Extended Draw bar for launching and Recovery

[Bigplumbs]

My normal slipway is quite a fleet slope so I need to bet my boat further into the water so I can drive it off and of course drive it on so I can launch and recover on my own.

I searched the net and found some nice solutions but could not get them in the UK. I then decided to make one myself out of bits and pieces I had. I am not quite finished but am quite please with how it works.

Well I have been on and off this job for a few hours doing other things but it is working far better than I thought particularly as I scavenged 90 % of the parts. Total cost will be £15 excluding the bits I had. This is the hitch and some bolts.

Here are some pics nearly finished.

You will see that I have clamped the hitch ball to the trailer so it is adjustable and also so I did not have to drill the trailer as it is galvanised and don't want to introduce a rust point.

The bracket is made from an old boat winch I had and the tow balls were from scrap cars I had in the graveyard. I had the galvanised 60 x 40 mm box section from a previous job.

All I have to do now is fix the hitch and adjust the ball on the trailer to suit the length I finish up at so it can be folded back for transit.

If you cant see it in the pics a ball fixed to the extender bar goes into the normal towing hitch on the trailer.

It is possible to click it all into place in 30 seconds.

I think this will work quite well and will give me that vital 1400 mm ish more I need so I can drive the boat on and off with it still on the Discovery and keep the car out of the water

Should be able to launch and recover on my own this way.

Dennis

[whiskylee]

Nice job [emoji106]

[Trailer Guy]

Great result! [emoji106]

[paintman]

Neat.

When I bought mine there was a length of scaffolding pole with a hitch on the end that came with it. Mod by previous owner due to beach launches on shallow beach. Two scaffold pipe clamps welded to the trailer chassis & adjusted by undoing & doing up the clamps.

Due to lack of after-dunking care although the outside of the trailer looked OK much of it was rotten as a pear & the middle section of two of the four bolts that held the hitch on had corroded completely away with the other two not far behind - so don't forget to look after your trailer!

[Bigplumbs]

Here it is all finished. It is important to make the ball that is used when stored for motoring adjustable as it needs to be so to get it spot on so the hitch fits over it well.

If I were going on a long journey and did not need the extension bar at the other end because I knew the slip it can be removed by undoing just one bolt.

I think the first couple of times I use it I will have a safety rope between the boat trailer and car just in case something lets go

Dennis

[Bigplumbs]

And the remaining pics.

[spartacus]

Nice job.

[BigMacBushcraft]

Very nice job

[Bigplumbs]

Originally Posted by BigMacBushcraft

Very nice job

Many thanks

Dennis

[gtflash]

Please can you tell me what thickness galvanised box section you used ?

[simonl]

Well thought out idea. Your pivot bolt could even work without the nut - say just an R pin for super quick removal. Does it have enough slack movement to easily allow the front hitch to be connected? Does it try to twist over at all in use?

[Bigplumbs]

Originally Posted by gtflash

Please can you tell me what thickness galvanised box section you used ?

I will have to measure it as it was a piece I had