Folding Tongue Trailer Conversion

[adkh2oskier]

This might sound crazy and I think I know the answer already but: Is there a way that anyone knows of to convert a fixed tongue trailer to a folding one? Have a fixed tongue 2009 Performance for a 2009 196 Nautique and it is about a foot to long to fit in the garage, even with the teak removed.

[vtjc]

I don't have experience with them, but their are weld on and bolt on kits available from a few manufacturers. I also have a non-folding trailer, but don't want to mess with the galvanizing.

 

https://etrailer.com/dept-pg-Folding_Trailer_Tongue-sf-Coupler_Hinge_Kit.aspx

[Broussard]

Cut a hole in the garage door

 

 

Jokes aside there are kits to make your trailer a swing away

[BCM]

I converted mine using the part that @vtjc linked to above. A regular welding/trailer shop should be able to handle it for you. You will likely need to slightly re-route your wiring and add a rubber section of brake line. They also make a bolt on version, I thought about going that route but I was painting my trailer anyway and figured the weld on would be cleaner. I think the bolt on would be pretty simple for someone with a good drill and metal saw and some basic wiring/brake hose skills. Weld-on will require painting of the trailer as they will need to clean up a bit around the weld and the heat will bubble the paint several inches back. The bolt on won't require trailer painting, but I would still hit the new hinge with a few coats of rattle can color and clear to keep the rust away. I didn't see the bolt on version with the link above, they did have one on that site a few years ago for a 3x4" tube tongue.

 

If you go with the weld on. Find a good welder, preferably a professional. Jim-Bob down the street who can booger weld anything with his buzz box while pounding bud light might not be the best option. It takes a decent sized welder with the correct settings to get proper penetration on both the tubing and hinge.

[MNshortliner]

Any way you could just cut off the extra foot of the 3”x3” tubing and move the coupler back and rebolt it on? Depends on the construction of the trailer. But I had a trailer that the bow of the boat was about 4’ from the rear of the vehicle. I didn’t need to shorten anything but remember it sat a ways back from the truck. One trailer I have now I believe the boat sits about 18” or so from the back of my vehicle.

[BCM]

.

[skimtb]

A few guys on Mastercraft teamtalk have done it too. You can look over there.

For the shortening concept, I’m not doing any math, but 18” reduction would surely increase tongue weight some.

[BraceMaker]

@MNshortliner most trailers if you were to do that you won't have clearance for turning before the boat/spare tire hits your truck. If you've ever loaded say a tractor with a front end loader too far forwards by ~1 foot when you turn the bucket will hit your tailgate.

 

This is a very easy conversion - but even as someone who welds pretty often I would go through a real shop. @BCM pointed out that you can do this with a few passes and some clean up but if it comes apart on you and kills someone the last thing you want is to have done this yourself.

 

If you do want to weld your own proof test your welding, farm trick is just to bury a block of concrete with heavy chain lash down the trailer then use a high lift jack and put say 4K pounds of load on your tongue. If you don't pop your weld that way you won't pop it accelerating and the rest of the loads are going to be in compression.

[MNshortliner]

@BraceMaker yes I understand this. Just pointing out another option that could be possible depending on his trailer construction. I try to think outside the box.

[PurdueSkier]

I converted my old 94 eagle trailer using one of the weld on kits. My challenge was the limited space between the surge brake and the Y for the trailer tongue. I actually had to add a short piece to the tongue. Strange as it sounds I had to add a short piece to allow me to install the swing and shorten the trailer. A local steel supplier gave me a scrap piece of tubing. I dropped the entire thing off at a local trailer shop and they did all the work for really cheap. They also had to lengthen the brake lines with a flexible hose and bleed the brakes . Overall was definitely worth it.

[teammalibu]

Built several swing away trailer tongues back in the 80s should have

taken pics!

[RichardDoane]

we've done a number of the Fulton kits. They are good quality.

 

 

[A_B]

I’ve had swing away and pull off the front trailers and would tell you to only look at swing away options.

 

Both work but the pull off option is a major hassle vs swing away.

[adkh2oskier]

Hi Guys, Thanks for all the good advice. Looks like a possibility but not til spring since I already stored the boat for the winter. Looks like the surge brake system may need some modification also?

Before I even pulled this up this am I got a text from a fellow tournament skier who thinks he may be able to do the change over.

[robbieracer]

I had my trailer modified at a place that builds trailers. I had a Malibu skier and they converted it to a swing away to save me about 2 feet so it would fit in the garage better. It was a tandem axle with brakes.

[Wayne]

One additional recommendation when converting to a removable or swing tongue trailer, move the safety cable/chains back to the non removable/swinging part of the trailer.

[oldjeep]

@adkh2oskier - yes. You have to add a flexible brake line between the master cylinder and the hard lines in the tongue. It just requires you to cut the existing line and re-flare.

[adkh2oskier]

So I just got the boat out of storage a few weeks ago and it doesn't look to me like I will gain much in clearance with the folding modification.

[jhughes]

@adkh2oskier what I've seen in this scenario is the trailer frame cut across all three of those box members, plates welded on each side, and a hinge on the side of the plates. Maybe 6 bolt bosses welded on to bolt them together. Zipped apart with an impact wrench when needed.

 

 

[adkh2oskier]

Thanks @jhughes It would be helpful to see a picture of this type of trailer where a conversion has been done. Not for me personally since I wont be doing the welding etc but for the guy who will be doing it. If anyone has a picture it would be great. Thanks.

