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Location: Eastern Ontario | The only kind of transom savers I have used are the ones that brace the lower unit to the trailer. The idea being that they stop the lower unit from bouncing and flexing the transom.
DO YOU THINK THEY WORK OR IS THE WHOLE OUTFIT FLEXING ANYWAY?
I see newer types that seem to protect tilt and trim cylinders but don't see them doing anything for the transom.
Any opinions on which are best and why. |
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Location: 31 | horsehunter - 3/1/2014 11:49 AM
The only kind of transom savers I have used are the ones that brace the lower unit to the trailer. The idea being that they stop the lower unit from bouncing and flexing the transom.
DO YOU THINK THEY WORK OR IS THE WHOLE OUTFIT FLEXING ANYWAY?
I see newer types that seem to protect tilt and trim cylinders but don't see them doing anything for the transom.
Any opinions on which are best and why.
Excellent post!
I used the trailer to lower unit transom saver for 20 some years, but a couple of years ago went with the M-YWedge rubber/plastic sleeve that fits over the outboards trim/tilt piston.
It is a lot easier and convenient than the old aluminum transom saver. However, if you do decide to go this route, you also need to put a separate wedge on either side of your motor to stabilize it in the center position... talk about a quick panic attack when you forget to remove them and grab the locked-up steering wheel after launching.
The idea behind the technology is that today's newer boats are designed to better withstand the bouncing and torque… but very interested in hearing other peoples opinions as well.
Edited by Jerry Newman 3/1/2014 12:28 PM
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Posts: 229
Location: Plover, WI | The wedge doesn't seem to do what a transom saver does (save your transom). I still want to take some of the shock and load off my transom and direct it to the trailer via the transom saver. That's my opinion.
Mike |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | When I bought my Ranger, I was told my transom was built to withstand the weight/jarring of a 225 hp motor and that I wouldn't need one. I have a 90hp tiller which is much smaller/lighter than that. With that said, I run a transom saver, mostly because I always have, and I'm already back there strapping it down, so it isn't much effort to use. While I'm not sure how much harder on a transom trailering is than accelerating through waves, I guess it gives me a fuzzy warm feeling to use one, so I do. It also reminds me to pull my plug, when pulling out of the landings...
Edited by Reef Hawg 3/1/2014 2:09 PM
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Posts: 76
Location: New Lenox, Illinois | Agree with c44 on this one. Have always and will continue to use the transom saver. With the type of investment we have in these rigs I am all for relieving as much shock and stress as I can off of the transom and transferring it to the trailer. That wedge device does not seem to do that. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | My feeling is that when the boat is in the water the weight is directly over the transom and when on the trailer tilted the powerhead is forward and the lower unit is behind and you want to do anything you can to prevent them rocking in transit. Just not sure either unit is doing the job we think they are. I don't think they can hurt.
I think the most important thing is that the boat is strapped tight to the trailer. With aluminum boats I think more rivets were loosened on the trailer than in the waves. |
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Location: 31 | It's a very interesting topic, and I'm not necessarily sold on that skimpy piece of plastic and rubber either. However, I also tend to think that the transom saver might not be all it's cracked up to be as well, and kind of wonder why the boat manufacturers don't require them if they were a necessity.
I should mention that I was primarily using one of those aluminum transom savers with my current boat, and the Wedge for short trips. The game changer for me was when the transom saver somehow became detached from the trailer roller and broke off while (probably) pole vaulting my motor. No damage was done, but I could easily see where that was a possibility, not to mention what could happen to the car/people behind me if that happened again on the highway.
Good point on the tie down straps while on the subject too… some solid advice on keeping the boat tightly strapped down to the trailer. I would add that I recheck them when stopped for gas, most of the time the boat has settled on the trailer and I can tighten each strap another click or two.
Edited by Jerry Newman 3/1/2014 3:23 PM
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Posts: 52
| Just drive behind any boat going down the interstate with a big motor and a kicker going 70 MPH. You'll see why you need transom savers. A lot of violent movement going on back there. |
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Location: 31 | I hear what you're saying, and used one for many years too. Here's a picture of my boat with the transom saver not long before it pole vaulted off of my motor, I even added a bungee cord from the jack plate to help support it.
The only thing I can figure is the transom saver popped off of the boat trailer roller and then dug into the road because all that was left of the transom saver was the V-shaped piece that supports the lower unit.
Same as Jason, I was told that the transom was designed to support the motor while traveling without the addition of a transom saver. I'm not entirely sold on the wedge deal, but considering what happened with this last transom saver, and the reassurance that one is not needed I'll probably just roll with the wedge.
Edited by Jerry Newman 3/2/2014 11:14 PM
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Posts: 337
Location: Watersmeet, Michigan | hambone - 3/1/2014 8:18 PM
Just drive behind any boat going down the interstate with a big motor and a kicker going 70 MPH. You'll see why you need transom savers. A lot of violent movement going on back there.
