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Trailer swing tongue mod


John E.

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Just got an '04 Response LXi and the trailer is just about a foot too long for my garage Cry.gif

It's not as much of an issue now but the boat will HAVE TO be garaged come winter time here in New Hampshire. I've been considering the options and they range from modifying my garage to accommodate, paying for storage, or buying a swing-tongue trailer.

Then I got to wondering how hard/expensive/possible it would be to have a swing tongue put on my existing trailer. Anybody ever heard of this being done? Who would be most skilled to do the mod ? Just to make it more interesting, I've got the surge brakes to consider as well. Any info or useful suggestions would be appreciated. Thanx

Btw, I've been reading through the forums and you guys put out some great info!

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Congrats on the new boat! A buddy of mine just got one too and really loves it.

You can retrofit the trailer with a swing away hitch. Do a search for "pivit hitch" and you'll find one brand. They make a retrofit kit with a new hitch section that will address the surge brake issues.

A trailer shop may be able to fabricate the same thing for you and I'm sure there are other options too.

Welcome to the site! We'll look forward to hearing from you as you get to know your new 'bu!

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Definitely look into that Pivit Hitch stuff. You want a hinge if you can get one. If that doesn't work out, any trailer shop could modify your trailer for you. When I ordered my boat, the dealer forgot to put the swing-away tongue on the order. He sent it to a shop and had them cut it for me. It works fine, but it isn't hinged, so I have to keep a milk crate handy in the garage. Let me know if you want pics of mine. It's no big deal. I think the mod was $250 back in 2001.

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Take a good look at the tow vehicle to boat clearance, you might be able to just chop a foot off you tongue. Worse case if you use a Class-III reciever you might need a little longer 2" tube that your ball bolts onto. Also, if you are just worried about wintering it in the garage takeing the swim platform off isn't a big deal.

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Definitely look into that Pivit Hitch stuff. You want a hinge if you can get one. If that doesn't work out, any trailer shop could modify your trailer for you. When I ordered my boat, the dealer forgot to put the swing-away tongue on the order. He sent it to a shop and had them cut it for me. It works fine, but it isn't hinged, so I have to keep a milk crate handy in the garage. Let me know if you want pics of mine. It's no big deal. I think the mod was $250 back in 2001.

What he said. I've had both the pivot/hinge style & the other type that slides into the main tube on the trailer, & belive me the hinge is soooooo much better & easier to use.

Take a good look at the tow vehicle to boat clearance, you might be able to just chop a foot off you tongue. Worse case if you use a Class-III reciever you might need a little longer 2" tube that your ball bolts onto. Also, if you are just worried about wintering it in the garage takeing the swim platform off isn't a big deal.

Just a guess, but I'm willing to bet that he's already taken that into account. ICBW of course. As for shortening the tongue, it's probably going to cost almost as much to get that done properly as it would to get the pivot. Plus, I don't know if I'd want to mess with that, it could screw up the balance of the load on the trailer.

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John,

If you got the boat locally I assume you have a performance trailer. If so the mod will likely be a bit more involved, but can still be done. (If it's a Boatmate than it would be easier and would swing more tongue)

Let me know on the trailer brand and color, if you like, and we can price up a retrofit for you. You'd just have to bring it over and drop it off for a bit.

Thanks,

Peter

[email protected]

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Congrats on the new boat! A buddy of mine just got one too and really loves it.

You can retrofit the trailer with a swing away hitch. Do a search for "pivit hitch" and you'll find one brand. They make a retrofit kit with a new hitch section that will address the surge brake issues.

A trailer shop may be able to fabricate the same thing for you and I'm sure there are other options too.

Welcome to the site! We'll look forward to hearing from you as you get to know your new 'bu!

Thanks on the congrats CarveItUp, and thanks to everyone else for all the good feedback! I'm pumped up about the boat, I've wanted a competition ski boat since I was about 10 years old and my 4 year old daughter is already skiing. Just need for the interminable rain to subside.

The trailer is manufactured by PERFORMANCE. Black w/ a red double pin stripe. Wakegirl is right, length is minus the platform.

SmoothwaterMan, I might take you up on the offer, I'm planning on taking the boat with me to the Berkshires the second week in June and might be able to swing over to Glen Falls if I can't find someone locally.

Jgouveia3, I'm hoping I can resolve the problem without having to get another trailer, but if it comes to that I'll keep you in mind.

The swing-away trailer tongue link that Norcalibu offered up looks like it will do the trick, although the tongue is so short I'm unsure it can accommodate the swing-tongue mod. I'll have to look into it. Any further thoughts are welcome.

John

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We had our SLXi trailer modified to have a removable toung. We live about 40 min. away from the maufactur so that might not be an option for you.

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