Extending trailer length/hitch distance from winch post

[ronsealdeath]

Hello,

I have a trailer which is home made. The central box section is 5mm thick mild steel of 70mm diameter. We've got the tongue weight right but the winch post is now too close to the hitch so we run out of room opening the car trunk and its basically a bit awkward to winch the boat. Moving the axle is too much of a job so the post got moved instead.

Can I get a piece of box section, ally or steel, to slot into the current box section via a straight cut in order to make the main section telescopic? Or will it be too weak do you think?

Its going to have to be a 50mm box basically to slot into the inside diameter of about 55mm on the current main trailer section. I'm worried it will be wobbly and will just bend. My boat is a 17ft fishing boat of 750kg approx.

Apologies for metric only measurements here. Any done anything similar on their trailer?

 

[Boats-A-lots]

Re: Extending trailer length/hitch distance from winch post

I have seen campers with like 4 ft extension between the truck and the boat.. I think you should be okay. You may even be able to buy one already made.

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Extending trailer length/hitch distance from winch post

I had a removable tounge on a trailer that I hated so I replaced the entire tounge with a piece of 4x5 thin wall galvinized reectangular steel. I'm not sure what happened originally I was at least the third owner but the tounge was too short also. I lengthened that one by 18" and then put a weld on Fulton Fold-Away on it, (don't weld galvy unless you know what your doing). It was fine, the extra length didn't change a thing except I didn't get my feet wet launching anymore.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Extending trailer length/hitch distance from winch post

Do you have a receiver hitch on the car?

Is it 2" ?

Then just get a drawbar extension like this.

If not, then yes you could sleeve the tongue. But I would not go smaller inside the tongue. I would go larger and slide it over the tongue.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Extending trailer length/hitch distance from winch post

roscoe that is exactly what I was thinking! Quick, easy and removable.

 

[ronsealdeath]

Re: Extending trailer length/hitch distance from winch post

Great thanks for the replies. large piece of box section it is. Ill look at drawbar extensions too before i go cutting things

thanks
Al