am i limited because of my weight?

[achoefs]

ya dont laugh but i tow my 16ft 6hp johnson with my 09 lancer (fwd) but i have no prob with it. my concern is that the boat and trailer weigh only 500lbs if that. i place cloths bag, fishing poles and tackle boxes in the back over the axle to add weight. its about thirty to fourty years old with new electrical (wires and lights), tires, bearings, repainted, but original leaf springs. the thing bounces like crazy sometimes city andhighway driving bouncing four or so inches.

is there any new leaf spring or strut type shock that can be placed on the trailer to keep it from bouncing? or anything for a smoother ride?

 

[roscoe]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

Boat springs don't have much give.
Its gonna bounce until you put a lot of weight on it.
There also are no shock absorbers.
So, thats what you have.

Suggest you secure the contents of the boat to keep them from flying around. Wrapping rods and gear in a large throw rug , secured with a bungee, will do the trick.

 

[livin4real]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

If you have the extra money you can shop around for some really light replacement springs but you should weigh your rig first and see what it really weighs before spending your money but yeah you just don't have enough weight to compress the springs and keep them settled.

 

[achoefs]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

i normally have everything secure with bungees but when im driving down the road and bounces just gets me paranoid plus it shakes the car when it bounces. the boat is 200-250lbs and trailer is about 200lbs, motor is about 75lbs so its just over five hundred. and my car isnt built to carry for than 850 so with me my dog and girl with some luggage im just over weight so adding isnt a possibility.

ill check on the light weight springs and then i might be able to put in some bushings to help compress. it may not be a lot but it will be better than nothing

thanks for the help

 

[86 century]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

You could fab up some shock mounts and find the smallest shocks possible. I know i will get some flack but shocks don't care what they are on but you need to match the weight as close as possible.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

lower the pressure in the trailer tires to suit the load and slow down

 

[achoefs]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

ill lower the tires too but the roads where i live are 30 mph and it still hopes around. on the interstate where the roads arent so bad it tends to hope as bad as the roads near the house

 

[rjlipscomb]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

I'm sorry, what's bouncing? The boat trailer that has an eccentric load or the back of the car that was not designed for the loads imposed by the trailer or both? Just curious...

 

[achoefs]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

the boat trailer... the car just feels the vibration. really no prob with the car with the way the suspension is set up (little stiff, wih a sporty ride and performance). and the car can accelerates great when i use the the manual mode instead of using the shiftless drive.. its when i look back and see the trailer bounce up more than what i like when i go over the bump. it tends to ride better with the load in the stern.

 

[achoefs]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

off topic but nice dog. does he like swimming? my husky whines when i go in the water but hates to go in over is belly

 

[jrampey]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

The trailer has leaf springs right? Is there more than 1 leaf? Take one out if possible.

 

[achoefs]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

ya i believe there are two maybe even three. it can be set up for a heavier boat or light one

 

[NYBo]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

The leaves may be rusted together after all these years. Spraying them with penetrating oil couldn't hurt (although it may not help, either).

 

[cribber]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

Without altering your springs or adding shocks you need to add some weight over the axle. I have the same problem with my utility trailer when I tow it empty.

 

[achoefs]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

ya they r rusted pretty good. but i think if i replace them that i will stall have the same prob. it will help some but i guess they can go too since they are inexpensive. and it might help. i just thought that there was some type of suspension other than leaf springs.

 

[rjlipscomb]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

off topic but nice dog. does he like swimming? my husky whines when i go in the water but hates to go in over is belly

I have read that Husky's do not like the water. I had a Husky in college that would not go in water above his chest. We would go down to the river and swim/tube and he stay on shore. However, my little (70 lbs) buddy loves the water. We have had him in or near the water since he was a little pup. I guess he got used to it and now loves to swim. Though, he does not look like a natural swimmer. When he sees the boat, he goes nuts because he knows we're going to the lake and he can swim. When the boat sits in front of the house, he'll actually climb into it and sit there waiting. He refuses to get out. He is so funny (and spoiled).

 

[achoefs]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

ya i have tried using the five gal gas tank full, duffel bag, tackle box and my poles (they dont fit too well in the car). ill have to try and put the other duffel bages in and see what happens.

 

[rjlipscomb]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

the boat trailer... the car just feels the vibration. really no prob with the car with the way the suspension is set up (little stiff, wih a sporty ride and performance). and the car can accelerates great when i use the the manual mode instead of using the shiftless drive.. its when i look back and see the trailer bounce up more than what i like when i go over the bump. it tends to ride better with the load in the stern.

Okay, I'm with you now. Having the weight to the stern is increasing the load on the axle/wheels. Moving the weight forward shifts the load to the car. Does sound as if you have too much spring (too stiff) for the weight. Feels like an empty trailer or a 3/4 or one-ton pick-up with no load in the bed. You need to either live with it and keep things tied down or change out the springs to softer ones.

 

[achoefs]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

okay sounds like the census is to look for softer springs for my setup. that should be easy to do, so thats what ill try if not i think i could i can live with it.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: am i limited because of my weight?

Springs are springs. There very nature causes them to compress under load and rebound when unloaded. Hitting a bump compresses the spring. As you pass over the top of the bump the spring is unloaded and it rebounds. Shocks would certainly help and be more productive than messing with springs. However, it all depends on what is causing the bouncing. Tire pressure too high for the load, springs that are too light or too heavy in combination with tire pressure, speed and road conditions all affect ride. Small shocks can be added but does require fabrication of a frame and axle bracket. If you look at some of the coil sprung trailers of years gone by, many of them had shocks to keep the relatively soft springs from bouncing around like a baby buggy. You need to determine what combination of factors is causing the problem before arbitrarily throwing parts at this rig. As was mentioned, it may be as simple as lowering tire pressure a bit. And lets not get into the maximum tire pressure is required discussion because it is not a problem on a lightly loaded trailer provided the pressure is not reduced to the point where the tire is overloaded.