Swing Away Tongue - H180 trailer

pmencel · **Joined:** Thu Apr 12, 2012 11:53 pm **Posts:** 14

Hi all,

I live in Adelaide, Australia and have recently purchased a 2006 Four Winns H180 with Four Winns Trailer.

I have a problem - the swing way tongue won't!

The pin that holds the tongue in place appears to be jammed in position and won't come out - it would appear to be corroded and/or slightly bent and consequently will not move. I have tried WD40 spray top and bottom daily for the past 2 weeks but it doesn't appear to have made any difference. Whacking it with a small sledge hammer has done nothing either.....

Is there any trick I am missing - should it just pull out, or does it unscrew or something else?

Any advice would be appreciated - short of grinding the top off and punching it through, I'm not sure what I can do...

regards,

Peter

Giffo · **Posted:** Wed Apr 18, 2012 4:58 am

Message sent Peter,

Steve
Sydney

ric · **Posted:** Wed Apr 18, 2012 7:25 am

use a bigger hammer, or cut it out and get a new pin

skidaddytn · **Joined:** Mon May 03, 2010 11:12 am **Posts:** 280

Beat the @#$% out of it! :-)

Also, those hitch pins can be bought on ebay really cheap.. I just had to replace mine this year because the rubber on the T handle had turned to goop...

pmencel · **Joined:** Thu Apr 12, 2012 11:53 pm **Posts:** 14

Ok - thanks for the info - so you are saying that it does not unscrew, but should just pull out (if it was in good condition)?

need to use the big sledge hammer me thinks......

fiznuka · **Posted:** Wed Apr 18, 2012 7:14 pm

Heat and beat :wink:

Aussie_Horizon_190 · **Posted:** Wed Apr 18, 2012 8:23 pm

The pins can be a fairly tight fit and do need greasing every so often. On mine I had to file the holes ever so slightly to make it easier to get the pin in and out, and even now I have to twist left and right and pull hard to get it out. (Of course taking care not to de-skin the back of your hands on the winch!)

chrisvs · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 10:43 am

Yes, it is a straight pin (well except for your little bend) and not a screw in. I find that a little twist might help when pulling on it . Sounds like you are beyond that though, so brute force is your friend....

Once you get it out, as others have said, maybe a bit of sanding or filing to clean it out, then keep it greased to prevent the problem a second time.

ardy · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 6:29 am

Gidday Peter
Just confirming what everyone else has said, soak it with WD 40 or similar and belt the daylights out of it. Or is their anyway you can get a bearing puller to force it out.
Whoops almost forgot, welcome to the forum as to my knowledge you are the second person here from Adelaide. Where do you intend to use the boat?
hope this helps
Ardy

pmencel · **Joined:** Thu Apr 12, 2012 11:53 pm **Posts:** 14

Hi Ardy,

thanks for the welcome - we have a shack at McBeans Pound on the Murray - between Blanchetown and Morgan. We will be using it mainly there, but also occasionally at Pt Vincent on the Yorke Peninsula, and maybe off the metro coast on a calm day (I live at Hallett Cove).

Where do you use your boat - it looks great in the pics - who made your bimini (you said in another thread that you had it custom made)?

regards,

Peter

ardy · **Posted:** Sat Apr 21, 2012 6:31 am

I will have to keep an eye out for you as we do most of our boating a little up stream from you at Scotts Creek. I bought the boat new from Pacific Marine and they made the bimini so I could stand under it.
There is a rule here on the forum that you must post some pics or risk a lynching. The high water we are experiencing on the Murray is expected to start to subside in the next week or so. You will enjoy the boat they are a good all round boat.

EvilZ · **Posted:** Sat Apr 21, 2012 7:14 am

Where is the Gulf of St Vincent compared to where you boat? I spent a couple of months floating around working on a marine archaeology project down there back in '86. We were diving on the wreck of the Zanoni.
Had a great time in Port Adeleaide in some very dodgy bars...
Erik

ardy · **Posted:** Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:27 am

Adelaide is on the shores of St Vincent Gulf, but I do 100% of my boating on the Murray River ( fresh water)

Obie · **Posted:** Sun Apr 22, 2012 9:18 pm

I had the same problem until I learned to lift the tongue upward in front of the swing away hinge. Then the pins came out easily. So all my hammering, lubricating, and grinding on pins was unnecessary. Try it and see if it helps.

ardy · **Posted:** Mon Apr 23, 2012 3:37 am

I was thinking while it is soaking in WD40, perhaps jack the trailer up directly under the pin as well. The trailer is quite front heavy, you never know it might help to get the pin to move

www.iFourWinns.com

Swing Away Tongue - H180 trailer

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