Lengthening a trailer tongue

[oldsub86]

It appears to me that a previous owner has shortened the tongue on my boat trailer. I think it could use a bit more length.
The usual tongue metal tubing seems to have walls about an 1/8" thick.
I just happen to have a chunk of steel the right size but it is 1/4" thick.
Can any of you folks think of any reason why using the heavier steel should pose any problem apart from adding some weight to the trailer?
I suppose it would be less likely to crumple in a crash but that might be the least of my worries if hit from behind hard enough to need the tongue to collapse.
The trailer is an old tandem axle unit and the boat is a 20' aluminum I/O.

 

[kjsAZ]

Besides the weight and the effort it will take to drill all the holes I can't see a reason why the thicker steel would be a problem. However, why don't you just add one of these folding tongue pieces to the existing one (Fulton)? Gives you an extra 2-4ft length and for storage the trailer has the same length as before. More expensive but less work.
http://www.iboats.com/Fulton-34-Bol...4741537--session_id.484570362--view_id.341674

 

[Mi duckdown]

What is your tongue weight Now? adding more length will reduce tongue weight, I believe.

 

[kjsAZ]

What is your tongue weight Now? adding more length will reduce tongue weight, I believe.

but will increase stability! Tongue weight is at the original design point of the trailer coupler. If you make the tongue longer stability goes up faster than the tongue weight goes down.

 

[Frank Acampora]

I have done just this on a couple of trailers. I have found that the original tongue was not 1/8 but slightly thinner at approximately .080 I added a chunk to the front that was the same outside size (in my case both trailers were 3 X 3 tongues.). I was able to fabricate some plates 3/8 thick (drilled and tapped to 1/2 -13) to fit the inside and bolt the whole smash together with (8) 1/2 inch bolts. It worked very well.

In your case, because of the extreme difference in the thickness of the materials, I would recommend bringing the tongue and extension to a welder unless you are a skilled welder yourself. Yeah, you could still bolt it if you used spacers on the inside to equalize the inside sizes but that adds another layer of things to possibly fail. Welding is a better option.

Unless you are adding ten feet, the added weight will make no difference and yeah, if you get hit from behind hard enough to do damage, that added tongue length will be the least of your worries.

 

[kjsAZ]

In your case, because of the extreme difference in the thickness of the materials, I would recommend bringing the tongue and extension to a welder unless you are a skilled welder yourself. Yeah, you could still bolt it if you used spacers on the inside to equalize the inside sizes but that adds another layer of things to possibly fail. Welding is a better option.

Welding all around a tube is a recipe for failure. That's where the tongue will break under stress. Bolting it together as you did is a lot safer but I would either make the entire tongue a new piece or add a piece with a hinge.
Tongue thicknesses are depending on the max load (besides the outside dimensions). My trailer has a 3x4 tongue in 11g but I have seen 1/8" and 1/4" for larger trailers.

 

[oldsub86]

Thanks to all for the input.
The tongue bolts in so I shouldn't need to weld it.
I will just remove the old one and put a new one in that is a couple of feet longer.

 

[airshot]

When you bolt it on, make some additional holes so it can become "adjustable" just in case you want it longer or shorter.

 

[kjsAZ]

good solution! If it's not a galvanized tube try to paint the inside too and it will last longer. I'm sure you will like how much better the trailer is to tow with a longer tongue. Much easier to launch too. If I could find a 4.5ft piece of galvanized 3x4 locally I would do the same to my trailer. Shipping on that stuff is a deal killer.

 

[Lou C]

No Title

I replaced a 7' tongue with a 9' tongue that I was able to get from Load Rite with all the holes in the right places. It made the trailer tow much better, made launching better and I move the axle as far back as I could to get the tongue weight back to where it should be. The original design had just the one cross piece and I added another one (galvanized angle stock) to make it more rigid and less flexy. With the shallow ramp we have it makes launching SO much easier.....