[AAAV8OR]

There seems to be a lot of controversy today regarding transom savers.
One school of thought is that tying a heavy motors weight to the roller on the trailer can mess up your trailer in a big way. :x
I have a 225hp Merc ProXS and was wondering what some readers feel. I trailer this boat everywhere and long distances so I need something effective. On my last boat (a 200 Merc EFI) I used to use the Swivel-Ez mount that tied the tilted motor back to the motor mount. Problem is I'm not sure if this works on the new 225 ProXS motors. I know it does work on the regular Optimax 225's though.

Any insight or opinions would be appreciated.

 

[fishead]

I like the savers that have a built in shock absorbor in them, I've towed my boat all over the country and never had a problem. I sure don't want all the weight of a motor bouncing on the transom.

 

[AAAV8OR]

The swivel-eze locks the lower unit to the motor mount by means of a bar, essentially making the motor one solid piece and eliminating any bounce at all. It also prevents the motor from turning while you drive.

I have seen the shock absorber units that tie the lower unit to the trailer roller. The concern is that even some force on the trailer crossmember can potentially cause some trailer issues long term.

I just bought another swivel-eze though and it indeed does fit on my ProXS. $69. :lol:

 

[fishead]

I just went in the garage to look at the name on mine , it's a swivel-eze. It locks the lower unit to the roller on the trailer. The trailer is a bunk type , and the roller is the only one on the trailer , it has no play in it ,but will roll. Thats what came with the boat and trailer when I bought it .

 

[KP]

There is NO WAY a transome saver will damage a trailer! If you follow the instructions and mount it correctly, the trailer and motor will be fine. The key factor is making sure your boat is securely strapped to the trailer. We're not talking rocket science here. However, physics plays a major effect on how the weight of a motor transfers it's load to the transome on rough roads if you do not have a secondary load transfer like a transome saver. Simply putting a piece of something or product in the motors mounting frame does nothing to ease the forces. It only prevents the motor from swiveling. I use two $5.00 straps to do that.

 

[ffishman]

I would not trailer without one

 

[MR. Fish]

I've got a Shorelndr bunk trailer and the transome saver mounts to a bracket mounted to rhe axle

 

[spoonman]

I used a bungee chord on the steering wheel to keep from the motor flopping on my usual 20 min trips. worked great. I also had a saver that hooked to a bracket on the trailer frame. I was told by the dealer that if he trailered for 30 min he would not bother with it. I did.

 

[AAAV8OR]

KP....maybe the name transom saver is a misnomer.
1) I have a boat with an enormously strong transom, so I am not at all worried about the transom
2) The real purpose for this device is to take the forces out of the power tilt mechanism. When bouncing down the road, the forces from the power head and lower unit (which are held tilted up by the power tilt unit) can be huge. They can damage the power tilt unit and ultimately your motor.
3) When a very heavy motor (like a 225ProXS) are put on a solid device (a transom saver attached to a trailer support) those forces are most definitely transferred to the trailer. They may not damage it initially but ultimately over time there is a chance for problems.
Someone running a smaller 40hp or so, motor on a good quality trailer should have no issue though.

 

[KP]

So if I understand it right, you've got what must be a really nice boat with an enormously strong transome and a big awsome motor mounted to it all riding on what sounds to be a crappy, weak trailer. Not surprising, lots of people invest in these great expensive rigs and then have little money left over for a proper trailer. Thank goodness I invested in a trailer that was designed to have a transome saver incorporated into it.

 

[AAAV8OR]

Nope....trailer came with the boat and I'll stack it up against any made for quality. It is top of the line.
But if the momentum of the motor swinging transfers the force constantly down to the trailer.....there has to be a long term effect. I could work out the calcs but I'd need to break out my college physics books, and besides reminding me how old I have gotten, I hate working calcs in kilo-pascals.

I think you'd be surprised at the force actually being transfered to the trailer crossmember. That is unless you have the shock absorbing type transom saver.....different story then.

 

[KP]

I was just being a smart A** AV8R. You may have valid concern. This is always a debated issue on boating forums. And I can't speak from experience on big rigs like yours, only little rigs like mine.

 

[AAAV8OR]

I needed the input though....that's why I asked.
I never really thought about the forces at work until 2 dealers warned me about the possible issues.
My first boat had the trailer attached unit....second boat had the one that does not touch the trailer...and this one has the same. All same brand boat.
Who knows ? I guess we use something till we have (hopefully never) a problem.

Thx.