Trailering with a jack plate

[krindgen]

All the way down. One day I left the house with it up a little and I ended up getting a lot of bounce to the tongue of the trailer.

[kadas]

I keep it all the way down. No clearance issues. Get a motormate and don't look back.

^^this^^

[fisheye216]

Thanks to all for your input.

[ydna]

Nope, sorry. That is the trailer support bracket. That's what it is designed for. Flip it down and trim the motor down. You can add the clips like Glenn suggested or you can use a bungee cord wrapped around the steering wheel and attached to a hand rail or the shift lever. Been that way since the FasTrac trim system came out in 1991. You of course can use a Motor Mate or any other aftermarket support you wish to.

To be clear, there are two devices. Using the correct terminology in my 2013 Evinrude Operator's Guide:

1. Trailering Bracket. Use this when transporting the outboard (trailering).
2. Tilt Support Lever. Use this if you intend to leave the outboard tilted for a period of time. Do NOT use this while trailering.

[Fatshaft Merc]

Always trailer and store with the jackplate in the lowest “down” position! Trailering with the plate "up" puts a lot of unnecessary weight and pressure on the hydraulics and on the plate itself, which significantly increases the chances of a problem down the road. If you see someone else trailering or storing their boat with the ATLAS™ up, let them know to lower it down!

If I had to worry about what position the motor/jackplate was in while trailering my boat for fear of problems down the road, I wouldn't have that product on my boat. If trailering in the 'up' position is gonna cause problems, then what is running down the lake in a 2' chop gonna do to it? Have you ever watched how much your motor bounces around at speed in rough water? Hint........it's WAY more than trailering.

There are absolutely NO stresses put on a jackplate, transom, or motor brackets on the trailer, that come anywhere CLOSE to the stresses put on it while running across the lake.

Their reasoning for how to "trailer" and why are ridiculious.