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Posts: 431
| Looking for a new transom saver. Which is better the one that supports off the base of the trailer to the lower unit or the one that gets put in under the motor by the trim and tilt?
Thanks
Chris |
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Posts: 395
Location: NW WI | My feeling is the one that supports off the trailer. Takes the load totally off of the transom. |
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| Ifishskies is on the Money...............thats the best one out there. |
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Posts: 43
Location: Roch NY | I agree: LU to trailer.
interestingly, on the bass boat sites this debate is just that: a heated back and forth that has been raging for years with pretty staunch support on bot sides. most of those guys are fanatics or pros so I gues you probably couldn't go wrong with either. downfall of the wedges between the T&T is that it will not stop your motor from twisting off to the side like the better trailer ones will. make sure you get one that holds it straight or it will impart an uneven force on the transom which kinda defeats the purpose of the transom saver. |
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Posts: 185
Location: Mendota Heights, MN | Waste of money.
Transom is built to hold your motor. Just keep it from bouncing. Key is to take load of power tilt/trim pistons. All you need is a a 2x4 to do that.
Talk to an honest dealer and you will find out the truth.
Steve |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | I bought a Lock 'n Stow prior to my 2200 mile trip from Ohio to Lake Vermilion. No problems with it whatsoever.
On larger motors with hydraulic tilt / trim, I'm not certain there is actually any weight being put on the transom. How many foot pounds do you think these 'savers' hold? As long as the motor does not bounce around, I think the device I have works fine. It sure is more compact, convenient, and easy to use. Never had the motor steer itself while trailering like with the 'saver' units. m |
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Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Phoenix,
Not disagreeing with your argument because it is true..you are taking the load off the trim/tilt pistons...good point.
One thing I would add, though is that when you tilt a motor up and block it with a 2x4 or not, you have just created a "lever" so to speak with the lower unit. When the boat is travelling down the road with the motor tilted up, that lower unit will act like it weighs quite a bit more than it really does as weighed in a vertical position because the bouncing while trailering and gravity now are being applied further away from the transom....thus more torque being applied to the transom as a whole.
Granted, these boats today are built really well, and they can withstand more than we can probably dish out. But time does take it's toll and so does undue stress beit on bolts, aluminum, etc. Everything flexes and over time, that flexing will lower the integrity of the metal and the wood/composite that makes up the transom.
No matter what you do, some sort of support is better than none. The debate will continue to go on, and one ultimately has to decide for him/herself what they feel is best for their rig.
For me, I'll stick with the transom saver.
Steve |
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Posts: 1270
| Phoenix, Your legs are built to hold up your weight also but it sure feels good to sit down sometimes! If you are trailering your boat and you hit bumps in the road like we all do even with a 2x4 your motor is still going to bounce up and down.
No thanks, I'll keep my transom saver on. Maybe your "honest dealer" is looking at selling you a new boat or repairing your transom when it gives way. I have had a transom give out and that was on a boat that hardly got trailered at all, it just started giving way sitting in the garage. |
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| Transom Saver is a MUST.
I have a freind that actually had to have a new boat sent back to the manufacturer to rebuild the transom as a result of not using a transom saver. He used it for 2 seasons and the boucing incurred from trailering caused the transom to crack. It was an alumium boat with a 150hp...transoms are not made for that kind of stress.
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| it's like the guys who spend $500 on a rod, reel, and fancy lure but won't spend the $3 to get a new leader.
how much is your boat worth?
how much does a transom saver cost?
'nuff said.
as for what kind? i personally like the one that goes betweent he lower unit and the back trailer roller. it's quick and easy, and just what i'm used to using, i guess.
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Posts: 2378
| Exactly. What good reason is there to not use one?
They cost what...$50? And they take about 15 seconds to put on. Simple insurance |
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| If your transom isnt tuff enough too handle the bumps on the road you best be looking at a new boat. Seriously, your boat takes alot more abuse on the water than on the road. OMC,. in there days' had a built in lock on there motors similiar to the lock and stow that I used on my lund with no probs for ten years. The lock n stow or whatever similiar deal is the best. Do you realize how much road flex is transfered from your trailer to your lower unit through a transom saver? Enough to loosen the and break bolts. Lower units cost upwards of $8000. Ever got to your destination and found your tie downs loose. Guess what was bouncing up and down on your trailer. There has been lots of discussion about this on other boards. In the old days of wooden transoms you might be right, but not today!! If possible get the lock n stow or similiar. I dont sell them either and they dont make one for my motor. |
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Posts: 32954
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | The proper use of a transom saver is JUST snugging up the motor at the proper angle, which supports and protects both the motor and the transom. I won't run a V6 without a transom saver properly adjusted and in place. That combination keeps my transom straps tight on my trailer, which is properly adjusted to the boat. Loose transom straps indicate a poorly adjusted trailer and/or an axle position that's not correct for the weight distribution of the boat on the trailer. Road stress from a motor that is dead weight and unsupported is WAY worse than running the boat hard in rougher than rough water, the motor when running exerts force against the transom and motor mounts that is completely different than that caused by an unsupported motor bouncing down the road. I run about 40K a year pulling a boat, and never even really scuffed up the lower unit, much less had any other damage from a transom saver, and that's over 32 years pulling a sales sample around.
Most boats now use anti-feedback (under 150 HP) steering or hydraulic, so no steering changes should occur either way if the steering system is healthy.
The partial tilt locks on motors out there do work, by balancing the weight of the outboard on the transom like a teeter totter. If the tilt/trim rams allows flex, however, they can be less than effective, and the angle required causes the lower unit to 'stick out' more. The ideal incorporated restraint is the strap used on the Merc 9.9 pro Kicker, but even that allows for considerable bounce and flex, so I trim mine down to travel.
A poorly adjusted trailer and no transom saver is a sure recipe for transom problems. By the way, wood core transoms are not 'weaker' than composites, the opposite can be true. The advantage of a composite transom isn't that it's really any stronger than a properly constructed Glass/wood core unit, it's no rot, ever. |
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Posts: 2089
| Apparently my transom saver doesn't work. Always trailer with it and 2 broken motor mounts in 2 years. Bombardier says " abuse while trailering". Stupid transom saver. Stupid roads! Steve |
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Transom Savers??