[oldjeep]

Pretty complicated - pins on both outside members and a sliding internal bar in the middle - which hopefully has a pin in it too. Personally I would not do this.

 

[skihacker]

To be honest that looks lile an awful lot of screwing around to gain a couple feet or so?? Now needs 2 tongue jacks and maybe had to move the wiring and brake line??

[TomH]

Unless you modify or move your winch mount, you won't gain any length putting the swing behind the triangle. You said you only needed a foot or so, would putting the swing at the triangle get you short enough?

[oldjeep]

Need to think outside the box. This was one guys solution on the malibu crew ;) As I recall he built something that looked like a radiator box on the inside of the house.

 

 

[adkh2oskier]

@Skihacker I agree, a lot of screwing around. @TomH I do only need about a foot but I am not sure there is even enough room between the Surge brake unit and the triangle.

[TomH]

@adkh2oskier I think a good welding shop could fabricate one that would work right at the triangle. My dad had his fishing boat trailer converted, and they did it with plates welded to the top and bottom of the tubes, then bolted down either side.

[Dano]

Pro tip. Provided you have a double wide garage. If you put the boat in the garage on an angle with the swing away tongue you might gain the space needed. My 20’ boat fits in my 19’ deep garage. With the teak off

[BraceMaker]

What I see is that you could make the hitch itself telescope into the A frame.

 

Remove the hitch and cut the tube about 1/2" in front of the A frame weld. Reinforce that with a collar.

 

Then get whatever size heavy wall tube that fits down the hole.

 

This can be 4' or however long stuffs down the A frame end to end.

 

2 through holes for clevis pins and maybe a nice grade 8 safety bolt to attach.

 

Then you would pull the hitch off and stow it back on the A frame that is way more than 1 foot savings since you dont have the hinge.

[Jmoski]

Did you consider buying a new trailer set up the way you want it and then sell the old trailer? There are definitely people out there looking for a used trailer.

[adkh2oskier]

@Dano That is a possible solution, didn't have time last fall to check that; Once I launch the boat I can take the trailer over to the garage and see if that might work.

@BraceMaker Sounds like a good idea but I don't think that would work with the Surge Brake unit set up as shown.

@Jmoski That is also a possibility but not really wanting to spend that much on a new trailer.

[BCM]

@adkh2oskier - we had a late 90's MC that had a slide out tongue on the factory trailer, similar to what @BraceMaker is suggesting, the brake line had a 'quick connect' fitting that worked pretty well. Same idea as quick connect hydraulic lines on tractors. You might need to bleed the brakes a little more often with the quick connect setup, but surge brakes at best are not good and should be serviced regularly anyway.

 

I have used several swing away tongues and built a few myself, that swing away triangle thing makes me nervous.

[BraceMaker]

Yup many quick couplings or splice in a section of braided line with flares long enough to make a loop. Coil when tongue is on and secure

 

Very common on keeled sailboat trailers as once at launch they often need long extended tongues to get deep enough to float the keel.

[wski1831]

I’d cut it a little forward of where @jhughes marked and cut it and weld a plate above and below with pins on either side maybe a plate across the front of the trailer side. Call it good.

[adkh2oskier]

Did some measuring this weekend, looks like the simplest(maybe) solution would be to just remove the Actuator for the Surge brakes once I get the boat in the garage. Looks like 4 big bolts will need to be removed and the brake line disconnected. That will get me a one foot of space savings.

But even that will be close. Inside measurement on garage is 22' 6"s and the boat on the trailer is 23' 6"s. So if I get the Actuator removed and angle the tongue to one side it looks like that will work.

Anyone have any thoughts or experience removing an Actuator?

 

 

[TomH]

If you go that route, I'd still add a flexible brake-line to avoid having to disconnect the brake lake/re-bleed, and just find a way to strap it to the trailer without disconnecting the line

[adkh2oskier]

After making some measurements and re reading the comments here I found that @PurdueSkier may have had the best suggestion. Adding a small section between the surge brake and the Y might give me a little more clearance. The distance from the back of the Actuator and the Y is 5.5"s. It looks like the hinge unit I will need to install is about 7.5"s I will check w the person doing the job to see if this will be doable. In the end it might be easier than having to remove the Actuator and bleeding the brakes each year. Photos attached.

 

[Jmoski]

I swapped out the actuator on my old Nautique trailer as part of converting it from drum brakes to disk and replacing the brake line as it had rusted through inside the trailer. Pretty easy to remove the actuator, just remove the bolts and disconnect the brake line as you have noted.

[buoyboy1]

@adkh2oskier I may be missing something but if you slide the bow stop mount forward as far as possible which looks like is about 12" or so will the trailer stick out past the back of the boat? If not and the boat still loads fine it may give you the clearance you need. I would not expect the bow weight to increase very much.

[adkh2oskier]

@buoyboy1 I would love for that to work but I don't think it will work. I will look closely when I get home tonight and check though.

 

[PatM]

That's a nice looking boat.

[adkh2oskier]

@PatM It's a beautiful boat! This was last Saturday 5/1/21, was hoping to get some skiing in on the water not snow for a change but mother nature was not very helpful.

 

[adkh2oskier]

Follow up, No need for folding tongue conversion after all. Removed the teak and a shelf in back of the gagage, slight angle of the trailer and a small dent in the sheetrock and, voila, plenty of room.