Towing Motor Up Or Down?

[EvanT123]

When you guys are towing your boats (outboards specifically) do you put the motor up or down?

I've been doing it up. Don't want to smack it on my bumpy driveway or curb. A guy at the launch said to do it down, to avoid snapping or wearing out the pin. Looked on some boat forums and it seems 50/50. Don't have a transom saver yet it's an 82lb 9.9 mercury.

[200racing]

i tow my jon & 9.9 down. up causes extra leverage/stress on the transom.

 

50hp yamaha = transom saver.

[gramps50]

I use a transom saver on my 20hp Need. A transom saver is a good investment.

[Fishing Rhino]

From what the owners manual for my Merc says, they recommend trailering with the motor in the down position.  They specifically state that the tilt lock should not be used when trailering.  Neither should the power lift be used to keep the motor in a raised position while trailering your boat.

 

There is little doubt that today's transoms can take the strains of over the road travel.

 

However, the question is, do you want to risk damaging the lower unit should it make contact with the road?  Railroad tracks, sharp grade changes such as those found when turning into parking lots, or off the road, speed bumps, etc. can cause serious damage.

 

I have a spring loaded transom saver which has about two inches of spring travel from fully compressed to unloaded.  I install the transom saver and compress the spring about one inch.  This allows the spring to absorb road shock while towing.

[Dwight Hottle]

I tow with my 9.9 kicker in the down position which has plenty of clearance. My 250 is tilted with a transom saver & has about the same clearance as the kicker.

[WIGuide]

If you have enough clearance to tow with it down I'd probably do that. If not, buy a transom saver. You can pick up a cheap one a Walmart for $20 I think and for a small motor like that it'll be just fine. 

[tcbass]

If you can safely do it with the motor all of the way down, do it that way. But be sure that it's got plenty of clearance. Sometimes if your close to the ground and go up or down over something your motor can hit.

 

 

 

I use a small block, rubber, block-style transom saver called a M-Y Wedge.

 

 

http://www.m-ywedge.com/

 

 

 

The reason I use this and not a traditional transom saver is that the traditional ones can't be good for your motor. Think about this, have you ever gotten to the lake or back from the lake and noticed that your trailer winch strap is loose? That means your boat shifted forward. It happens all of the time. Your boat will shift independently of the trailer since they are two separate objects. Well, if you are driving and go over a bump and are using a traditional transom saver your boat will want to keep moving forward while the trailer is going backward. It will transfer all of that force from the trailer into your motor's lower unit and against the hydraulics. That can't be good for your motor or transom.

[cadman]

On my 225 I have a transom saver, on my 9.9 I tow with it down.

[starweldpro16]

Up always. With transom saver in place. The road surface is no place for your skeg. Heck,turning up into my lane here off the township road is a trick. If I do it right I can keep the spare tire on the trailer tongue, and the center roller in the back of the trailer from hitting the road. Lots of up and down here.

[Long Mike]

If you can safely do it with the motor all of the way down, do it that way. But be sure that it's got plenty of clearance. Sometimes if your close to the ground and go up or down over something your motor can hit.

 

 

 

I use a small block, rubber, block-style transom saver called a M-Y Wedge.

 

 

http://www.m-ywedge.com/

 

 

 

The reason I use this and not a traditional transom saver is that the traditional ones can't be good for your motor. Think about this, have you ever gotten to the lake or back from the lake and noticed that your trailer winch strap is loose? That means your boat shifted forward. It happens all of the time. Your boat will shift independently of the trailer since they are two separate objects. Well, if you are driving and go over a bump and are using a traditional transom saver your boat will want to keep moving forward while the trailer is going backward. It will transfer all of that force from the trailer into your motor's lower unit and against the hydraulics. That can't be good for your motor or transom.

 

I'm afraid I have to disagree.  When I put the boat on the trailer the bow is hard up against the roller and my winch strap is tight, as are my stern tie-down straps.  My winch strap goes below the roller, so there is no way the boat can shift upward or forward.  Therefore, the transom saver is doing the job it was designed for.

[Fishing Rhino]

I'm afraid I have to disagree.  When I put the boat on the trailer the bow is hard up against the roller and my winch strap is tight, as are my stern tie-down straps.  My winch strap goes below the roller, so there is no way the boat can shift upward or forward.  Therefore, the transom saver is doing the job it was designed for.

 

See above.

[tcbass]

See above.

 

 

Exactly.

 

 

When your motor is not connected to the trailer via transom saver your lower unit is taking no shock. When you turn your boat and trailer into one unit via a transom saver you will be transferring shock into your lower unit. So Fishing Rhino's unit with an inch of shock absorption should help. Which is exactly why his transom saver unit has built in shock protection.

[Long Mike]

Sirs, I would much prefer to have a transom saver without a spring.  Under a severe shock, the downward inertia of the lower unit could potentially compress the spring to the point that the lower unit 'slaps' into the transom saver.  Further, a spring could allow the unit to bounce, which would obviously induce stress into the hydraulics and mounting bolts.  On the other hand, a rigid transom saver, installed near the bottom of the lower unit, and with the motor trimmed down firmly into it, forms a rigid triangle, with the vertical component of the triangle being the transom.  Since, at least with my boat, I have ruled out horizontal loading, (as discussed in my above post,) any inertial loading will be in the vertical axis.  Because I have formed a rigid triangle, no undue stress is placed upon the lower unit, except ... there is a mass that is protruding outside of my triangle, which would of course be any part of the lower unit protruding below the transom saver.  THAT is the potential problem area.  From an inertial loading standpoint, the higher up the lower unit that the transom saver is installed, the more loading is induced into the lower unit, because it wants to flex.  That's why my transom saver is installed as close to my prop as I can get it.

 

Having said all of the above, I have never heard of any instance where a lower unit has failed because it got bounced too hard while on the trailer with a transom saver of any type installed.  A person may have to have their tilt hydraulics serviced every ten years or so, but I figure that's about all anyone needs to worry about.

[Sam]

I do the same as Long Mike.

 

It is imperative that you use a transom saver as designed for your boat.

 

Your motor needs to be supported and a proper transom saver does the job correctly.

[Djf3864]

Tow with a transom saver on the outboard; so I guess most of the way down, but not all the way