Trailering motors lifted up or in down( operating mode)

G

G Gallagher

New member
Had a trailer it in down position--n interesting and expensive experience last week.

Have been trailering with motors tilted up. My Suzuki manual says don't do that,-- but sometimes I don't listen well. Suzuki is OK- my story is with the 2005 Yamaha 8hp kicker.

Trailered it in tilt position for about a year, but 2 weeks ago I went over a little bump and Oh,Oh. Motor flipped up a little and came back down shearing off the little nubs on the motor bracket that holds motor to transom. Now motor works well but no longer stays tilted up. Ok, into the dealer for the new- order new transom brakets. Parts came in after a week and the bill was $ 563.00 including labor, half the cost of the motor when I bought it.

I think it is fair to say don't trailer with tilted motor!!

Oh, one more lesson.-- With 4 cycle Yamaha if you lay motor down be certain that you do it with the tiller down. If you don't the oil will drain into the cylinders causing the motor to seize up. To fix that re-hang motor, pull plugs, clean them, squirt starter fluid in multiple times until oil is washed out, replace plugs and work to start motor.

What a fun week.

Gary
 
I had a small kicker almost work itself off the transom many years ago leaving it in the tilted position. Never again. :crook

H :wink:
 
I tilt my kicker up to one of the first stops, then use a strap to secure the leg tightly to the trailer. No reports of bounce, and no damage (to date, cross fingers, knock wood).
 
I also have trailered with kickers tilted up, but always secured them well to a cleat, with a very tight line around the upper part of the outboard. That way they cannot bounce.
 
Not trailering but towing and thats another story. Small tohatsu bounced hard enough to bend the pin that keeps it tilted. Bent pin could not be retracted to get the motor down for operation. I had to remove the bracket and hammer then file the pin straight enough to operate again.

And it was tied tightly with two separate straps at the time limiting its bouncing ability.
 
I use a 2in ratchet strap between the transom tie down, across the kicker below the motor cover, to a u bolt on the forward side of the motor well that is backed up by a 6in sq pc of 1/2 in plywood underneath. I crank that puppy up snug. No way it can bounce. The previous owner used to tow from Sacramento to Bodega Bay with the main bouncing causing tiny hairline cracks on both sides of the transom.First thing I did was add a support bar to the trailer. Im glad he didnt have a kicker! Vern/C-Dog
 
I cracked the aluminum mounting bracket for a Yamaha T9.9 kicker twice on a 20 foot Whaler while running the boat. The kicker needed to be tilted up to clear the water, and evidently the bouncing and pounding was too great.

Bracket1_jpg.jpg
 
Our new (old) boat currently doesn't have a kicker (we will be getting one soon), but it has an adjustable motor bracket. With this system, it seems like you could lift the motor vertically with the bracket, or tilt the motor itself, to get it out of the water or up for trailering. Which is preferable?
 
I have tended to either trailer with the engine on one of the stops of the mount, or using a transom saver or a block under the engine (between the mount and engine) to take the load. I would not trailer with the engine just on the hydraulics of the tilt mechanism.
 
thataway":kkpzzjjk said:
I have tended to either trailer with the engine on one of the stops of the mount, or using a transom saver or a block under the engine (between the mount and engine) to take the load. I would not trailer with the engine just on the hydraulics of the tilt mechanism.
Click to expand...

An MY Wedge is an option but I warn you, don't forget it is there and try to power tilt the engines down, it's hard rubber and will destroy the t/t cylinder in a heartbeat. Don't ask me how I know or how much it costs with twins!
:oops: :cry:

I have one for sale for the daring and non-forgetful brats for there in the crowdl Make a $$10 donation to the tip jar, pay for shipping and it can be yours. No insurance... (for the t/t mistake)

Charlie
 
Per Bill and Ell we used a wooden dowel between the motor and mount. This year I substituted a length of 1 1/2" (?) PVC pipe. The engine is snugged down against the pipe compressing it a bit. The stuff is pretty strong, it takes more force than one might suppose. The theory being the unit under tension gives no opportunity for slack to hammer the bits, also hopefully it could lessen any severe shock events.
 
I use an oak board cut to appropriate size. The board rests atop the T-n-T rams and snugs against the mounting bracket on one side and against the motor on the other side. Was going to buy a Wedge but realized what the intent of the wedge is and made-do for the price of shop scraps.
CV
 
Hugh,
It depends on ground clearance--actually the skeg will hit first. But for the current C Dory 22, and single axle trailer with 15" tires, with the engine down, there is plenty of ground clearance. Other trailers I have owned, I had to secure the motor up. The Caracal came with a "transom saver"--which is a support which is secured to the trailer frame, with a quick release pin and cradles the lower unit raised up about 45 degrees.
 
I was reading pros and cons of transom savers, and have not used mine even though the boat/trailer came with it. The main con from what I read was that if you had a boat on a trailer (especially rollers) and the boat inched forward (i.e. under heavy braking), the transom saver would put upward stress on the motor.

So I was thinking, what if you had a V-shaped piece of something rigid where the top arms hooks over the back of the transom on both sides of the motor, and the bottom of the V supports the transom saver rod just above the drain hole. This would distribute the weight fairly well, and would not damage the motor/hydraulics/transom if the boat shifts while being transported. It could be used in moorage as well...

better_transom_saver.jpg
 
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