Tow-Alongs
By hitching on to these trailering accessories, you'll have a much safer, smoother ride to the water.
By Graham Garrison
April 1, 2004
Your trailer needs help. It's been a reliable tool to get you to and from the water with your
boat, but lately you've found the trailering more difficult. The ride in your tow vehicle is
rougher. It's darn near impossible to see past your trailer with your side mirror, making highway
driving dicey. You're having a heck of a time launching the boat off the trailer. Whatever the
case, you're in need of an upgrade for the job, and these trailering accessories can help.
Rain Coverage
When you're on the road and rough weather hits, you don't want to be trailering an increasing load of rainwater on the ride back home. Some boat covers can handle the rain but not the ride, and you'll get pockets of water. Taylor Made's BoatGuard Self-Supporting Technology Boat Covers (www.taylormadeproducts.com) use flexible poles to hold a dome shape that forces rain water and debris to slide right off. The poles for the covers slide into heavy-duty pockets sewn into the boat cover's fabric. The BoatGuard SST covers come in three sizes, from 17 to 23 feet.
Glow And Tow
It's worried you before. You're on the road late at night, driving past a pickup truck that's trailering a runabout. Upon closer inspection, the boat doesn't look all that secure on the trailer. Every bump in the road jostles it a little bit more, and visions of a runaway runabout bounding off the trailer and into your lane flood your mind. To put yourself at ease, Epco designed reflective transom tie downs (www.gatortuff.com). The 2-inch-wide tie downs accommodate up to 1,200 pounds, are designed with weather-resistant polypropylene webbing and come in a wide range of sizes. The tie downs lock easily with a plated buckle hook and loop pad that secures loose ends and protects your boat's fit and finish.
Cushion The Ride
Wear and tear on your tow vehicle can lead to poor road performance. Schuck's Cushion Hitches (www.schuckhitches.com) decrease the amount of load shock and driver fatigue you may experience. The hitch absorbs both minor and major tongue thrust shocks that go with towing your boat and trailer. You won't hear the constant banging associated with most hitches because there's no metal-to-metal contact. The cushion hitch can handle both light and heavy loads and helps maintain your vehicle's performance. With a telescoping swivel cushion tongue, backing up to hook up your trailer to your tow vehicle is a lot easier. The cushion tongue extends to 7 inches beyond the tow position and swivels 60 degrees laterally if needed, allowing you to simply back up the tow vehicle to engage the self-adjusting cam latch.
Keep On Turning
The bigger the load, the more the wear. A solution to using light truck tires on your pickup used to be opting for hefty 19.5-inch commercial truck tires with adapters, although those were hard to find. Rickson's Haul-Rite wheels (www.ricksontruck.com) don't need the adapter and come with the right bolt patterns and hub bores for your truck. The 19.5-inch wheels and tires generally run twice as long as conventional ones, improve handling and stability in your tow vehicle and increase the safety of your ride when handling big loads. The Haul-Rite wheels come in the correct sizes for Dodge, General Motors and Ford trucks. Installation is the same as changing a spare tire.
Reach Out
Dunking your tow vehicle can turn into a soggy situation at the ramp. You're worried the tail pipe might get soaked, that the water at the ramp is too shallow and your boat's draft won't make the cut. Not to mention you would like to hold off on drenching your pants, but because the boat didn't slide off the rollers, you have to go in there and give it the last heave into the water. An Extend-a-Hitch extension (www.xtend-a-hitchnorthwest.com) allows you to launch your boat at a distance from the usual chores of ramp work. When you get to the launching ramp, uncouple the trailer, pull the pin and slide the Extend-a-Hitch into place, then re-insert the hitch. When not in use, the extension stores under your trailer tongue. Available in 7- to 12-foot lengths.
Mirror, Mirror
For larger loads, you need a larger mirror. Schefenacker's Telescopic Trailer Tow Mirrors (www.ttt-mirror.com) give you that extra view that makes driving in traffic and even backing down to the ramp that much easier. The mirrors replace your tow vehicle's exterior mirrors with 4-1/2 inches of outward adjustment to work with. There's even graduation marks on the arm to aid you in telescoping at the right angle to see past your trailer. You have a choice of three different mirror functions. Manual mirrors have a large, flat main glass that goes along with a wide-view spotter mirror. The electric and heat version is electrically adjustable with heated glass to warm up mirrors in cold and frosty situations. The electric, heat and light version adds LED turn signals, allowing other drivers to see when you're turning. Available for a variety of tow vehicles, including Chevrolet, Tahoe, GMC, Cadillac, Dodge and Ford models.
Oh By Dolly
Your back has paid the price before. You tried to maneuver your boat trailer into a tight spot, attempted unsuccessfully to burden the weight by yourself and spent the next week on the couch with an icepack on your back. Powermovers' AC Trailer-dollies (www.powermoverinc.net) are built to take the load off your shoulders for those tasks. Using household current, you can hook up the dolly to the trailer tongue and place a trailer with up to 6 tons of weight to your liking. The dolly gains traction with 4-ply, diamond-stud tires and operates in forward and reverse. Available in nine different dolly sizes and 23 attachments.
Cover Me
A personal watercraft can take a licking on the road. Rocks, dirt and other debris jump up and put a hurting on the gel coat and painted finish. Covercraft Industries' Jet Bra (www.pwr-sports.com) offers a solution: custom-fitted PWC covers. The Jet Bras are designed to protect the front of your PWC from road rages. Made of heavy-duty vinyl on the outside and soft protective backing, the Jet Bra is easy to hook up and simple to clean. The gas cap and front storage are still accessible even with the Jet Bra on. The covers come in makes for Kawasaki, Polaris, Honda, Sea Doo and Yamaha PWCs.
