Trailer tips for Avon SR4.0

[Thumperbob]

Hi troops,

About to throw myself on your collective experience/wisdom . . .
Soon to be taking my RIB on first proper road trip of approx 100 miles & looking for advice on:

Securing RIB to (rollercoaster) trailer - ie need straps across tubes/over boat to trailer in addition to ratchet straps at bow/transom?

Use of steel chains - ie how many to use as "back-up"?

Outboard - 30hp manual Mariner - travel in tilted/upright position?

Sorry if partly duplicates other threads I've read but wanting to get it clear in my head as "Thumper"'s my baby and want to treat her properly

Cheers,
Bob.

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Thumperbob

Hi troops,

About to throw myself on your collective experience/wisdom . . .
Soon to be taking my RIB on first proper road trip of approx 100 miles & looking for advice on:

Securing RIB to (rollercoaster) trailer - ie need straps across tubes/over boat to trailer in addition to ratchet straps at bow/transom?


Use of steel chains - ie how many to use as "back-up"?

DON'T strap across the tubes!!! Straps are abrasive and you'll overpressurise the tubes. If they leak while overpressurised the strap will come off.
You should need no more than a strap from each of the transom eyes to the trailer, your winch strap to the fixed bow eye (Not the one on the tubes) and a chain from the bow eye to the trailer (covered in something-an old bicycle inner tube works well)

Originally Posted by Thumperbob

Outboard - 30hp manual Mariner - travel in tilted/upright position?

Sorry if partly duplicates other threads I've read but wanting to get it clear in my head as "Thumper"'s my baby and want to treat her properly

Cheers,
Bob.

Tilted-if you leave it upright you'll smash the skeg at some point. If you're unlucky you'll smash the whole lower unit.

[Poly]

What Nos said - but when you tilt the engine consider putting a bit of 2x4" timber (or something similar - I use an old wooden oar with leather covered handle, cut down) so that the thin metal tilt support on the engine isn't taking the load of the engine bouncing up and down.

[9D280]

What Nos & Polwart say, but also strap your engine down so the support wood is in permanent compression - the force the tilt pin will see on the potholes etc doing that compared to what it sees getting you on the plane is relatively smallif it's all moving "as one" - crashing down on the other hand....

I'll try to describe what I've got in the absence of a camera - Lump of sawn off fence post with suitable lumps sawn & filed out to clear the "fragile" parts of the swivel bracket and allow it to engage where the tilt pin would. Drilled a slightly oversized hole at the bottom end that the tilt pin goes through. (should something happen & it falls out, I then don't leave a lump of 3x3 bouncing along the M8 and it will also wedge itself at a point it should catch the leading edge of the cav plate & stop a total decent of the leg.....)

Then I release the engine's tilt lock, and use a length of 12mm rope with a suitbaly placed loop tied from the clamp bracket over the leg & back to the clamp bracket on the other side and is lashed hard down. Basically does what Polwart says - stops it bouncing and ensures the whole engine moves "as one".

Use a carpet offcut to protect paintwiork from the rope, or use 12mm "soft mainsheet" rope which is paint friendly. (well, it has been so far.......)


Another towing tip, your fuel tank(s) will likely want to move around with the road vibrations. make sure they are well lashed down too if they arent in the car.

[Nasher]

Bit like this:-

My set up.

Nasher

[Thumperbob]

Cheers for the excellent advice, troops, really appreciate it
Spent last Sunday morning watching boats go down (and up) the Duncan Mills slipway at Balloch in preparation for giving it a go myself in a couple of weeks or so once the RIB is down from Kintyre. . .lots of good tips and advice but was horrified to see one mob basically throw a speedboat down the slip without due care etc. Needless to say the Rangers took him to task. . .

T'bob.

[jyasaki]

Bob;

If you've never pulled a trailer before, it's the backing that gets most people in the sticks on a ramp. The actual launching and recovering are fairly simple in comparison.

If you have pulled a trailer (and are adept at backing it up), ignore the next. Else:

1) Simple way to steer the trailer back: Put your hands at the bottom of the steering wheel. Push your hands in the direction you want the trailer to move.

2) Remember that you have to initiate the trailer to turn, and you have to stop the turn (unlike a car, where you inititate a turn, and simply return the wheel to center to go straight again.) With the trailer, you turn the wheel, get the trailer started turning, then turn the opposite way to get the trailer going straight again. It takes practice.

To maintain a constant radius turn, you turn the wheel one way to get the trailer turning, then the other to follow the trailer through the turn. To straighten out, you turn a bit more to stop the turn.

3) Get used to using mirrors rather than looking out the back (though you will most likely still need to look back, especially in sharp turns.)

4) If you note where the trailer sits in your side mirror as you go straight back, you can set that up and be sure you're backing straight, rather than drifting to one side or the other.

5) If you get a little screwed up, it's usually easier to pull way forward and get things lined up again rather than try and salvage it and make a bad situation worse. Yeah, it looks somewhat inept, but not as much as putting the trailer into the dock or off the ramp. If you end up like one group I saw with the boat at a 45 degree angle to the ramp, and the truck heading 45 degrees the other way, well that's pretty good advertising as well.


Best thing to do is to take the rig out to a large empty parking area and practice backing straight, around objects, and turning in parallel to things like curbs and such. It's not really difficult, but it takes a bit of getting used to.

Sorry if all this was unnecessary;

jky

[Bigmuz7]

Originally Posted by Thumperbob

but was horrified to see one mob basically throw a speedboat down the slip without due care etc. Needless to say the Rangers took him to task. . .

