"rmcinnis" wrote in message
...

"AK" wrote in message
...
I have a trailer that cannot be seen while backing it up to retreive my
boat
becasue the tailgate of my truck to to high. The trailer is to narrow to
be
seen in the mirrors.


Why not kill two birds with one stone? Install a pair of guide poles on
the
trailer. They will help you guide the boat onto the trailer and provide a
taller point on the empty trailer that you might be able to see over the
tailgate.

Of course,I also second just lowering the tailgate, assuming it doesn't
hit
the bow post.

Rod



Maybe he's got a hard tonneau cover. That's MY problem. Before installing
the cover, putting down the tailgate solved my problem completely. But, I
need the cover or there's noplace to store all the fishing tackle while
travelling. So, I had a choice: Take too long to get the trailer into the
water straight (with tonneau cover), or have fishing tackle stolen on a
regular basis.

I ended up with a set of guide posts from Cabela's (www.cabelas.com). As you
said, they also help with getting the boat on the trailer, especially when
I'm alone and there's a stiff wind arguing with me. One issue with them (and
probably others): They attach by clamping onto the top & bottom of the
trailer's beams. My trailer's beams are U-shaped, not a complete box shape.
In other words, the open side of the U faces inward. The clamps squeeze on
the top & bottom, and in order to keep the posts from slipping out of
adjustment, I had to crank extremely tight on the bolts. The result was that
the trailer's beams began to bend. (Imagine the letter U, with the sides
beginning to squeeze toward each other). I'm heading to a machine shop later
this week to have a couple of aluminum blocks made, to fit inside the U and
give the clamps something they can squeeze on without crushing the trailer.

Other than that, the posts are great. The metal part goes about halfway up
the side of the boat. Onto those, you stick these very rugged PVC pipes
which extend upward another few feet. VERY visible, even at a dark ramp.