Reply With QuoteI use key-locking pins on my hitches. I've heard of people doing this, assholes!
Anyone ever lose their boat towing it down the road? I learned a lesson I'll never forget. Camping all weekend and after a long day Sunday packed up to go home. Took off and the husband was in front towing his boat and I was behind him towing mine.....going up a steep curvy grade a few miles from the house my receiver hitch comes completely out and the boat slams into the back of the blazer. Once I realize whats happened and stop, it slams again and proceeds to roll backwards into the truck behind me. He goes around me screaming and the boat is still rolling.....the safety chain grabs and it stops the trailer but its swinging back and forth and Im stopped on a steep grade about 15 feet from a cliff. Of course Im panicked and thinking the chains going to snap any second so I grab any rock I can find to put behind the boat tires and try not to freak out. My husband comes back and sees me sitting in the road and we get it back on after putting a spare pin in the receiver. NOW, the lesson learned is...first of all, put my locking pin back in the receiver hitch...2nd, ALWAYS check the pin before I take off. The same day, our son and his friend had left the boat ramp with their boat and the same thing had happened but they were moving very slowly and caught it before it caused too much damage. Had to be someone with nothing better to do than mess with your trailer at the parking lot. Dont people realize the damage this prank can cause and someone could have been killed? I was very lucky, it could have been much worseand the boat has minimal damage. Sorry for the long post but I just had to vent. This ever happen to anyone else or am I the lucky one?
I use key-locking pins on my hitches. I've heard of people doing this, assholes!
I use an 8 grade bolt with nylock nut! Takes a long time to undo the sucker.Also I always walk around the trailer to check the lights, safety chain and runaway brake chain after being parked somewhere.An extra pin and receiver is under my rear seat too.
Her454, I'm not entirely sure I'm understanding what happened here.. You have a pin that holds in your trailer ball. Is that what fell out?? Most of them have a clip that slips into the end of it to keep it from falling out. So are you saying that someone took the clip?
They sell a lock, that replaces that whole program that's very easy to use. You actually stick a key into the end of it then twist it until it stops, then pull the key out. I think mine cost about 15 bucks, but you'll never have to worry about that again, becuase it's either on there or it's not, and no one can mess with it.
I'll see if I can find a pic of one on the internet for ya..
RD
I have always had a locking pin on my hitch like RD's, more for theft protection - never even thought of someone pulling a prank like that. Must be the same idiots that throw boulders off of freeway bridges.
I had the same thing happen to me on a motor home at the sand dunes with an atv trailer, luckily the hitch fell out while we were still in the sand so no damage. Just goes to show, there is always assholes trying to ruin what you enjoy no matter what that may be. Glad to hear no one was seriously hurt.
JetBoatRich:
I use key-locking pins on my hitches. I've heard of people doing this, assholes!Another cute trick some idiots pull is to take the pin out of the steel tongue on your trailer...go to put your boat back on the trailer and the pin is gone so you can't secure the tongue to the bow eye...
I started keeping a good stainless steel caribiner in the boat just in case..
a few years ago while going to powell my uncle who went up with my dad had to stop in laughlin to pick up his boat (a carrera 20.5).they wee using pops m/h.well some how the receiver pin came out and the actual pin eventually came out.
About 40 miles past laughlin the m/h got a sudden surge of power then comes a boat along side them oh shit they freaked out and slowed down and they both watched my uncles boat praying that it wont be a total loss it was pulling to the right and off the road aiming directly for a billboard the width betwenn the poles was 9 feet they closed eyes as boat came to the poles RESULT it made it thru untouched but it was a sandy area so the tongue buried itself and the boat slid 4 feet foward with vey minor scratch from the fenders.They couldnt believe it took them about 4 hours to get boat trailer out of sand and to pull the boat to the org spot on the trailer in t100 degree heat.They went to measure the distance between poles and it was 9 feet trailer and boat 8.5 they were very lucky but my dad said that was the most scariest moment when a boat is passing you.
RiverDave2:
Her454, I'm not entirely sure I'm understanding what happened here.. You have a pin that holds in your trailer ball. Is that what fell out?? Most of them have a clip that slips into the end of it to keep it from falling out. So are you saying that someone took the clip?
They sell a lock, that replaces that whole program that's very easy to use. You actually stick a key into the end of it then twist it until it stops, then pull the key out. I think mine cost about 15 bucks, but you'll never have to worry about that again, becuase it's either on there or it's not, and no one can mess with it.
I'll see if I can find a pic of one on the internet for ya..
RDRD, Actually you do have to worry about it again if you leave your key at home instead of bringing it out with you. This last weekend I had a cover over the hitch receiver and Saturday morning backed up to put the boat on to find out that I needed to put on the ball. I looked for the keys and after 10 seconds got that "sick to your stomach, you aint gonna do shit today" feeling and realized that they keys wee 250 miles away! I called a locksmith on London Bridge Road (Western Lock) and took the truck down there. Lo and behold, after 10 minutes, he picked the lock, made another spare key for me and sent me on my way. All for under $11. Good lesson learned.
wow.... f*&% me, that would suck big time! I'm glad I have the locking receiver pin...
KC
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