Telescoping trailer neck ?????

[Scraggly]

i think everyone is over thinking this one, pull out easy you should be fine.
the only traction control needed is in your foot

 

[Wolf Child]

I haul my jet ski with this.

 

[Scraggly]

thats so badass!!!

 

[Odd Duck]

Instead of extending the trailer neck why not build a beach cart into the trailer.
I never wait in line at boat ramps (usually launch from the beach) but when I do go to the ramp I go directly to the parking lot.
Get my gear on and roll the ski over to the water.
Than I get to sit back for a while and watch all the morons try to unload their boats.



Here's how it works.

Hey, Boris, question for you. I got to looking at your set up again and got to thinking (dangerous, huh?). Does that ski feel pretty heavy on the cart with the wheels that far back on the cart?

We made a double decker rack to carry 2 skis inside the toybox and it's darn heavy to lift the top ski up to position. Hope I can explain so this makes sense, I don't have any photos right now. The top ski is on bunks that are attached by heavy duty hinges to a rail that runs across the front under the bunks and above the bottom ski. The back of the rails are attached to a cross bar at the back of the rack. This has heavy duty slide bolts that attach it to an outer frame in a level or slightly elevated (for easier access to move the lower ski on and off it's bunks) position. We have a hand crank that pulls the ski onto the bunks. We drop it down low, load the top ski, then lift it into the top position. Then load the bottom ski, last drop the top ski bunks to their final, level position.

If we had moved the cross piece at the front of the top ski's bunks farther back, the ski would have been more balanced at it's center of gravity and would have been minimal effort to just pivot it back to level, but we didn't think of that quite soon enough in the design/build process.

But that experience makes me wonder how heavy your ski feels on that cart with the wheels so far back? Doesn't this make you lift a lot of the weight? And if it does, would you change this design a bit if you were going to build another one? Any thoughts or ideas on this area or am I just being a sissy girl?

 

[Idok]

I think Boris's idea is freaking KILLER..

had kicked around that idea for myself, but then just decided it'd be easier to get a pickup..



I get what Hunter is saying though....99% of the time it'd proably be absolutely fine with no problems...but that 1 time you COULD lose your car and there'd be pretty much nothing you could do to stop it..

 

[JonnyB]

I have a F-250 PSD that is making well over 400HP at the rears and 750+ Torque at the rears and I have no problems launching only in two wheel drive UNLESS the ramp is made out of that pebble red clay stone crap that is ice when it gets wet.

 

[RiverRat]

I think Boris's idea is freaking KILLER..

had kicked around that idea for myself, but then just decided it'd be easier to get a pickup..



I get what Hunter is saying though....99% of the time it'd proably be absolutely fine with no problems...but that 1 time you COULD lose your car and there'd be pretty much nothing you could do to stop it..

Exactly! Accident avoidence

 

[sxi4evr]

Most ramps will not be a problem but a steep wet ramp with the weight of a ski on the back might get me sliding backwards. That would suck. I saw a guy at our local ramp do that to a mustang when the ramp was wet. He just did not have that space to recover and kept sliding back. By the time he knew he was in trouble he hit the alage line and it was all over.

like dis

 

[Boris]

Duck,
I built my cart somewhat longer than a regular tiger tote so that I can slide the ski forward and backwards depending on what I'm doing.

When I'm removing the ski from the trailer I first put the wheels onto the axle which are just barely off the ground.
Next I slide the ski back (tote doesn't move at this time) to center the mass over the axle.
When the skis weight moves back on the tote, the nose of the tote comes up unlocking it from the trailer and the wheels land on the ground.
At that point I can grab the front of the tote with one hand and wheel it around.

When it's time to load up I wheel the tote (with the skis weight centered on the axle) up to the rear of the trailer and drop the handle down onto the ground.
This shifts the ski forward on the tote which does make it heavier on the front but I only have to lift it up to the trailer.
Once I have the handle on the first set of rollers I stand behind the ski and give it a push.
The ski and tote roll right up and lock on.
Hook up the strap, crank it half a turn and drive off.

I could get the ski and tote onto the trailer with the weight still over the axle by using the winch but that just takes longer.


Am I making any sense ?

 

[750SX]

Since it's auto, can't you just ride the brake a little with your left foot, and work the gas with your right? My Sonoma slips like a mf'er when it's wet and algae covered on the ramp, so I know the dreaded drift back feeling your talking about. Late in the summer it was real bad, but a fellow boating family gave me a shove before it was too late. My rear tires are at about 90 percent as well. I do not have the horsepower problem you are talking about though lol. All in all I think Boris's trailer setup is the cat's meow! (even if you have a 4X4)

 

[Mike W]

Back in the day I put a hitch on my 5.0 Mustang. It sucked pulling a trailer and launching/loading at the boat ramp. It was a 5 speed though.