Chris Sunkin

That was probably the best possible thing that could have happened to you. If the hitch was going to come off, it was going to. Better at 10MPH than 70 on the interstate.

Get a pintle.

9 Lives

Gino, did you have safety chains or cables? The only chain I see in the photo is the small one for the breakaway system.

LubeJobs42

iTrader: (2)

Yes, there a 2 heavy chains. They are running parallel with the trailer in the photo and you can see them.

Airpacker

Gino, unfrigginbelievable! There should be an award.

9 Lives

I also have lost my boat and trailer on one occasion. We had invited another couple along for a Holiday weekend at our LOTO home. Dropped a valve during the Friday evening shakedown run and were done for the weekend.

On Sunday evening I decided to drive the 25 miles each way to get the trailer from the storage lot to save some time on Monday. On Monday morning I made the 10 mile drive to the ramp with the truck and trailer and got a ride back to the house to begin the long 3 hour idle to the ramp.

Got to the ramp, my buddy backed the trailer in ready to load and noticed that another boater from AZ had backed his very nice lifted 4X4 Silverado Crew Cab in very close to mine. Not a big deal, but this ramp was about six lanes wide, no one else was there at the time and I was needing to load the cat on only one engine. After a little effort, I got the boat loaded and winched up onto the trailer just fine.

I got down off the boat, got in the truck with my wife and her friend, put the dually in 4-Lo and headed up the ramp. Now this was a very long ramp of about 300' which then levels off at the top. Just as the truck levels off at the top, I hear POP-BANG, glance in the mirror and see the boat is leavin'

I remember this being "the longest ten seconds of my life", watching my boat go backwards down the ramp, gaining speed the whole way. I could hear the tongue scraping tarmac. I remember thinking the boat was going to miss this guys truck, then no, it's got it, then no, it'll miss it etc. The port trim tab caught his truck in the right headlight and didn't stop until it opened his glove box. It broke the port outdrive off but the trim tab plate mounted to the boat saved the hull from major damage. His truck was totaled.

Now all along, I thought that I couldn't have possibly had the trailer latched down completely over the ball, although I always feel for the latch with my hand. But was confused as to how the trailer had made a trip on 30-40 miles over many dips and bumps without coming off the ball. The trailer doesn't have excessive tongue weight without the boat.

My tongue is exactly as Gino's, and did not come unlatched. It just appeared to come off the ball. Has anyone else had this problem? Is it possible that something stretched enough while pulling out to allow it to come free? Post inspection showed nothing out of the ordinary although I replaced the tongue and coupler afterwords.

BTW, I had safety cables on the trailer and they simply snapped like string. I now have very heavy chain that I wrap around the trailer and then around the 3" crossbar of the receiver hitch on the truck but have also wondered if I really want the boat and trailer to stay with me in the case of a higher speed accident.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

My wife and her friend that were in the truck with me at the time only remember the comment I made when the boat was going backwards down the ramp. "Let's all watch this, This is something you won't see everyday !"

Sydwayz

iTrader: (1)

Gino, that drawbar is only rated for 10K lbs. anyhow.

Throw it out. Its another accident waiting to happen.

Sydwayz

iTrader: (1)

I assume you had drum brakes (that do not work in reverse). If you had disc brakes and your break-away system had worked properly, your trailer would have stopped immediately.

Another advantage of disc over drums.

LubeJobs42

iTrader: (2)

I have disc. The problem is the cable for the brake away is not shorter then the 2 saftey chains. The break away never pulled out. This is the way it was from Myco. Should I shorten the break away?

Scott B

The break away chain is longer than the safety chains intentionally..

9 Lives

Mine did have drums. The small breakaway chain pulled apart before setting the brakes anyway. The breakaway lever was extremely stiff on the old coupler. The breakaway lever appears to have to pull through a crimped together area before it will set the brakes.