1986 vm trailer

[87ski]

Hi,  I'm new here just got a 87 Malibu skier this summer.   The boats been great had to do a little work to the boat to get it going.  

But my question now is about the vm trailer.  Has anyone one had the problem where the front cross member with the roller on it drags on the boat ramp and busts some of the welds off?   

Thanks Sam

[Bozboat]

do you have any pictures of this problem?

[87ski]

 I can get some pictures this evening,   I'm not sure how to post pictures on here though.   

[87ski]

The front cross member with the roller is the one that has been hitting.    

[tvano]

is the trailer even / level when attached to tow vehicle on level ground?

have enough room to raise the tow ball w/o hitting the rear of the trailer on your typical tow route?

[87ski]

The trailer is fairly level. Maybe even a little higher in the front, I know its not lower in the front.  I don't think I would want to go higher though the rears pretty low.   

[Rednucleus]

Could we please see some wider view pics to get a better perspective on how it's sitting. On level surface please measure the clearance.

[robertstone9]

pics of your hitch setup as well   that is not a typical  drag spot   something is off

[87ski]

I know it's not a typical drag spot that's why I'm trying to figure out what's up.   It will probably be next week sometime before I can get hooked up and get pics and measurements.  Thanks for the quick responses so far.

[87ski]

Here are some more pics took a Little longer then I thought to get some pictures.  That's as level  a place I can get in my yard.

8.25 inches

 

 

16 inches 

 

8.5 inches 

[robertstone9]

what's the drop on that hitch?    looks insane   and that is going to amplify the angles

  along with the utility bed is not helping

Edited November 9, 2017 by robertstone9

[87ski]

It's a 14 inch drop.   Which makes it level if I go with a shorter drop it will drag in the back.    And what does the utility bed have to do with anything?  It's a standard length bed. 

[JasonK]

I guess I would raise the tongue up until the prop guard starts dragging. Dragging the prop guard is typical. Dragging the front cross frame is not typical. Hopefully you can raise the tonque some and not drag anything.

Don't think I've ever seen a trailer with four guide posts.

I think I have about 4" below my prop guard.

[Michigan boarder]

That is really weird, from the side it all looks normal.  Must have been a bad design on the frame?  Can you put some blocking above the leaf springs and just raise the whole thing up 2 or 3 inches?

[mackie12]

whole set up looks fine to me, guess if you could measure from bottom of cross-member dragging to ground. But unless you had something to reconcile it with its just a number.....

Is it dragging while driving around or just at the launch? Reason I ask is my 98 trailer had a similar issue but it was from loading/un-loading as the trailer would sink into the mud and the front cross member would drag. I ended up welding up a skid plate (4" x 1/4" Channel) from tounge to last cross member.

[87ski]

6 hours ago, JasonK said:

I guess I would raise the tongue up until the prop guard starts dragging. Dragging the prop guard is typical. Dragging the front cross frame is not typical. Hopefully you can raise the tonque some and not drag anything.

Don't think I've ever seen a trailer with four guide posts.

I think I have about 4" below my prop guard.

With the hitch I have I can go up some more since it's adjustable.   I'll raise it up some and try that. 

Yeah the trailer had the stock rear ones and I added the front two which are pretty much touching the boat when it's sitting in place.   It works great on the river comes out straight.   I also switched to a regular bow stop instead of the bar it came with.   

Edited November 10, 2017 by 87ski

[87ski]

6 hours ago, Michigan boarder said:

That is really weird, from the side it all looks normal.  Must have been a bad design on the frame?  Can you put some blocking above the leaf springs and just raise the whole thing up 2 or 3 inches?

I will have to look at the suspension. 

[87ski]

5 hours ago, mackie12 said:

whole set up looks fine to me, guess if you could measure from bottom of cross-member dragging to ground. But unless you had something to reconcile it with its just a number.....

Is it dragging while driving around or just at the launch? Reason I ask is my 98 trailer had a similar issue but it was from loading/un-loading as the trailer would sink into the mud and the front cross member would drag. I ended up welding up a skid plate (4" x 1/4" Channel) from tounge to last cross member.

It's just been at the ramp and it drags hard.    Do you have any pictures of the skid plate you made?   I was actually thinking of adding something like that because the skegs are at the same level only thing saving them is probably that the boat is stil floating.   

[mackie12]

@87ski no, sorry, didn't take any pics. but if I was going to redo it I would use 6" Flat Bar with 1" x 1" angle welded to it for strength. basically start at the tongue and run it straight back till you get to the section where the prop guard is, all while welding to each cross member. some of the angles you will have to figure out on the fly but that's pretty easy. also if you are going to stitch weld it ensure you use silicone or something to seal the rest, so it don't rust out.

[87ski]

@mackie12   That sounds simple enough looks like a got some planing to do and some work on the trailer for the winter.