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Upgrade to the kayak trailer

tell us about the have to have lure etc
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BrokenolMarine
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Location: South Central Oklahoma in the mountains
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Upgrade to the kayak trailer

Post by BrokenolMarine » Thu May 09, 2019 2:46 pm

A couple weeks ago I posted that we did the annual service on the kayak trailer. :D That's what keeps it in top shape. It's always been a joy to use, except.. :roll: ... all the other trailers and equipment on the farm have been converted to 2" tongues ... at least the ones we pull with the trucks. When we decide to go fishing we have been having to swap out to the 1-7/8 ball. Not that it's that big a deal, but ... why swap?

I finally got around to ordering a 2" tongue for the Yakima trailer for the kayaks and I went out ten days or so ago to install it. Pull a few bolts, put them back and done, right? :) Ah... no. :evil: Seems that the bolt pattern on the 2" coupler was a tad wider than the one on the 1-7/8 so it was going to take some finesse to get 'er done. Rather than have that happen IN the boathouse, where it was about 95 degrees, I decided to wait a few days, and pull the trailer into the woodshop where it was Air Conditioned and all my tools were, and do the job right. :)

Rather than pull the entire trailer in, the yakima design let me pull the tongue and take just that. First step, pull the bolts, the handle, the security cables and all the hardware and lay them on the bench... after cleaning them all up.
01 removed all the hardware.jpg
01 removed all the hardware.jpg (163.56 KiB) Viewed 4299 times
Next I cleaned up the tongue... and got it ready... removing any traces of oil and road grime.
02 cleaned up the tongue.jpg
02 cleaned up the tongue.jpg (130.13 KiB) Viewed 4299 times
Then I pulled the wiring harness, leaving a length of surveyer's line thru the tongue to assist in running the harness back thru...
03 pulled the harness.jpg
03 pulled the harness.jpg (119.3 KiB) Viewed 4299 times
After cleaning the manufacturer's label off the tongue, the hardest part of this entire process, I got the new tongue in place, clamped, and the tongue level, and put a few drops of oil in place and then Drilled the hole in a slow pass straight thru. Not hard, but slow and careful thru the aluminum.
04 ready to drill.jpg
04 ready to drill.jpg (153.26 KiB) Viewed 4299 times
Once the hole was drilled and all the shavings cleaned out, the harness was reinstalled, the new coupler put in place, and the tongue installed back on the trailer. Testing the lights and the lockup, all worked great. :P The unexpected downside... ? NO handle for rolling the kayaks around... I'll have to make one, or adapt the old one. :)

We towed the trailer yesterday, and everything worked as advertised. Nice to use the drawbar already on the truck and not have to swap.
:D
3 x
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by the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.

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markiver54
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Re: Upgrade to the kayak trailer

Post by markiver54 » Thu May 09, 2019 4:26 pm

Do enjoy your project reports Jim...well done!
Now...go catch that big one when Mom Nature ain't watching. :lol:
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I'm your Huckleberry

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