the boat need to be moved back a few inches on the trailer to adjust tongue wt and balance?

Jayl13

I would think the hitch being such a big drop or flip up would break no? Joe, no I cant back it in on an angle the ramp I use in Delray Beach is not that big. Ill measure the difference on Sunday when I take the boat out again.
Im not exactly sure the height difference between a 235-75-16 and a 285-75-16 would be but I think any bump up would be an improvement since when I scrape the ramp its pretty bad. Offshoredrillin, You feel comfortable pulling out a 42 tiger and trailering with an upside down 8" hitch? I would think if you stopped in a panic, that drop part welded onto the solid hitch tube bar, I would think it would bend real bad or even break and now you have 13000 lbs on safety chains and probably digging up the street and destroying the front of the trailer. That just makes me a little nervous since there is so much weight, If the boat was some 21 foot bass boat or something I would have no issues with this at all but just the sheer weight of the apache that makes me a little nervous.
J

offshoredrillin

it is rated for 15k and welded with gussets. no problem at all. My truck is lowered, put air bags for additional weight, dont really need them and have 19.5 rims.

el indio

Mine doesnt hit.......but then again mine only weighs 8000 lbs approx........After pulling my boat little tommy pulled his boat and had to check the trailer bakes to see if they were on.........if you move the boat back you run the chance of it hanging off trailer causing a hook in bottom.try using your equalizer bars........but what do I know I have only had my boat 16 years.............mark..........

yesrej

nice boat...

rainmn

The difference is 2.9 inches in diameter, so roughly an inch and a half lift.

el indio

Too many bails in the cabin?..............mark...........Now that funny.............