manual dogs - when to use?

[dOb]

My last motor was a "74 Mercury 50HP. When you shift to reverse, the dogs would automatically clamp to stop the motor from swinging out and then relese when you shift to drive.
Now I have a "79 Johnson 85hp seahorse. The dogs are engaged with a handle on the port side of the motor. It doesn't seem like I would want them clamped when in drive in case I hit a sand bar or rock. So should I be clamping to reverse, and then manually release before shifting to drive? I rarely backup fast enough to make a difference, so the question is, when would I need to engage the dogs?

 

[Chinewalker]

They are spring loaded. They will release if you hit something. You only need to manually release them if you are trying to tilt it yourself as you aren't likely to be able to pull hard enough to overcome the springs - they're stout!

 

[dOb]

Ahhhh. Now I understand. Thanks!

 

[F_R]

If you have doubts, lock it down then hunker down behind it (on boat, on trailer), grab the lower unit with both hands and give a mighty yank to the rear. It will unlock with a bang that sounds like you busted something, and come on up. But don't worry, it didn't break. It was just that spring-loaded bear trap thing doing it's job.

 

[dOb]

I'm sure they work fine. But I might give that a try just out of curiosity