how hight is your boat trailer

[skinny]

i'm thinking of moving the axel on my trailer from below the leaf spring to ontop of the spring. this will lower my trailer by 2-3" I have a couple of shallow launches I have used in the past and one of them last year by the time the boat floated the door of my truck was over the water so i had to step out into the water

 

anyone tell me why I shouldn't do this

 

I always have my motor tipped when I trailer so it hitting shoudn't be a issue

[jedimaster]

Just the motor hitting the ground. you will need to flip the axle over as well as the spring perches will be on the wrong side of the axle

[Fisherman]

What Jedimaster said, you'll have to add new spring perches unless it's a non arched, perfectly straight axle. You'll loose 2-3 inches of clearance under the fenders and have a bit of premature tire tread wear.

[Fish4Eyes]

Is 2-3" really worth it? Have you ever tried to reverse the boat with the motor off of the trailer? Had to do this at Lakair last summer due to lower than usual water levels.

[smally21]

im assuming of course that your boat is small enough to fit between the fenders. if it sits over the fenders then the whole idea of lowering it is impossible. if you do reverse the axle you will have to remount the fenders, no big deal if they are bolt on, but if it is a welded setup....

 

drop axles and inverted axles can do wonders for narrower boats. but they have no place on larger boats where wheel height + fender clearance dictate the height of the boat.

 

if you have any extra room between the keel and the axle on your current setup you could consider moving the bunks or rollers further out to pick up a few inches..again if you fit between the fenders.

 

smaller tires (fat boys??) of equivalent load ratings can lower the trailer as well..