I suppose an engineer could work the numbers, but the force of a bouncing 500 lbs. motor must be incredible. All guarantees and manufacturers claims aside, I think a transom saver is an inexpensive way to prevent a lot of damage and grief.
Fr. K |
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Posts: 1638
Location: Minnesota | When I bought my boat I was all excited to get it I bought a transom saver before i even had the boat home. When i picked the up i was told do not use a transom saver use the wedge that comes with Yamaha so i still have not used the transom saver i bought. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | I'm starting to think the transom saver is more feel good than anything. The connection between the TS and the motor and trailer are just rubber straps so how much movement are they going to stop. The tube type look like they may actually take some load off your tilt cylinders. I guess by putting on a transom saver it makes sure I remember to tilt the motor and not drag the lower unit over curb going in to a gas station.
Edited by horsehunter 3/3/2014 7:50 AM
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Location: 31 | muskyhunter47 - 3/3/2014 5:16 AM
When I bought my boat I was all excited to get it I bought a transom saver before i even had the boat home. When i picked the up i was told do not use a transom saver use the wedge that comes with Yamaha so i still have not used the transom saver i bought.
I'm actually on the fence and fairly impartial on whether to use one or not and think that if I had a older aluminum boat, I would still be using one because of the back-and-forth flexing of the aluminum that's created with the motor tilted up on the transom.
One thing I feel strongly about is when you're using a transom saver, you should keep your boat cinched down tight on the trailer, or it just kind of defeats the purpose, and could even be doing more harm than good by transferring shock directly from the trailer to the motors hydraulics and transom.
There's no doubt that newer transoms are made much better these days than in the past, so I accepted the boat manufacturers recommendation like you that the transom is plenty strong, and now I'm just looking to protect the trim and tilt hydraulics with the wedge.
I would really like to hear some more manufacturer opinion though… maybe Muskie First would be willing to do some boat/motor manufacturer interviews on the subject?
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| What about for kickers? I was told I could ride with mine in the down posistion. I have seen others do this as well. After scraping the prop on an angled driveway, I'll no longer do this. So now I'll be looking for some kind of support for the kicker. Any suggestions? |
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Posts: 228
| I use the transom saver on my Ranger Reata with an F150! I have a Yamaha T9.9 and use the stop provided on the motor. I then strap it in place so it cannot bounce! |
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| there is a company that has alot of pro bass fisherman changing over to their product http://www.motormateusa.com/. i myself have a 21 ft bass boat with a 225 hp motor on it. i bought this product and was amazed how sturdy your motor is while using it. it doesnt attach to the trailer but locks in like the wedge but is made of stainless steel. when you think of how much abuse your transom takes on the water hitting wakes and during your hole shot, driving down the road doesnt seem so bad. evinrude has a built in lever that will lock your motor for trailering and that is what they recomend |
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Posts: 38
| I've always used one, but agree that with the transoms on recent boats in most cases a wedge is all that would be needed. I've always considered it just a part of my trailering system along with 2 transom straps from boat to trailer and another strap about 1/3 of the way back from the bow. My father in law jokes that the boats not coming off unless the truck is on its roof, LOL. |
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Posts: 68
| Every boat I've ever had has had a transom saver on it, not one problem with transom on any of them. I will have one on every boat that I will ever own. |
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Location: 31 | HANS79 - 3/3/2014 4:43 PM
there is a company that has alot of pro bass fisherman changing over to their product http://www.motormateusa.com/. i myself have a 21 ft bass boat with a 225 hp motor on it. i bought this product and was amazed how sturdy your motor is while using it. it doesnt attach to the trailer but locks in like the wedge but is made of stainless steel. when you think of how much abuse your transom takes on the water hitting wakes and during your hole shot, driving down the road doesnt seem so bad. evinrude has a built in lever that will lock your motor for trailering and that is what they recomend
That Motormate looks like the best answer for my needs and will be ordering one.
Thank you! |
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Posts: 1828
| The question is really whether or not the transom is designed for [what's called] the point moment created by the motor/transom connection. If you have doubts, a transom saver posted to the trailer is the solution.
And the longer version... If you're interested, here's how it works:
Your motor has some weight, W, which is its mass multiplied by gravitational acceleration. It's usually a few hundred pounds, say 500 LB. The motor's weight "acts" downward at some "moment arm", or horizontal distance away from the plane of the transom, shown as 'r' (in my sketch). Multiply W x r and you get a "moment (M)" that has to be "resolved" in the transom. So the transom supplies a "reaction force (FRy)" upward and a "reaction moment (MR)" to support the motor. This is all shown in red. The moment is what can kill the transom.
If you add a transom saver (shown in green), this resolves the moment (M) by being loaded in compression and providing a [mostly] horizontal reaction force. I forgot to put it in the sketch, but this force acts at some [mostly vertical] distance away from the motor/transom connection. That distance multiplied by the force in the transom saver post gives you the reaction moment that otherwise would be required from the transom. It saves the transom.
