Engine Position towing

timw · 24 September 2003, 20:11

Apologies if this question has been asked in the past, but I am shortly going to tow my Rib for the first time.

Question is...should the engine be all the way up, which is the only position that allows a couple of safety brackets to be deployed on which the engine can rest....or does the engine all the way up put too much strain on the transom when towing?

All the way down and there is not enough ground clearance.

Or should I go halfway up with a block of wood to support the engine?

Any views appreciated

Richard B · 24 September 2003, 20:18

Mine's been towed with it all the way up, and with the steel brackets lowered into position.

Alex Brown · 24 September 2003, 20:29

Although the my suzuki manual says not to do that, I use the engine locks in the up position when towing, and it seems quite secure.

I reckon tho in the up position, when the engine is over the top and forward of the transom, that must surely put less stress than if it were in the down position provided it's locked ok?

-Alex

timw · 24 September 2003, 20:34

Good point...maybe there is less strain on the transom with the engine up...I've no idea and I haven't got a manual so I don't know what Yamaha recommends

Red Fox · 24 September 2003, 20:53

My Suzuki 40 should, acording to the book, be down but there is not enough ground clearance. The dealer told me to tow with it up and the lock on. So I do and have had no problem. I was also told that as long as I had a lighting board that extended beyond the engine, then I didn't need an orange cover on the prop. Can anyone vouch for this one?

Richard B · 24 September 2003, 21:23

Quote:

Originally posted by timw
what Yamaha recommends

- Is totally unworkable. They recommend that you plough a furrow in the tarmac with the skeg. And they suggest that the steel support brackets should not be used. In that case, what the heck are they for?

Alex Brown · 24 September 2003, 21:34

Quote:

Originally posted by Richard B
....what the heck are they for?

'storage' apparently

they show some diagram in the book if I remember of some contraption that would no doubt cost a few hundred to buy, that holds the engine half way up or something.

jwalker · 24 September 2003, 21:37

Quote:

Originally posted by Red Fox
I was also told that as long as I had a lighting board that extended beyond the engine, then I didn't need an orange cover on the prop. Can anyone vouch for this one?

Nope. There should be nothing which could cause damage to any one running into the rear of your rig. Nothing, that is, which would cause other than resonable damage because of the accident.

geoff · 24 September 2003, 21:43

I always tow with the engine up and resting on the lock. Surely the stresses put on the engine mounting brackets when towing are only a fraction of the load when underway. I also trim the engine down on to the lock so that it can't wobble around if you hit a bump. Seems like the right thing to do. I would be interested to hear if there is a definitive answer on this one. I posed the question a few years ago on a US forum and the debate raged for several weeks.

Richard B · 24 September 2003, 21:53

Quote:

Originally posted by geoff
I also trim the engine down on to the lock so that it can't wobble around if you hit a bump.

Me too.

Alex Brown · 24 September 2003, 22:17

Quote:

Originally posted by Richard B
Me too.

ditto

Charles · 25 September 2003, 07:26

Up and locked!
People have been towing like this for 100's of years (a bit of an exaggeration!

) for greater distances than you would ever do in the UK. Cape Town to Namibia, up the eat coast of SA - Mocambique etc, etc. This is a non-issue!

timw · 25 September 2003, 07:46

Up and locked then seems to be the answer...thank you

Cookee · 25 September 2003, 07:50

I wouldn't worry about the transom either - towing can't put as much strain on it it as the engine re-entering the water with however many horse power trying to push the engine under the boat!

For the record - up and locked!

MeMe · 25 September 2003, 08:05

I tow my Ribs all the time frequently doing a 5 hour trip to or from the south coast to Manchester.

Engine up all the way then slightly down onto the lock but maintaining the pressure on the PTT hydrolic system.

Turn the steering all the way to starboard and tie off the wheel / tiller so theat the engine cannot move from side to side.

If able as I am, cut a piece of wood long enough to run from the trailer cross member to the engine and wedge this in and tie off accordingly.

I tow at a steady 75 with the cruise control on. (Usually tow late at night when it's dead quiet on the motorway) Legal or not....5 hours is a long way at 50.

Stop every once and a while to check the rig.

chrisallse · 25 September 2003, 09:11

I tow half up with a 4x4 inserted and held in place by nipping up with the trim motor. recently towed it 1400 miles over two weeks like that with no problems. seems to suit the Mariner. I also tie up the steering wheel.

Alan Mckewan · 25 September 2003, 12:37

We have towed to west France for several years and always have the engine mostly down and resting on a block or similar. With the engine right up the skeg sticks out much further and is more likely to hit or be hit by other things. A piece of tubing or 2X2 wood is usually about right - you just lift the engine up (on power trim if fitted), put the block across between the engine and the bracket just above the reverse lock, then lower it onto the block. Many engines have hook shaped engine brackets which the block sits snugly on. I usually tie it down solid, this also stops left-right movement. It also lets you tie the lights on across the engine if like me you dont have trailer-extending lights.

Bill S · 25 September 2003, 16:26

I only have 8" wheels on my road trailer, so I have no choice - if it's not fully up, it's too low! Outfit is Narwhal 4m with a Force 40 PTT, and all I do is use trim to lift her all the way up, then turn steering to full lock starboard. She doesn't budge from there, even after a 3.5 hr tow at 50 - 60mph.
When I first bought her, I thought 'Gotta put bigger wheels on that trailer' but the little wheels means she sits real low on the trailer, and launching/recovering is a one man operation - an easy one at that!
So I'll stick to what I know works for me - All the Way Up!

chrisallse · 25 September 2003, 16:29

Sounds good to me

Alex Brown · 25 September 2003, 17:43

Yup, well, I'll continue to tow with the engine fully up, but rested down on the stops.

On the steering note, a couple of people have said in this thread that they put the engine to full lock, and tie the steering wheel.....
When I picked the boat up from Hull, the engine was straight, and to be honest I didn't even thing about this, since the thing is quite solid when central due to the hydraulics keeping it that way.
Even with the hydraulics, do people turn the engine still to full lock?
Obviously with the 4-stroke, there is oil in the sump.... I have to wonder that whether leaving it on one side or another could leave one side of the engine covered in oil and the other not, or oil could go somewhere it shouldn't - I haven't a clue

Any thoughts?

-Alex