Towing/Engine support

[MyGal]

I'm new here. Bought a 258, T/150's, with delivery in 2 weeks. Last trailer boat with OB's for me was 30 years or so ago. Mopar power!!!

What should I do about securing the engines while towing? As in transom/engine stress?

Thxs in advance.

 

[capt chris]

My Gal,
I'm picking up my new Tournament 225 in two weeks and here is what I'm using because there is no way to use a conventional transom saver w/ the Grady Bracket my F250 TXR is mounted on. I have to haul it almost 400 miles to get home so I hope it works.
www.m-ywedge.com
I ordered one and it looks pretty substantial. I'll let you know how it works in a couple of weeks!

 

[magicalbill]

Hey;
On every Yamaha(I assume that's what your engines are) there is a flip/lever just under the cowling. Stand next to the side of the engine and it's right in front of you.
Raise the engine all the way, flip the lever DOWN and lower the engine 'till the engine stops going down and the rams continue on down. At that point, the engine will be totally supported by the lever assembly.

This is what I was told to do for trailering..Capt Chris' rig may be better, but it allows the lower units to be closer to the ground, increasing the possibility of nicks and scratches from objects that you'd hit while underway.

Hey Chris, let us know how the shakedown cruise goes..I hear the lake is up 4-5 feet nowadays...Watch for occasional debris from the recent rains!!

 

[capt chris]

Bill,
I looked @ lakecumberland.com on Friday and they had the level back to around 680 which is where the ACOE has been holding it. They are keeping it low due to the grouting repair they are doing on the earthen portion of the dam. It may be down like this for a few more years but there is still 35,000 acres of water surface.
As for the tilt lever on the motor the owner's manual specifically recommends not relying on that when you are towing the boat any distance. They recommend some type of transom saver/support bracket. The only thing I could find that would work with the Grady bracket was the M-y Wedge. In fact it was recommended to me by someone on this forum, maybe Curmudgeon.

 

[Brad1]

Hey;
On every Yamaha(I assume that's what your engines are) there is a flip/lever just under the cowling. Stand next to the side of the engine and it's right in front of you.
Raise the engine all the way, flip the lever DOWN and lower the engine 'till the engine stops going down and the rams continue on down. At that point, the engine will be totally supported by the lever assembly.

This is what I was told to do for trailering..

Sounds like you got that info from a "dealer". I'm only saying that because the bozo at the Grady dealership I bought boat from told me the same thing. Turns out however that he was not familiar with the product he sells. Because according to the Yamaha owner's manual, you are NOT supposed to use the lever for trailering.

 

[magicalbill]

Thanks both of you...
That is useful info for me as I do a bunch of trailering..I will look into another support system..
Chris, keep me informed on yours when you tow home from Lorain.
I knew the lake was down, I had heard that they might raise it 10' for '08..Guess not.Like you said, it doesn't matter....

 

[BobP]

The tilt bracket on the motor is for mooring use only, so you can retract the rams to protect them from corrosion.

You also don't want to raise the engine so high, it will tend to bounce up and down as you hit bumps since the weight is more balanced and not biased more so to push down. On smaller boats like bass boats there is a concern with torque stress on the short transom with the big 60 mph motors.

I see no problem towing the boat with the engine tilted but no more than needed, so the two trim rams are in contact (trim range) at all times. And just high enough to clear any issues with ground contact.

I was in a Subaru dealership looking at a new model over the weekend, I knew more about the model specifics than the salesman did, after spending just 1/2 hour on the factory website before the visit.

Of course, unlike me, salesmen can be very good at acting like they know when they don't, and what would most people know any way?
If there are any missingblanks, they make it up as they go.

Ignorance is bliss. Me, I'm cursed.

I give each saleman a test when I first meet, ask a question I already know the answer, to see what I'm dealing with, no surprise results I can tell you.

If you are cursed like me, read the owners manual yourself. I don'th think they trust salesmen to author it.

 

[MyGal]

Thanks Chris. I would never tow on the tilt locks. Surprised this is not basic info with trailering folks. What you found looks good. 45 degrees relative to the transom makes the most sense to me. Please post what angle your engines settle at relative to the transom with "my-wedge".

Spending alot of $$ with this new rig customizing it- how about you?