When your boat is bouncing along the highway, the system would be dynamically loaded, meaning the magnitudes of the forces and moments vary from many times greater than the static state, to actual negative values (when the motor is "bouncing up"). So when the motor is actually "bouncing" up, the transom saver wouldn't be under load anymore. It could in fact become loaded in tension, or the motor could pull away from the lower-unit-bracket of the post, so the transom saver could slip out. If this happens, it tells you that there was a whole lot of "bouncing" going on, so it's a good thing the transom saver was in there.
I think it's best to compress the transom saver a bit with your hydraulic tilt and use a bungee or something strapped around the back of the lower unit to keep the post transom saver in place when the boat/motor are bouncing up and down.
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Posts: 667
Location: Wisconsin | Jaultman-I bet you are great at Pictionary!! Thanks for the info!! |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | I hate Pictionary...but please don't tell my granddaughters |
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Posts: 785
| Jaultman... my head just exploded 
Good point though... if a transom saver came off it was definitely indication that some serious bouncing and impact was taking place, which probably validates the need to have one. I put slight compression down on the TS, bungee it to the lower unit and pin it to the trailer, I'm also using the tie down straps on the boat so it would take a serious incident to cause the TS to come off. I would prefer to just go to a wedge but until proven it's not needed I'm playing it safe with my investment, sticking with the transom saver.
Edited by musky-skunk 3/5/2014 8:50 AM
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Posts: 208
Location: Sun Prairie, WI | Its cheap insurance! Id never trailer without one. My boat was rear ended and I believe the transom saver saved my already weak transom. If you look at the amount of weight back there bouncing around its definitely working on that transom. I think its best to have the weight supported and braced to the trailer not back to the boat. Just my $.02 |
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Location: 31 | Agree entirely that something almost has to be loose for them to pop off the roller, my transom saver actually popped off twice, but nothing happened the first time. When I first got the boat I noticed that the front tower was a little flimsy (especially for such a heavy boat) and the design allows for some movement.
I'm a pretty handy guy and tightened it up as much as possible without welding, but the boat still settles back slightly when powering down after loading on the trailer from the less than desirable design of the front tower.
You don't really think about it, but there's also some give in the straps, rubber roller (and even the pin), motor, jack plate, etc.
After watching the video for the motormate where he shook the motor and only the boat moved, I went out and did the same thing on my boat today and I was able to wiggle the motor pretty good with the wedge, so I'm going with that instead.
Great discussion; thanks for everyones input.
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Posts: 138
Location: Aurora IL | Speaking as a marine dealer/repair shop, please don't use them. We need the money. Seriously, do not trailer without one. Bill |
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Posts: 2752
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=66...
Have fun!
Al |
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Location: 31 | Now I’m rethinking the whole deal with the Ranger letter pasted below from the other thread (thank you). Looks like I'm back to literally having to lay down under my dripping dirty boat trailer to secure a roller bungee again.
After the TS popped off twice and broke the second time I bought another one and used it for a while with three bungee cords, one at the motor, one from the jack plate, and one wrapped tight around the roller without an issue. I'm still pretty intrigued with the motormate though and might contact Ranger to get their input on it.
*********************************************************************
Thank you for your email. We recommend a transom saver and have included
an article from our blog at Rangeboats.com that you may find useful.
Transom Savers
Friday, January 07, 2011
If you've ever followed someone pulling a boat rigged with an outboard
engine, chances are you've noticed that even the best highways can doll
out their share of punishment. Road cracks, potholes, and a host of
miscellaneous debris can translate into a lot of unwelcome jostling. As
you can imagine, each time the outboard gets tossed around, stress is
added to the transom area of the boat, the trailer, and even the engine
itself.
So, what can be done to help alleviate the added stress that this type
of unnatural jarring causes? We recommend that you consider the added
support of a 'transom saver.' These units (especially when used in
conjunction with boat buckles) help support the engine, reducing stress
levels and ultimately saving unnecessary wear and tear on the boat,
motor, and trailer.
Gary Howard
Ranger Engineering
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Posts: 192
| How do these transom savers pop off? When I use mine, I trim the motor down to solidly wedge it in. I couldn't pull it out of there no matter how hard I try. Mine comes with a bungee that I wrap around the lower unit but I really don't think it is even necessary. |
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Posts: 667
Location: Wisconsin | LarryO - 3/6/2014 7:34 PM
How do these transom savers pop off? When I use mine, I trim the motor down to solidly wedge it in. I couldn't pull it out of there no matter how hard I try. Mine comes with a bungee that I wrap around the lower unit but I really don't think it is even necessary.
Years ago I had mine pop off. I had the boat tied in good and the trim tight on the TS, and she came off. I couldn't believe it. |
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