How to unload tractor from a pontoon

   / How to unload tractor from a pontoon #11  
I would put a couple of the 2XL boat bumpers on the end of 50-70 foot of a wire rope strong enough to pull the sucker with. You don't want to pay for a frog man to swim down and connect a tow chain.

Not that I'm saying you are 100% certain to be in a great spot to mow the bottom of the lake.....
 
   / How to unload tractor from a pontoon #12  
First you need to post two numbers. Weight of the tractor, plus people and whatever else is on the boat, then the capacity of the boat. I'd be very suprised if these numbers add up for this to be possible.

If it is, then I would build a ramp from wood with allot of cribbing. Something that you can keep in place and tie the pontoon boat to, so that when the tractor gets it's front tires on the ramp, the boat doesn't do something funny, like go backwards. With enough wood, anything is possible.

Good luck and bring your camera!!

Eddie


Eddie
 
   / How to unload tractor from a pontoon
  • Thread Starter
#13  
My dock is 40 feet long, water depth at end of dock is approx 3 feet, sorry for not mentioning this earlier but we aren't talking about a 60 foot deep lake in this case.

I have considered but don't think it would work to drive the tractor off in 2 feet of water due to the size of rocks between there and shore--I think I need to reach shore from water without driving on rocks.
 
   / How to unload tractor from a pontoon #14  
agree with eddiewalker. this is an engineering problem and the first two pieces of info you need are the total weight you will be carrying and the rated weight of the floating platform. if B is less than A, don't do it. if B is close to A, do it VERY carefully on a clear day with helpers with other boats.

i also agree the best and easiest way to unload is to beach the front of the pontoon on or near the shore and use some types of ramps to unload the tractor. make sure the lip where the ramps touch the boat is supported by good enough cross members to support all the weight of the tractor plus ramps plus rider. most pontoons are made of aluminum, and are not designed to carry a point load of 1500 lbs even if distributed over four tires. as you move the tractor onto the ramps, most of the weight will be carried by the lip of the ramps and transferred down to the pontoons by a single cross member. this must either be reinforced or make very sure it is beefy enough to do the job. if you tie the pontoon in close to shore so it can't move in, say, 6 inches of water, as you drive the tractor forward to the ramps, the front of the pontoons should sink down and stabilize into the lake bottom taking all the weight of the unit and minimizing the chance of flipping the whole boat or pulling the rear out of the water. (this is the reverse but similar danger when loading on the other side!) just be sure to clear away the big rocks and make a nice place for the pontoons to settle into the bottom and distribute the load over several square feet.

if the beach is soft sand, you might need to take some long pieces of lumber to drive the tractor on to keep it from sinking into the sand.

when loading or unloading and while the unit is on the boat, consider using 2x lumber under the wheels to help distribute the load.

good luck and definitely post up some pics!

amp
 
   / How to unload tractor from a pontoon
  • Thread Starter
#15  
In looking at the info on the hextoons, the weight they can carry is in the 2400-2700 pound range (that is on a boat with furniture, I have just plywood deck)

Tractor weighs approx 1570 pounds, now I just gotta be careful what attachments are on at same time.

I have no idea of the cost, but does anyone know the price of 3" 4X8 styrofoam sheets these days---this could be a stout "bridge" if it was solid from rocky lake bottom to deck of pontoon (a total distance of about 2-3 feet depending on water level.
 
   / How to unload tractor from a pontoon #16  
I wouldn't drive your tractor on your sandy beach without something solid to drive on.

Burying a tractor to the axles in sand and mud isn't as fun as it sounds. Especially without a big truck to pull you out.

Even with the big truck it took me a couple of hours.:)
 
   / How to unload tractor from a pontoon #17  
I also agree with Eddie Walker. With enough wood anything is possible. Have you thought about constructing an "A" frame boom/hoist to lift the tractor from the barge? 1570 lbs is not that much weight for a hoist made from timbers. With some of your nylon rope, I think you could tilt the "A" frame towards the water, beach the barge beneath the frame and with two winching operations 1) lift the load and then 2) winch the "A" towards the vertical lifting the load up and on to the shore. Just don't go over vertical obviously and back the barge out and lower the load onto the shore or into shallow water depending on how large/tall your "A" frame is constructed. Another thought is to take the tractor apart into manageable/luggable pieces and reconstruct it on the the distant shore. My $.02. Good luck.

SimS
 
   / How to unload tractor from a pontoon #18  
If your pontoon is like most it has top and bottom plugs. Beach the boat, pull the plugs fill the pontoons boat will sink to bottom make ramps with landscape timbers screwed together with 2x4 cleats, you can also make mats to drive across the beach with. 4 timbers wide should do it. Unload tractor, put an air fitting in top hole of pontoon. Use a air compressor to pressurize and blow water out of pontoon.

Seems easy from here.

Jeff
 
   / How to unload tractor from a pontoon #19  
Having unloaded M1 tanks and various trucks from LCMs the trick is to have the boat powered forward, or tied to the shore from both sides. If you don't do one or both of these things the forward momentem of the tractor and the tractive effort of the rear wheels, once the front wheels are off, will propell the boat rearward. Depending on the slope of the shore line this could leave your tractor in too deep water. I have seen it done incorrectly leaving only the gun tube of the tank above the water. I would also use some form of ramps. It far easier to do on a shore line than a dock.

Going from a vessel to a dock causes height problems between the two as the rolling load weight transitions from the vessel to the dock.
 
 
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