Lock N Stow Vs Transom Saver

[Fishing Rhino]

I use the standard transom saver.  Been doing it for 25+ years now without any issues, so why change?

 

That said, be sure to remove it when launching the boat - especially if you strap it on the lower unit with a bungee cord.  The resulting impact with the prop during the hole shot launches the transom saver way, way, WAY up into the air, and it instantly sinks upon crashing into the water seemingly minutes later!

 

Don't ask me how I know this. 

 

 

Do you think that could be replicated so that you could take a video? Sounds like it would make for great entertainment. I'll bet Bill Dance might do it if you give him the idea. He loves his bloopers, and so do I.

[Fishing Rhino]

"So basically if the boat is securely anchored to the trailer (tie downs

straps for the bow and stern) and using a solid support from trailer to the

lower unit , you can reduce the rocking force on transom, but with a

spring loaded transom saver you are only allow the rocking to happen,

correct?"

 

IMHO, one would think so, so I'm starting to question the use of one in my mind. But let me say I'm am not a mechanical engineer.

 

Here's a case in point on the forces involved. Last year I was on my way down to Lake Guntersville, AL. I would do a walk-around of my rig at each rest/fuel stop which included checking the boat tie downs and the transom saver to insure everything was snug. While going through Knoxville, TN. I went on a section of elevated roadway that was very uneven; it created undulations in my rig that felt like I was riding a bucking bronco. Next thing I know a motorist pulls alongside and indicates I have a problem with my trailer, so I pull over to find my transom saver had come off the roller, drug on the roads surface, and broken the lower tang of the fork. That means the lower unit traveled at least three inches for the fork to clear the roller. This could only be a result of the motor rocking and lifting the transom saver off of the roller.

 

So now I use a safety strap on the transom saver that runs from one side of the fork around the frame member to the other side of the fork; hopefully that will prevent a similar incident in the future. The problem is, it’s a pain in the arse to put on while the boats live wells are draining.

 

Bottom line…. IMHO, I don’t think any of the devices currently on the market can prevent motor rocking, they may dampen it to some extent but not eliminate it, there’s just too much weight in the power head, and the rubber lower unit safety strap on a transom saver will give way - it’s only designed to keep the saver attached to the lower unit; and the wedge devices transfer the full force of the rocking into the transom rather than dividing the motors weight between the transom and the trailers frame.

 

 

 

I'm wondering which came first, the chicken or the egg.

 

Did the fork break which allowed the saver to drop, or did the saver bounce free and then drop which caused the saver's fork to break?  The hammering you've described might have broken the fork.  Just a thought.

[Traveler2586]

I'm wondering which came first, the chicken or the egg.

 

Did the fork break which allowed the saver to drop, or did the saver bounce free and then drop which caused the saver's fork to break?  The hammering you've described might have broken the fork.  Just a thought.

There was no damage to the roller or the roller shaft so I would think the upward movement of the lower unit pulled the TS off the roller; and it was the lower tang on the fork that broke, I suspect from digging into the roadway.  But I don't positively know.

[Fishing Rhino]

As I understand it, the motor should not tilt up or down if it is equipped with hydraulic tilt and trim.  The older outboards had a mechanism on the pivot bracket which "grabbed the tilt pin when the engine was shifted into reverse.  That prevented the motor from tilting up when in reverse.

 

I've looked at my boat and motor.  There is no such device.  Even if there were, there would be no tilt pin for it to "grab".   The motor must be held in place by the hydraulic piston so that it will not tilt up when reverse is used.  If the motor can rock enough to drop the fork from the trailer, there has to be some problem in the hydraulic system, be it a seal, valving, etc.

 

Note the angle of the transom saver in this photo.

 

 

Mine is even closer to horizontal.  There is no way that can put significant upward thrust on the motor.  When the trailer encounters a bump in the road, the boat and trailer are compressed together.  That would put no force into the transom saver, unless you want to count the possible tiny bit of compression of the carpet on the bunks.  Now, when you run over a pothole, the boat will tend to separate from the trailer.  When that happens, the transom saver if secured at both ends, would try to draw the lower unit down.  But since there is not solid connection between the saver fork, and the trailer roller, all that happens is that the fork separates a bit from the trailer roller.

 

When the boat drops back onto the trailer, that gap between the roller and the saver fork closes, and the downward thump is absorbed by the transom, not the saver. 

[Long Mike]

When I install my transom saver at the end of the day I trim the motor down FIRMLY into it.  I've had no problems with the motor bouncing as I travel.

[Traveler2586]

As I understand it, the motor should not tilt up or down if it is equipped with hydraulic tilt and trim.  The older outboards had a mechanism on the pivot bracket which "grabbed the tilt pin when the engine was shifted into reverse.  That prevented the motor from tilting up when in reverse.

 

I've looked at my boat and motor.  There is no such device.  Even if there were, there would be no tilt pin for it to "grab".   The motor must be held in place by the hydraulic piston so that it will not tilt up when reverse is used.  If the motor can rock enough to drop the fork from the trailer, there has to be some problem in the hydraulic system, be it a seal, valving, etc. [i agree with this thought, a hydraulic system problem could cause movement]

 

..................

 

Mine is even closer to horizontal.  There is no way that can put significant upward thrust on the motor.  When the trailer encounters a bump in the road, the boat and trailer are compressed together.  That would put no force into the transom saver, unless you want to count the possible tiny bit of compression of the carpet on the bunks.  Now, when you run over a pothole, the boat will tend to separate from the trailer.  When that happens, the transom saver if secured at both ends, would try to draw the lower unit down.  But since there is not solid connection between the saver fork, and the trailer roller, all that happens is that the fork separates a bit from the trailer roller.

 

When the boat drops back onto the trailer, that gap between the roller and the saver fork closes, and the downward thump is absorbed by the transom, not the saver. 

I've wondered if the boat was lifting off the trailer; but the weight of the boat gave me doubts.  I would not be surprised to find that the transom tie-down straps stretch somewhat.