The good news is the boat is still seaworthy with just a couple scratches. the trailer is toast and my truck is in between the two. I live in a canyon area with lots of steep grades. I was going down hill and hit a significant bump. the trailer came off the ball, the saftey chains snapped, the trailer hit me in the bumper then bounced to my right side started to gain speed and pass me. I turned into the trailer and boat sacrificing my truck to stop the thing. Ther are several homes at the bottom of the grade that would have been demolished by my bohemoth. scary when it hsppened but no injuries and now I get a new trailer. I will post some pics. If you guys have any suggestions on how to deal with the insurance companies that would be great. i have never been in an accident in my life before this. i would like to get the long not short end out of my insurance claim.

Sorry for the loss, but so glad you are okay!! How old is the trailer? Who hooked it up? Is the ball in good shape and is it the same size as the hitch?(dumb question- I know!) Any ticket issued? Any witnesses? Get good pics of ball , hitch, broken chains, trailer, truck and scene of accident; examine the hitch and document any abnormalities that could have caused a malfunction from the manufacturer. I know you already called in your claim to your insurance carrier (of course your payments are up-to-date, so I won't ask) and asked [them] what you need to do and time frame to get it done. Most motor vehicle insurance covers whatever you are towing, but I would strongly suggest you find your policy and READ IT CAREFULLY. You can't undo anything you say to anyone, so don't take a chance and say too much that could be interpreted against you. (Don't ask) Good luck and keep us posted! G$

At least no one was hurt. Did you have a lock on the trailer ball/hitch?

When my boat was rear ended, the claim went under my automotive insurance. The auto insurance tried to point me to the boat insurance (by a different company) but the auto insurance policy clearly stated that they would cover a trailer.

I too had a trailer pop off after hitting a major bump. My safety chains also broke. Many question why I have heavy chains and safety hooks, but it's a lesson learned.

Alot of people don't realize that most of this hardware carries ratings until it's too late. All balls and hitches carry weight capacity ratings. Even similar looking "class 3" 2" receiver hitches can have dramatically different capacities.

When it comes to chains, size isn't everything- in fact, it means little. Commercial carriers are required to use grade 70 to bind loads. We use only grade 80 as we do alot of overhead lifting and that's what's required for that application- I don't want to take a chance on someone inadvertently picking up a piece of 30 or 43 and killing themselves or someone else.

30 is usually chromate plated, 43 is usually the natural blue color of tempered steel. 70 is dichromated (gold colored) and 80 is often coated with black oxide.

if you have silver chains on the end of your trailer, they're likely only going to be good for decoration.

One other thing- this may seem like overkill but every trailer I've ever owned over 5,000# has had a pintle hook on it. If you ever see a commercial trailer (bulldozers, dual/triple semi trailers, etc) they all have pintles. They rattle and bang on bumps and braking but they never break or come loose.

Pintle hitches are defenitly more stout then ball hitches but one fo the big reasons they are used on most fo the equipment you listed is becuase of the articualtion they provide, ball hitche bind at like 15 degrees or so where a pintle will go to about 70 degrees. I myself would never tow a boat on a pintle, way to violent for my taste. If I had a boat that warranted a pintle I would tow it on a goosneck or fifth wheel trailer.

But a pintle hitch is so easy to hook up to, just back up until it goes bang! Then get out and lock it down!

Yeah but a pintle goes bang, bang, bang all the time sheez

"Most motor vehicle insurance covers whatever you are towing"

That's what I used to think too...

I have Allstate and they do NOT cover what you are towing... they cover is whatever damage your towed vehicle causes. You have to have seperate insurance on boat and trailer.

Jack You are correct. I have both insurances, And just found out they are going to total my unit. It all works out since I over insured it a couple grand. would rather have the boat though. they offered to settle with me for an amount that was close but not as easy as walking away with cash.