# Thinking About Lowering my Trailer...



## bonehead (Dec 9, 2016)

So purchased my first boat a couple months ago (November). The poling platform didn't fit in the garage, so we ended up having it getting popped off and taken to a welding shop. We have to screw it on every time we take the boat out (takes around 10 minutes). No, it is not a catastrophe but it does get annoying, especially at 4am when it's pitch black. The platform is 80in at it's tallest point while the garage door will fit in 78in. When I posted about purchasing the skiff, a couple of you guys suggested lowering the trailer, and I've been toying with that idea lately. Will lowering my trailer 4-5 inches allow my boat with the platform on fit in the garage? Will it make it easier to launch (currently it's a pain as well)? Is it safe driving-wise, as well as the fear of it sliding off or being too low to the road?

Sorry for all the questions, really trying not to screw this up as this is my first boat. Thanks for the input

Pictures -


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## bonehead (Dec 9, 2016)




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## bonehead (Dec 9, 2016)




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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I'm not sure you could go any lower. Your skiff looks like it' riding over the wheel wells, and your tires are tucked in pretty well it seems. What kind of suspension. Is it?


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Raising the bow will lower the stern.
Raise the hitch ball up on the tow vehicle
will allow you to fit into the garage, I think, maybe.


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## bonehead (Dec 9, 2016)

After asking a few buddies, I think I'm just going to leave it as it is. 

Brett, I'll definitely try the higher hitch ball next time. Thanks for the input fellas.


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

What Brett said. The alternative to rising your hitch ball could be to take the boat off the tow, and extend the jack higher, then push the trailer in manually. I don't know how easy it is to move that boat/motor. My skiff is easy even over the little 1/2"? step.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

What size tires do you have? If they are 14 or 15" you could step down to 12".


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## Tigweld (Oct 26, 2017)

Pontoon boat tires and raise the trailer ball


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## topnative2 (Feb 22, 2009)

Hold on ......go to a welding shop and u can get "hinges" put in/on the vertical piping ...pull the pin lower etc... pics on the net


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## Vertigo (Jun 3, 2012)

The only way to lower your particular trailer is with smaller tires, which is probably not a good idea. As others have noted, jacking up ball hitch will lower the rear, so that may be an option. The ultimate solution would be to sell your current trailer and buy a torsion bar suspension trailer with the wheels positioned outboard of the boat's hull. There are no downsides to this type trailer other than cost. A lower trailer makes launching easier and keeps your vehicle away from salt water. It's also more stable towing. Here's my torsion axle setup:


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## Jpscott1 (May 2, 2017)

Maybe it's an optical illusion- but from the pics you posted it appears the garage door when up is below the garage door frame. Is the platform hitting the actual garage door? If so- adjust the door so it goes up higher. I imagine you have a 7ft tall garage opening - which is 84 inches tall.


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## Capnredfish (Feb 1, 2012)

Convert it to torsion bar. Measure it up and see if it would work.


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## Mike C (Feb 27, 2017)

I had a Rolls Axle trailer built so I could park in the garage. 
Dan set the rear of my hull lower to aid in launch and recovery. 
Not only do I not need to worry about the poling platform, but cleaning, loading and unloading things in the boat is much easier.

Of course, having your poling platform hinged would be much cheaper.


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## Fritz (Jan 17, 2017)

Could you just let most of the air out of your tires just before putting it into the garage? Not elegant, but cheap and easy way to get a few inches and I'm assuming you have a compressor handy to fill the back up.


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## Mike C (Feb 27, 2017)

One of the things I noticed about your setup is that the aft bunks are petty high. 
If you have clearance, you could take an inch or so off the bottom of the bunk and re mount it. 
Also, changing to a torsion axle would help


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## bonehead (Dec 9, 2016)

JpScott, those were the pics from the owner. They were pretty good so I just use those whenever I share pics of the boat, lol. My garage fits in 78in, while the poling platform measures to 80in. Not planning on doing any major readjustments I don't think, but I'll definitely try the higher hitch ball.

Thanks for all the helpful guys


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## Ryan in LA (Jan 30, 2018)

If the garage door is lower than the frame opening try releasing it from the operator, might go up an inch or two without any modification. Also the operator arm may need trimming or adjustment once you are in...mine needed it to clear the platform.


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