Using a pontoon trailer to move fish house

[Heidi]

I am building an 8 x 12 fish house. 1/2" green treated plywood over green treated 2x6 joists on 6"x6" skids.

1x2 walls covered with 1/4 inch luan plywood walls. Inside will be paneling, heater etc. People are coming by and asking how I intend on moving this beast? My idea is to put it on my pontoon trailer with the help of two long jacks on each side. Raise it up two feet or so, block it and run the trailer thru it and drive it on the lake. It is a very short drive from the shed to the lake. Set it down on blocks, jack it back up and drive the trailer out and let her down. See any problems that I don't see???

My other option is to buy an axel and two wheels. Trailer is already paid for. Thanks fellas for the inputs

[New Yankee]

H - you sure you'll only need to raise it two feet? I've not had extensive experience w/pontoon trailers, but those that I'm familar with have rails where the 'toon frame rides that are around 3-4 ft high. If yours is the same, you'll be pretty top heavy - that house will weigh a ton (maybe literally!)

[Valv]

I don't think will be a problem, just be really careful a scissor style trailer is very narrow and your house being top heavy will tend to rock a lot. I don't think weight will be an issue, a 22ft pontoon with motor and gear weights approx 2000lbs or more.

Just take it easy, use the flasher to warn people and...God be with you...

[hanson]

Heidi-

I've moved a shack in similar fashion to what you are describing. Although my house is a 7'x12' and I used a 4 place snowmobile trailer. Honestly, I will never, ever again move a house in that manner. It was just too dangerous in my opinion.

Your house being much smaller than mine, in fact half the size, may not be a problem. My concern is how high do you have to lift it vertically. Your shorter house will not sit so well on the blocks when you start going up with it.

I've got photos of the process I used. I've hesitated to post them because I really don't want to recommend this to anyone. It is possible, it is safe, but you have to know what you are doing and go slow & be cautious.

I'll see where this thread goes and just might yet post the photos.

[ChuckN]

My $.02....I wouldn't even think of it. There is no way to safely lift a house of that magnitude over 2' and place it on a very narrow pontoon trailer.

If you are going to move any perm shack on a trailer, it is best to slide/skid/pull it onto a trailer. Lifting any part of a fishhouse is dangerous, especially on the ice where everything slips and slides.

Man invented wheels for a reason. A shack that size needs to be built on it's own trailer, or near a lake to skid it onto.

Good luck

[DTro]

Quote:

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Heidi-

I've moved a shack in similar fashion to what you are describing. Although my house is a 7'x12' and I used a 4 place snowmobile trailer. Honestly, I will never, ever again move a house in that manner. It was just too dangerous in my opinion.

Your house being much smaller than mine, in fact half the size, may not be a problem.

---

Isn't Heidi's house bigger than yours: 8x12 vs 7x12?

[hanson]

Yes sir dtro. I'm not quite sure what I was reading.

[Surface Tension]

If you have a pontoon dolly I think you'd be too top heavy with the narrow trailer. Pontoon boats are short in height and the toons fit outside and below the trailer so the center of gravity is low.

Now if you have a bunk style toon trailer then you'd be fine.

[LABS4ME]

For what this is worth... I'd think twice about it! I moved a 120" boat lift on a pontoon trailer this spring, I wasn't even sure I'd get it out of the yard it was stored in! It was way to top heavy for that narrow trailer and that was a tandem axel pontoon trailer. The lift probably only weighed 500-600 pounds, but set up in the air like that, every little bump and corner made it want to tip over. I ended up dropping the legs on the lift to within 6" of the ground and used them as "wheelie bars" to keep it from tipping over. Rent yourself a nice tilt bed tandem axel trailer (I moved an 8X12' last year this way... piece of cake). Much, Much safer, and easier too! When you get to the lake, tilt it and it slides right off onto the ice.

Good Luck!

Ken

[Guest]

I would RENT a flatbed trailer to move it.. even if it cost you $50 for a day.. it sure beats the possibility of disaster and injury.

Think of what it will cost to repair, or replace your pontoon trailer alone if something would happen.. $50 is a bargain.

[Heidi]

Thanks for the replies fellas. I need to move it only a SHORT distance from my shed to the lake via a private road, but over uneven ground. Moving my pontoon is tippy as well.

Pontoon trailer is OUT!!! I am exploring putting an axel on it and two wheels. What suggestions do you have on the mounting of this idea??? Again, thanks for the help.

[nytelyter]

for about three bills you can build a swather style trailer like they use on the farm my house is 7 1/2 x 14 and i get it on or off in about 10 minutes i use cement blocks for the corners jack up the back and place blocks on each corner then up goes the front and blocks as well pull the trailer forward as far as i can then jack up the front again replace front blocks to behind the wheels and out goes the trailer then down on the back and again on the front works great i can recomend a good weld shop that will make your axel to the length you want and then center a long tongue and then angle from just inside the axel to forward end of trailer and weld on a good 2" hitch and you are on your way i pull it down the road about 55 mph no probs here is the bad thing i built the house as light as i could but ready for ice on the trailer its 3000lb never on ice before new years eve needs about 12 " or better and if it warm up a bit the ice saggs so we move it around a bit at first but after we see about 14" no probs

[Surface Tension]

If the distance to move the shack is that short I'd just use skids then.

[efgh]

I read all the posts on using a pontoon trailer to move a fish house, sounds to me like this is a accident waiting too happen, these trailers are just too narrow for this job.

[Guest]

I once seen a large ice house get towed from Shakoppee to Lake Odowd(5 miles) on the skids!

I really dont recommend that.. but they had 6" steel skids on the thing and they held up just fine.. I'm surprised the police didnt see that spark-o-matic going down the road.

5 miles no... but if its a short distance down a gravel road, or very short on a paved road.. heavy duty skids might just take care of it.

[Valv]

I agree with ST, if short distance pull it on the skids, you'll be surprised how far you can go before wearing out the wood.

[hanson]

Here's a shot of my 7'x12' loaded on the 4 place tandem axle snowmobile trailer. I thought it was still going to be top heavy but pulled quite nice down the road at 60mph. The house went on a 150 mile trip after this. I had my dad following me and we had 2 way radio contact the entire trip. I was concerned since this was my first time moving a house like this. I had 2 1/2" wide ratchet straps at each corner of the house cinched down tight.

The loading & unloading was a different story that I won't go into.

For a short trip, I'd drag it.

I think my photo may help you visualize your house sitting on a pontoon trailer. And like you mentioned, you still have to get the shack up high enough to get the trailer under it.