Trailering twin F150s

[Kirk Gibson]

How do you all keep your twins straight when trailering.
Yes I know it doesn't hurt them to flop to one side but I like to have them stationary and straight.
I pull my boat around 300 miles one way (usually) when I use it.
I have tried the following:
-Tying the wheel (with hydraulic steering this holds for about 100 miles...then...flop.
- Tethering each tail to the transom ...same result.
- Putting section of heater hose around hydraulic cylinder arms...after a few miles it pops off and...flop.

I have been thinking about a couple of ideas, I know they have commerically plastic snap on clips that go on the cylinder arms and I have made some out of 3/4 pex and it snaps on and holds great but I am afraid of it causing damage to the end caps of the cylinder (see pic). I also thought a large flat rubber washer on the cylinder end could protect it but how much force would be placed on the cylinder during trailering?

Then I also contemplated a pex rod from the port engine tiller to the swim platform handle which would hold everything in place, but again how much force would the tiller take during trailering? (see pic)

Any ideas?

[panasonic]

Are they up or down when traveling? How about a harness made up of rope around the legs securing them together and tYing off on both sides of the transom...

[scofflaw]

Obviously up... If you trimmed them down they wouldn't flop
Weight in relation to the pivot point

[Kirk Gibson]

They are up

Yes they are up and maybe it is the angle or something but tethering the lower units to the transom didn't work.

[boscoe99]

MAR-CNTRC-LP-08 HYD STRNG CENTER CLI

[Kirk Gibson]

Clips

These may be what I need, they say rubber so it shouldn't eat up the end caps on the cylinder. The only ones I have seen for sale before were plastic, which I thought would damage end caps. They also look to be thicker than the rubber heater hose I tried so maybe they would stay in place.
Anybody here tried these?

[Kirk Gibson]

wont fit

Just went out and measured the arms from the cylinder...starboard side 3-3/8", port side 5-7/8"

So although one would work the other would leave almost 2" play which would allow wobble.
I wonder if there are longer ones available?

[Kirk Gibson]

again

Just went back out (again..lol) and centered the rams. Both engines are straight and each side looks like 4-1/8" so I may order the 5" type from ebay and cut them to exact fit. The ones here look like 4".

[rodbolt17]

fix whichever cylinder is leaking and it will stay straight.

[Kirk Gibson]

Must be internal

It must be an o ring somewhere inside the single Seastar unit. It apparently has caused no problem with the steering. It has done this since new. I would rather not tear into that beast if there are no steering problems and it isnt leaking fluid (externally)
I'll spend the $25 and buy a set of these ...I hope they work as well as they are advertised.

[rodbolt17]

there is an oring. the two arms that exit the cyl are actually a piston. the oring seals the shaft to the cyl ID.
if it leaks it allows fluid from one side to the other and the cyl/tiller move.
most hydraulics the piston moves a ram. in this case the piston is stationary and the cyl body moves.

[panasonic]

OK going to ask another foolish question. Can you not trailer the boat with the engines down? Or is there a issue with ground clearance or maybe if you blew a tire or two on the trailer the Lower Units might hit the ground? Just curious...

[Kirk Gibson]

Engines up

No if trailered down, too close for my comfort.