big loads require big trucks

[KYSkipper]

The driver in your situation probably didn't even have any brakes on the trailer, or at least no brake controller in the truck.

I'm sure there was no brake controller. Boat trailers have surge brakes not electric. Electric brakes and being dumped in the lake doesn't mix well at all. I actually saw a guy who had a hitch installed on an expedition to pull his ranger and whatever idiot put a brake controller on it and wired it to the backup release. He was having a heck of a time figuring out why he couldn't back up at all.

Seriously, there are entirely too many people pulling way too heavy trailers on the road for the tow vehicle they are using. A half ton is not the best choice for a bass boat over 19' and most bass boats today are 20 to 21'.

I'm not meaning to start a truck war, but Chevy's half ton suspension has traditionally sucked for being a tow vehicle. Ford's I beam was a lot better. The roll the Chevy A arms allowed in corners makes them really unstable. The I beams roll less. Suburban is the choice tow vehicle for many bass fishermen, but the half ton version isn't much pumpkin. The vehicle is so heavy alone that it puts the suspension on edge.

The worst tow vehicle I ever drove was an Explorer with a 19' Nitro behind it. It was my partners not mine but kept my but gripping the seat for about 50 miles.

When you go to a 3/4 ton truck you really gain a lot. Springs and suspension is much heavier, brakes are heavier and it can handle a much larger load. However then you see people trying to drag a 40' 5th wheel that's 20' tall over the bed with one and you can't convince me that's stable at all.

I live along the route to Bristol and before and after the race you see all kinds of things coming through town. This spring I saw a baby Blazer attempting to haul a 30+ bumper hitch camper. I'd guess he could run over a squirrel going up hill with the front tires and not ruffle any fur.

Skipper

Skipper

 

[rback33]

My brother told me about a guy trying to put his boat in the water. He couldn't back up the trailer so he drove the truck straight in. My brother said there the truck was setting stuck in the water and the boat still on the trailer on dry ground. I guess he thought he could make a U-turn in the water and come back out.

That pretty much leaves ME speechless.. but in the words of Ron White, "You can't fix Stupid"

 

[gemini5362]

Watching people at the boat ramp loading and unloading their boats is good entertainment. Some of these people have no clue what to do. If you could sell tickets you would be rich.

I used to work with a guy that had a 19 foot boat. he was trying to launch it and forgot to loosen the winch. he kept backing out trying to get the boat to float free of the trailer and it was cinched down so tight that it just held the trailer up. After a while he got in deep enough that it floated the back of his truck up. He set his parking brake and went to see what wrong he was up on his boat checking things out and the truck rolled further into the lake. Finally he was standing on the trailer and realized what had happened so he kicked the winch loose. His words " One moment I was standing on my boat trailer loosening the winch the next moment I looked down and my truck was under water. He had to get it towed out of the lake. I bought the boat from him the next week.

 

[drssg]

I was towing my horse trailer on the inner state one day, and I got stuck behind a guy towing a large boat. He was going about 35 mph up a long hill in a 65 mph zone. Once I finally got a good break in traffic, I was able to get around him and get a look at the towing vehicle.... a Ford Tempo.

 

[deere755]

I used to work with a guy that had a 19 foot boat. he was trying to launch it and forgot to loosen the winch. he kept backing out trying to get the boat to float free of the trailer and it was cinched down so tight that it just held the trailer up. After a while he got in deep enough that it floated the back of his truck up. He set his parking brake and went to see what wrong he was up on his boat checking things out and the truck rolled further into the lake. Finally he was standing on the trailer and realized what had happened so he kicked the winch loose. His words " One moment I was standing on my boat trailer loosening the winch the next moment I looked down and my truck was under water. He had to get it towed out of the lake. I bought the boat from him the next week.

The best boat launch I ever saw was at a big bass tournament with a lot of prize money. I went to watch them take off and look at all the boats. There were all kind of boats there. The big Rangers, Stratos, and a few Jon boats. I was looking around when my buddy tapped me on the shoulder and said look at this. I turned around to see a 2 good ol boys backing down in the water with an old beater pickup and a Jon boat in the bed. They backed the boat out of the back of the pickup using the motor. I could not believe what I was seeing but it worked.

 

[Colin Giersberg]

While not large by any means, I watched a guy try to back his jet ski trailer down the boat ramp recently. I honestly think it took him 40 minutes to get to the water, and that was with help from some "big" guy. He would back up, and his trailer would begin to turn. When he realized what was going on, he pulled forward and tried again. Every time he tried, his trailer would turn to his right, and he would steer in the wrong direction, making it worse.
Finally, this big guy walked over, and picked up the trailer from the rear, and walked it into position. The driver started backing up again, only to turn it sideways again. So the big guy picked it up and walked it straight again, and then carried it to the water's edge, while the driver backed up, following the other guys directions.
Well, he finally got the trailer in the water. I talked to him for a moment about his problem. Turned out that he had a new vehicle (a new Jeep Cherokee) which was wider than his old vehicle, so he couldn't see the trailer, no matter how much he tried. The spare tire blocked his view out the back window, and by the time he saw the trailer in his sideview mirrors, he was too far gone. He had to pull up and try again.

There is another story (not sure if it is true, probably not in my opinion) of someone complaining about their boat not getting up on plane. When they pulled the boat out of the water, the trailer was still attached, hanging below the boat while they would try to speed up.

I have taken some time to get our boat out of the water. My wife drives the boat (It is hers, after all) when we are on the water, and I drive the truck, and back the boat down the ramp (she can't back the trailer yet). Our trailer is not designed for the boat, so the bow will just about always dive under the trailer winch, which means I have to get her to stand on the back of the boat, and then I lift the bow, and winch the boat onto the rubber bumper as fast as I can. I hope that I fixed that problem on the day the jet ski guy (from above) was having his trouble, by raising the running boards at the middle and front of the trailer. So far, the boat goes on great.

Regards, Colin
Hopefully, a new Kioti tractor owner in the very near future.

 

[ducati996]

How many times do you see at the begining of the boating season, someone forget to pull up their I/O once on the trailer and drive off only to have either break it off, or just destroy the lower half

Duc

 

[LoneCowboy]

Watched a dual outboard cabin cuddy pull out without raising their drives.
pulled the boat clean off the trailer
so, in the middle of a very busy ramp
there's a boat, 15' from water, on the land, a trailer up a little more, and the truck

i have no idea how they got it back in.
Boy, do i have stories.
Watch a snail boat cut right across a 6-wide ramp, like 3 times (boy were people pissed), the 3rd time, the idiot woman comes too close, catches the centerboard on the edge of the ramp, rips it right out of the boat and it sinks right there, 15' from shore.
People were cheering. (you can only get cut off so many times). Even the park rangers weren't "rushing to help"

 

[gemini5362]

Lone cowboy nice website.

 

[Dozernut]

This is on an rv forum, thought you might enjoy the ingenious way this guy pulls a fifth wheel. RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Fifth-Wheels: So ridiculous that it could be true!