I was on my way to drop off the boat this morning when all of the sudden I got what I thought was a flat on the trailer!! But instead I watched my tire pass me buy!! And saw sparks all over the place.
When I gott out and looked the hub was fine and all lugs were fine?? But the tire stoped rolling about 1/4 of a mile away. I went and got the tire and it was fine?? The holes in the wheel were egg shaped from wiggling off bot fine other wise.
Why did they fall off?? I have used the boat 2 other times this year with no problems??
Well That was the beginning of the nightmare!! I called a friend on the cell who stoped by my house to get a couple of 4X4's to put under the trailer so I could jack it up starting from the other side as the axle was on the ground. We went to a parts store and got new lug nuts and returned to the truck.
My friend parked about 50 feet behind me and put her flashes on. I had mine on already. I took two flares and started behind her car and put one in the road about 1/4 of the way out from the break down lane then I got about 1/2 way to my boat and put the other about 1/2 way in the road.
I started to put the tire back on when cars that were going by were just driving over the flares!! They were in the road for about 5 min when they were flated and dead. Now I had people beeping and almost hitting me. I had two 18 wheelers come by and one blew the horn as they were side by side and had no were to go. I jumped rt up against the boat and hid.
Then a State Trooper came flying rt by having to go to the high speed lane to get away from me, and he was gone!! Never stoped to see if we needed help or anything.
Then as I was putting the lugs on I see that the U-bolts were cut in half from being draged :af: Off we go to get new ones when no one had them I had to drive from sandwhich to Yarmouth to get them. Then back to take my life in had and put U-bolts on.
Well as you see I did not get killed but what a nightmare!!
I am happy to say the boat is at the yard and will be getting its new shift rod soon. As for me, I have a 6 pac here and I am going to drinkthe whole thing and take a nap!!
What a day :af:

...bummer man :( ...

...after all that work on the boat, now the trailer??....sheeeeeesh, don't it ever stop??...:smash:

IMO Trailering a boat is a always a problem waiting to happen no matter how safe you are. I have a trailer for the boat but I would give up boating if I had to trailer it each time I wanted to use the boat. Its is just such a hassle. Its not that it is that hard...but trailering increases the stress level. Too many fools on the road. And it is just one more thing between you and fishing.
I was going over the CC bridge traveling the speed limit with a wide load and people are determined to pass you one the bridge....can't they wait 1 minute?
When I lived in Ct I was behind a guy (well behind) whos boat became detatched from his hitch. It went off the side of the road (near stonginton) and went into a ditch and rolled 180 degess. Boat and engines were trashed.

I suppose your happy to be alive....boating is suppose to be relaxing.... I would get a slip or mooring.

Originally posted by Mr. Sandman

I was going over the CC bridge traveling the speed limit with a wide load and people are determined to pass you one the bridge....can't they wait 1 minute?
.

I get this all the time, now I just say screw'em and take up both lanes on purpose, I would hate to touch one of them pieces of granite on the side of the sidewalk at 45 mph because some jerk wanted to pass...think what THAT would do to your hubs. grrrrr

Bummer on the trailer maco, sounds like the lug nuts were loose for a while. Glad everything turned out ok!

MJ:

I feel your pain. Few years ago I was taking the family on vaca to Wellfleet. They went ahead in the car while I trailed the boat alone. On my way to the cape....Saturday morning in July
GUESS WHERE I GOT MY FLAT !!!

YUP...... on the CC bridge.

I destroyed the tire by continuing to drive. The weight and heat almost caught the rubber on fire. The rim was also destroyed.
I pulled on the dirt and had a hell of a time getting the boat up on the fulcrum jack. Well lucky for me I had a spare....Guess what, it was too low in pressure, so when I put in on and lowered the boat/trailer PFFFFT,,,,,, lost the seal. Tried AAA, they don't cover my trailer, only the truck. Called a garage and state police the SP would not be able to get there for hours due to an accident. The garage said they could come in a couple of hours. But the traffic alone would make it more like 4-5 hours.

Then my gaurdian angel came by, (maybe I did something right in a past life!) A guy in a pickup pulled ahead of me. he had a HUGE compressor in the back. and enough hose to reach the trailer tire from in front of my truck. He got the tire inflated, I was soo happy. I offered him plenty of $$$, which he would not accept, I pleaded for him to take some $$ for being so helpful.

"HAVE A NICE VACATION" he said and drove off.

Sandman got this right. THE SLIP IS GREAT !!!!!
I will never trail again that far. I store the boat in plymouth over the winter. the drive from quincy to there is bad enough. and I worry all the way.....

