fixed tongue to swing away tongue

How hard would it be to convert a fixed tongue trailer to a swing away trailer? Has anyone ever done it before?

I dont kno tht u can. U would have to saw off where the toungue meets the rest of the trailer and weld on a swing away. i dont kno where u could just buy a swing a way. It could be more trouble than its worth

The boat I bought had a trailer with a fixed tongue and I needed the swing away. The dealer ordered the kit and took it to someone they use to weld it together. If you call your local dealer, they should be able to order a kit for you.

Randy,
How much was the kit? and what was in the kit?

Actually, you can buy the kit from Extreme Engineering and have them put it on (if you're in So Cal) or have a local trailer place do it for you. It's called the Pivit Hitch. Check it out at http://www.pivithitch.com. I've had one on my last two trailers and it's the only reason that the new WakeWorld VLX fits in my garage.

how much does something like that cost?

Not sure. It came with both my trailers. Give them a call.

I was just checking out the website and it looks like they have a self install kit so that you can just bolt it on yourself. Probably won't look as clean, but I'm betting it's cheaper.

You have to be careful with Trailers that have disc brakes because the surge brake and lines are on the front part of the trailer. This is not the case on all trailers but make sure it will work with yours before you go cutting up things.

Don't pay the extra money for the pivit revolution, just get the parts directly from Extreme Trailers or even have them do it for you!

Extreme Trailers makes the Pivit Hitch, so that's what you'll be getting either way.

Ronia, if the swing-away is too expensive, you could make a removable tongue that achieves the same thing. It would involve cutting the square tubing, then welding a smaller piece of square tubing on the tongue that slips inside the front of the trailer. Drill a hole and put a heavy locking pin to hold it together. Make a disconnect for the lights. If you have brakes, then I guess it gets more complicated. This is the setup I had on my 19' Malibu. Any welding shop could do this.

Either way, since I have a non swing-away tongue now, wont' i have to cut the trailer?
I don't live in Cal so I'd have to go with the self install kit.

Ronia and Nate. The dealer charged me an additional $300 to have it installed. That was parts, labor and paint to touch up the welding. Seemed expensive, but I definitely needed it to get in the garage.

(Message edited by dudeman on August 24, 2005)

(Message edited by dudeman on August 24, 2005)

When we ordered our '03 VLX, we ordered it with a removeable hitch. When we picked up the boat, the dealer had screwed up and given us a fixed hitch. We took the trailer back, and he just had the manufacturer (a local company) cut off the hitch and install the removeable one.

Randy,

Do you know what came in the kit the dealer ordered for you? $300 is less than a whole new trailer isn't it? I have no idea how much trailers go for but I would think at least $1,000 even if you have a trade.

Ronia. My kit came directly from BoatMate. I have an '04 Moomba. Mine doesn't look like the Pivit Revolution pic. I'll grab my camera and go down and take a pic and post it. Should be able to have someone locally make one. Watch for the pics. If you're looking for a double axle trailer, I believe you'll pay more than $1000.

Ronia. Here are some pics. Kit by Boat Mate who makes this trailer. Original tongue was cut and kit was welded on.

new single axle trailers w/out brakes are going to be $2000 minimum; tandem w/ brakes $3000 min.

the conversion to the swing away looks expensive; converting to a removable tongue should cost less than $100 at any shop that does welding. It involves cutting the existing tongue, then inserting and tack welding a piece of square tubing into the part you just cut off. Insert the tongue back onto the trailer, drill a hole thru the sides and put a locking pin thru it.

How do you keep air from entering the brake line when removing/connecting the tongue?

The tongue swings to one side and is an electrical connection, not a pnuematic.

I mean on a removable tongue, not a swing-away.

I have a swing-away, but I have surge brakes, not electric.

on removeable tongues that come that way from the factory, there is a disconnect for the brake line, and the electrical harness. the brake line disconnect looks like the kind on an air compressor. Ronia has a Brendella, a lighter boat with probably a single axle / no brake trailer (my guess)

My removable tongue trailer has what Rich is describing. It's a self sealing connector much like air hose. You pull back on the outer ring which lets several ball bearings move outward, this lets you pull the fitting off the trailer brake line. It works great and is a fantastic theft detrement, I put a locking pin in after I have removed the tounge. You could prbably chain up to the trailer with a tow truck but it would take a little longer and make a little more noise. This is a dual axle trailer with a Centurion Elite-V, not a light setup.

(Message edited by breadbutta on August 24, 2005)

Randy - What's the 2x4 blocks over the hitch for ?

Clete. The 2 x 4's you see are part of a setup I made that extends up and supports the tower when I fold it down to put it in the garage. Laying old vests on the hull when I laid it down didn't impress me and for a $3 board, I made something that works great.

Randy,

What type of Moomba do you have. I have a 2004 LSV with a tandem trailer. I need to retro fit to a swingaway tongue and a local trailer company said it could not be done on my trailer.

I bought the boat used after the same trailer company said "sure it can be converted."

Any help would be appreciated.

Scott,

I sent an email direct to Boatmate Trailers. Is that what trailer you have? I had to give them my serial number to know if a kit would work on my trailer for sure. Hope this helps

Randy,
Can you send a pic of that thing you made for the tower?

Scott. I have an '04 Moomba LSV also but with a single axle trailer. That shouldn't make a difference if your trailer is a Boatmate. That's who made the kit.

Ronia. I'll take a pic of my highly technical design of the 2 x 4 I used and post it when I get home from work. Look for it in a couple of hours. It's crude, but everything I build is for fun and on the fly. No plans.

Can't wait to see it!

Ronia. Here are the pics. Took me like 5 minutes. This is started as something temporary, but it still works.

Which tower do you have on your moomba? I thought my dealer told me my tower would fold back into the boat and not over the bow. He must have been mistaken. We have a 04 Supra with the newer tower.

Not sure who the manufacturer is. I can look when I get home.

Pretty sure that Extreme makes all the towers for Moomba's and Supra's.

I think the only Moomba tower that folds to the rear is the XLV tower.

(Message edited by zo1 on August 29, 2005)

The Boatmate swing-away kit can be purchased directly from Boatmate. When I had my Moomba I looked at buying one. I believe it was around $300 for the kit.

Randy, you could make those tower supports with an aluminum pole and some high-grade plastic brackets - sell 'em on ebay and make enough to support your wakeboarding habit.

another suggestion - if you cut a notch into the top of your support, it would reduce the chance of it getting knocked out from under the tower; and possibly hitting someone or your boat.

Yeah, I need to modify it. It was just a quick thing I put together. Too many other things on the Honey Do List right now.