 

[CJBROWN]

My Gal,
I'm picking up my new Tournament 225 in two weeks and here is what I'm using because there is no way to use a conventional transom saver w/ the Grady Bracket my F250 TXR is mounted on. I have to haul it almost 400 miles to get home so I hope it works.
www.m-ywedge.com
I ordered one and it looks pretty substantial. I'll let you know how it works in a couple of weeks!

x2 on these, they work exceedingly well.
And yes, the flip-down tilt bracket is NOT for support while trailering.

The 'mywedge' puts the motor well up out of the way, but not nearly as high as full tilt. It's made of a hard rubber material with a PVC sleeve to keep it from buckling. They are custom fit for each style of motor.

I've been using mine for almost two years and highly recommend them.

 

[capt chris]

Thanks Chris. I would never tow on the tilt locks. Surprised this is not basic info with trailering folks. What you found looks good. 45 degrees relative to the transom makes the most sense to me. Please post what angle your engines settle at relative to the transom with "my-wedge".

Spending alot of $$ with this new rig customizing it- how about you?

Not so bad. About the only things I added other than what I ordered on it from GW are Lowrance LCX 38C HD GPS/FF combo and ICOM 504 DSC VHF w/ Shakespeare antenna which ran about $2000 installed. Can't wait to pick it up on the 23rd!

 

[GulfGrady]

My Gal,
I'm picking up my new Tournament 225 in two weeks and here is what I'm using because there is no way to use a conventional transom saver w/ the Grady Bracket my F250 TXR is mounted on. I have to haul it almost 400 miles to get home so I hope it works.
www.m-ywedge.com
I ordered one and it looks pretty substantial. I'll let you know how it works in a couple of weeks!

x2 on these, they work exceedingly well.
And yes, the flip-down tilt bracket is NOT for support while trailering.

The 'mywedge' puts the motor well up out of the way, but not nearly as high as full tilt. It's made of a hard rubber material with a PVC sleeve to keep it from buckling. They are custom fit for each style of motor.

I've been using mine for almost two years and highly recommend them.

I have 2 for each motor and have used them since March 05

 

[gw204]

I just trim the motors down until they contact the trim pistons.

 

[magicalbill]

Yeah, I've dropped the engines to the trim pistons sometimes to tow....

I've had my share of problems with dealers, but my guys...heck, I'll say it..at Twin Cities Marine have never steered me wrong.
I called them today, and they told me that you CAN trailer with the flip-lever as long as there is hydraulic fluid in the tilt system..I'm a novice at this, but I guess the hydraulic fluid stabilizes the engines and prevents them from moving up-and-down with the bumps on the hi-way.
They told me they have trailered outboard boats with the flip-lever for years with no problems.
As I mentioned earlier in the thread, my main concern with the units lowered down is the chance of them getting dinged up with rocks and the like while underway.

 

[MyGal]

I'm going to order a set today. Worst thing is they don't work. Got to deal with this at the start.

 

[capt chris]

I'm going to order a set today. Worst thing is they don't work. Got to deal with this at the start.

My Gal,
I e-Mailed M-y wedge yesterday and they said you only need one wedge per motor. I specifically asked them about the F250 TXR I'm getting.

 

[GulfGrady]

I'm going to order a set today. Worst thing is they don't work. Got to deal with this at the start.

My Gal,
I e-Mailed M-y wedge yesterday and they said you only need one wedge per motor. I specifically asked them about the F250 TXR I'm getting.

That may be true but 2 will spread the load better.

 

[magicalbill]

I called Grady customer service and they said don't trailer any great distance with the flip-levers.
So, I called Yamaha, they recommended this my-wedge also..

OK...
One per engine or one for EACH power piston, totaling two??
The Yamaha rep said one for each piston, and the my-wedge site says purchase one and drop the uncovered piston down a little further to secure the engine.

 

[capt chris]

I called Grady customer service and they said don't trailer any great distance with the flip-levers.
So, I called Yamaha, they recommended this my-wedge also..

OK...
One per engine or one for EACH power piston, totaling two??
The Yamaha rep said one for each piston, and the my-wedge site says purchase one and drop the uncovered piston down a little further to secure the engine.

Bill,
I e-mailed M-y Wedge and asked them specifically about the F250TXR. Their response was I only needed one wedge. I thinks that's pretty honest considering they sell them for $29.95 plus S&H.