Been there , done that . Fish from the sand now. My boat tried to put me in an asylum,then the poor house. The rods and reels I coulda owned....Oh yeah never found my lost wheel.

Happened to me last year on an exit ramp, tire beat me off the ramp, but my axle was fried and I had to tow the boat. Cost me big bucks for a brand new axle, but I figure that bought me 5 years of trouble free towing (yeah right).

salty,

I could not belive it....I looked in my side mirrors, my one wheel was 4-6" from the granite curb (which is an honest 1' high) and my other trailer wheel was well over divider line, I am going 40-45 uphill , one guy is following so close that my son elerts me that he thinks someone is stealing the propeller and 2 other drivers are intent on passing on the bridge... I think everyone should be required to tow a trailer, drive a big truck and change a tire as part of the regular driving test in this country. I don't know about you guys but I generally give guys towing stuff plenty of room. I get cut off all the time when towing. I don't think people relize that in many cases these boats weigh twice what the tow vehicle does, maybe more and the rig doesn't maneuver like a BMW.

Its funny you said you take up both lanes on purpose now... I echoed that exact same line after I got to the other side. "Next time...."

I looong time ago I trailered a boat on the old Jamestown bridge on the way back from the cape and it was in late Nov and the wind was blowing 45+ in driving rain...Driving an old beat up toyota landcrusier with a boat in tow...It was a "white knuckle" drill the entire way with one lane in each direction and my girl friend at that time said: " uhhh, I think we shuda gone the long way thru Providence", To which I replied "Its too late now babe....brace yourself and don't look down" That was a hair-raising bridge in bad weather...the top was a metal grate and the tires didn't track that well on, combinded with the wind and wet road...I was happy to make it over with everything attached.

I think everyone who *ever* trailered a boat has some good trailer stories. Like I said, they are a problem waiting to happen.

I also take up both lanes on the bridge weather I am towing the boat or my camper. I will be going camping this week end and I have to tow the camper over the bridge 33' footer:uhoh: I am not looking forward to that. But I will take the whole dam bridge!!
How the hell did I ever get into this towing thing :confused:

thats what i was thinking as i saw a wheel pass me...im in a curve and the centrifical force was keeping me momentarilly up off my axel until i straightened out for the rescue yourself ride of a lifetime avoiding collisions. My hub being ground flat as a half moon ,i'm looking at it in horror as an old woman begins yelling at me for my tire rolling into her cadillac's door....then i finally came unglued and with flames shooting out of my eyes i said:" Look lady i wasnt driving the freakin TIRE!" NOW get the heck outta here! As i lept to my feet like a crazy neanderthal baring my teeth.
she quickly left without another word . i almost caught fire:af:

sorry to hear the bad luck maco...:confused:

Like Sandman says:
Quote...."I don't think people relize that in many cases these boats weigh twice what the tow vehicle does, maybe more and the rig doesn't maneuver like a BMW."

This really pisses me off. I'm towing the boat at a normal speed. Start slowing down approaching a redlight, but some @$$hole behind me just has to be in front of me so .....They zoom around and pull right into the space I have allowed for a safe stop behind the car in front of me. Now I have to slam the brake hard and sometimes I've had to veer around them to avoid a collison. They just don't realize that it takes a truck/trailer/boat combination a bit longer to stop.:af:

Of course I've seen people do it to tractor-trailers all the time on the way to work.

On occasion I have gotten out and blasted a couple of drivers. but it is still my fault !!!!! :smash: :af:

I Just go along at my own pace and pay them no mind most of the time. They really hate me on the bridge!! They want to pass go rt ahead. But if they cut me off well all I got to say is I have no problem with hitting them!! My truck is over 6,000# and the boat 3,000# that is at least 9,000# My truck is going on 14 years old. I try to be came but I have been none to have a bit of road rage from time to time so someday someone some where is going to pay for all the aholes that ever gave me sh@t. GOD HELP THEM!!!

I got ya beat by 3000 lbs when i'm towing. My Van weighs 7600 lbs curb weight, add the boat/trailer and you easily got another 5000 lbs behind you.

And you wonder why my truck looks like a blinkin christmas tree when i'm towin now. I got 90 watt strobes in front I use on the highway, 2x5 led strobes on rear roof that can be seen at 4 miles, and then 1x3 led strobes good for 2 miles on the rear of the guide-ons. It definitely helps keep people off your a$$ while trailering, but there is still the idiots that pull on every ramp and never look. I just keep right on going, I'm not slowing down for them, especially when i'm going up a hill, that's how you have a major accident. I'd rather see them shoot twinkies in their underwear when they finally realize the got a 43' long rig next to them :D