Rain Coverage
When you're on the road and rough weather hits, you don't want to be trailering an increasing load of rainwater on the ride back home. Some boat covers can handle the rain but not the ride, and you'll get pockets of water. Taylor Made's BoatGuard Self-Supporting Technology Boat Covers (www.taylormadeproducts.com) use flexible poles to hold a dome shape that forces rain water and debris to slide right off. The poles for the covers slide into heavy-duty pockets sewn into the boat cover's fabric. The BoatGuard SST covers come in three sizes, from 17 to 23 feet.
Glow And Tow
It's worried you before. You're on the road late at night, driving past a pickup truck that's trailering a runabout. Upon closer inspection, the boat doesn't look all that secure on the trailer. Every bump in the road jostles it a little bit more, and visions of a runaway runabout bounding off the trailer and into your lane flood your mind. To put yourself at ease, Epco designed reflective transom tie downs (www.gatortuff.com). The 2-inch-wide tie downs accommodate up to 1,200 pounds, are designed with weather-resistant polypropylene webbing and come in a wide range of sizes. The tie downs lock easily with a plated buckle hook and loop pad that secures loose ends and protects your boat's fit and finish.
Cushion The Ride
Wear and tear on your tow vehicle can lead to poor road performance. Schuck's Cushion Hitches (www.schuckhitches.com) decrease the amount of load shock and driver fatigue you may experience. The hitch absorbs both minor and major tongue thrust shocks that go with towing your boat and trailer. You won't hear the constant banging associated with most hitches because there's no metal-to-metal contact. The cushion hitch can handle both light and heavy loads and helps maintain your vehicle's performance. With a telescoping swivel cushion tongue, backing up to hook up your trailer to your tow vehicle is a lot easier. The cushion tongue extends to 7 inches beyond the tow position and swivels 60 degrees laterally if needed, allowing you to simply back up the tow vehicle to engage the self-adjusting cam latch.
Keep On Turning
The bigger the load, the more the wear. A solution to using light truck tires on your pickup used to be opting for hefty 19.5-inch commercial truck tires with adapters, although those were hard to find. Rickson's Haul-Rite wheels (www.ricksontruck.com) don't need the adapter and come with the right bolt patterns and hub bores for your truck. The 19.5-inch wheels and tires generally run twice as long as conventional ones, improve handling and stability in your tow vehicle and increase the safety of your ride when handling big loads. The Haul-Rite wheels come in the correct sizes for Dodge, General Motors and Ford trucks. Installation is the same as changing a spare tire.
Reach Out
Dunking your tow vehicle can turn into a soggy situation at the ramp. You're worried the tail pipe might get soaked, that the water at the ramp is too shallow and your boat's draft won't make the cut. Not to mention you would like to hold off on drenching your pants, but because the boat didn't slide off the rollers, you have to go in there and give it the last heave into the water. An Extend-a-Hitch extension (www.xtend-a-hitchnorthwest.com) allows you to launch your boat at a distance from the usual chores of ramp work. When you get to the launching ramp, uncouple the trailer, pull the pin and slide the Extend-a-Hitch into place, then re-insert the hitch. When not in use, the extension stores under your trailer tongue. Available in 7- to 12-foot lengths.
Mirror, Mirror
For larger loads, you need a larger mirror. Schefenacker's Telescopic Trailer Tow Mirrors (www.ttt-mirror.com) give you that extra view that makes driving in traffic and even backing down to the ramp that much easier. The mirrors replace your tow vehicle's exterior mirrors with 4-1/2 inches of outward adjustment to work with. There's even graduation marks on the arm to aid you in telescoping at the right angle to see past your trailer. You have a choice of three different mirror functions. Manual mirrors have a large, flat main glass that goes along with a wide-view spotter mirror. The electric and heat version is electrically adjustable with heated glass to warm up mirrors in cold and frosty situations. The electric, heat and light version adds LED turn signals, allowing other drivers to see when you're turning. Available for a variety of tow vehicles, including Chevrolet, Tahoe, GMC, Cadillac, Dodge and Ford models.
Oh By Dolly
Your back has paid the price before. You tried to maneuver your boat trailer into a tight spot, attempted unsuccessfully to burden the weight by yourself and spent the next week on the couch with an icepack on your back. Powermovers' AC Trailer-dollies (www.powermoverinc.net) are built to take the load off your shoulders for those tasks. Using household current, you can hook up the dolly to the trailer tongue and place a trailer with up to 6 tons of weight to your liking. The dolly gains traction with 4-ply, diamond-stud tires and operates in forward and reverse. Available in nine different dolly sizes and 23 attachments.
Cover Me
A personal watercraft can take a licking on the road. Rocks, dirt and other debris jump up and put a hurting on the gel coat and painted finish. Covercraft Industries' Jet Bra (www.pwr-sports.com) offers a solution: custom-fitted PWC covers. The Jet Bras are designed to protect the front of your PWC from road rages. Made of heavy-duty vinyl on the outside and soft protective backing, the Jet Bra is easy to hook up and simple to clean. The gas cap and front storage are still accessible even with the Jet Bra on. The covers come in makes for Kawasaki, Polaris, Honda, Sea Doo and Yamaha PWCs.
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