Quite .. you do get amazed at what some people do, but that was a good move to observe in the first instance .. I seem to remember as Polwart said some posts ago .. give it a go yourself when everythings quiet if you are unsure, but also, don't be afraid to ask for help,.. most people are really quite obliging and will help a fellow boater if you get stuck

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Bigmuz7

Quite .. you do get amazed at what some people do, but that was a good move to observe in the first instance .. I seem to remember as Polwart said some posts ago .. give it a go yourself when everythings quiet if you are unsure, but also, don't be afraid to ask for help,.. most people are really quite obliging and will help a fellow boater if you get stuck

and don't worry - no matter how much you cock it up - Polwart has probably done worse!

if there is going to be anyone helping you (e.g. the Mrs) make sure:

(1) they are standing somewhere where you can see them and hear them (I usually reverse my trailer with both front windows down) - but not directly behind the trailer I have a bit of an obsession about not walking behind trailers on the slip (even if parked)
(2) they know what they are talking about - and ideally have reversed a trailer before so they understand what might be possible and what is not
(3) you know what they mean when they say "left a bit" - do they mean trailer left, car left, or steering wheel left.

[Thumperbob]

Successfully completed my first roadtrip with the SR4 on the new trailer
Many thanks for all of the advice/warnings/pictures - appreciate it greatly.
Front was winched & ratchet strapped down, rear heavily ratchet strapped also.
Engine tilted & blocked with shaped wood before also being ratchet strapped.
Result - covered 100 miles across West Highlands (including 15 miles of single-track) without incident, so thanks again.

One thing though - was worried lighting/number plate was obscured when mounted on trailing edge of trailer due to propellor bag etc so ended up mounting it on A-frame (no missing it there!).
Anyone else come across this?

[Nos4r2]

I've done that myself with a trailerboard. Should be OK as long as it's at eye level to car drivers. Higher than that and you're asking for a tug from the police.

[JSP]

Originally Posted by Thumperbob

Successfully completed my first roadtrip with the SR4 on the new trailer
Many thanks for all of the advice/warnings/pictures - appreciate it greatly.
Front was winched & ratchet strapped down, rear heavily ratchet strapped also.
Engine tilted & blocked with shaped wood before also being ratchet strapped.
Result - covered 100 miles across West Highlands (including 15 miles of single-track) without incident, so thanks again.

One thing though - was worried lighting/number plate was obscured when mounted on trailing edge of trailer due to propellor bag etc so ended up mounting it on A-frame (no missing it there!).
Anyone else come across this?

I got a searider yesterday and had to tow it 270 miles back home. I've pulled trailers bigger so wasn't to worried about that but pulling one that you don't know nothing about was a sherif star twitcher! Luckily the guy hadn't told an porkies and the degraff trailer was nearly new (dunked 5 times he said) Hubs got only slightly warm after the whole trip.
Had a real pain with the lighting board though as this doesn't have an Aframe. Had to mount it under the tubes and a few coppers passed me with out a second look.

[jambo]

Hi Bob
did you bring iot down from Kilberry? Travel that road many times from Tayvallich with the rib interesting drive and sometimes tiresome!!
I have the same problen with the board and I to strap it accross the 'a' frme as low as possible just incase the 'boys in blue' are having an off day.
Take care C U soon I hope on the Sound of Jura.
Cheers
Billy

[Poly]

Originally Posted by JSP

Had a real pain with the lighting board though as this doesn't have an Aframe. Had to mount it under the tubes and a few coppers passed me with out a second look.

Mine is like that too. Mine is legal within the letter of the law, and it is in a secure place - but I do keep meaning to fit extension bars the the trailer to move it back.

[Nasher]

I made a set of extension bars for my trailer, but found when extended out past the engine they flexed and the board wobbled up and down a lot.

I've been running it as shown below for 3 years now and have not been stopped, even yesterday on the way home being followed down the M27 by a traffic car.
The middle of the No. plate itself is just obscured from directly behind by the prop bag.

Nasher.

[Bigmuz7]

Originally Posted by Nasher

I made a set of extension bars for my trailer, but found when extended out past the engine they flexed and the board wobbled up and down a lot.

Yes this is a real downside, failed bulbs is my common problem also , sometimes I've had it come free from its pin mount, so I tie it on with bungee straps too my last trailer was better where the board sat in a holder and was secured by its own bungees

[JSP]

I had mine suspended by zipties as that's all I had when I picked it up. Offside side light worked for about half an hour, stopped fixed it and then had to do it again an hour down the road. Will have to work something out for the fixing.

[Thumperbob]

Thanks for all of the advice - and yip, the single track/passing places road was definitely a "There's No way I'm reversing, pal, sorry" experience. . .
As it turns out, I spoke to a traffic cop the other day ran it past him 9excuse the pun).
His position was that as long as it was clear and easily readable (and lit), he'd be happy.
As to mounting on A frame, he mentioned that some new Luton vans have the reg plate high above the rear door, so actual height shouldn't be a problem...
Suspect i should've got his number just in case I need to quote him if I end up on the hard shoulder behind a police Range Rover

Bob.

[Bigmuz7]

Originally Posted by Thumperbob

he mentioned that some new Luton vans have the reg plate high above the rear door, so actual height shouldn't be a problem...

Thats a good point .. I havnt seen one like that in ages though,.. anyone know if this is still ok at that height ? Ive seen that on older removal vans too

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Bigmuz7

Thats a good point .. I havnt seen one like that in ages though,.. anyone know if this is still ok at that height ? Ive seen that on older removal vans too

Not sure if having the brake/tail/indicators way above eye level is legal though. Lutons still have a normal set of light clusters below the body.