Another Ramp Story

Yesterday we went to the ramp with my daughter and her family. We pull up and get in line and see two cop cars at the ramp. My son in law drives around and comes back and says we should go to another ramp because there is a domestic dispute at the ramp. I put the transom straps back on and take the fenders off the boat and drive past the ramp to leave. My son in law is talking to another guy who just pulled his boat out. He tells me there is a truck under the house boat at the ramp.

At this point I say we should pull up lawn chairs rather than leaving. Well we go to the other ramp about five or so miles away. Put the boat in the water and then drive back up to the original ramp to see if it was true that there was a truck under the boat.

Well at this point there are two tow trucks at the top of the ramp. The flat bed truck starts backing down the ramp towards the house boat and stops about halfway down the ramp. Then you see them pulling the cables down to the water. You look over at the house boat and it?s in what has to be 8 ? 10 feet of water, but there is a guy standing about waist deep in water in front of the boat. He had to be standing on top of the truck.
Next thing you know some guys are taking the cable ends and diving down in front of the boat. After two or three dives they have the cables hooked up and they do some stuff on the flatbed tow truck to pull the truck up and away from the dock.

The boat is not really a house boat but a pontoon boat with some building built on top of it with a slide down to the water. Kind of stupid looking thing that is pretty beat up. Well finally you see the truck coming up out of the water. It was an old beat up truck with a pontoon trailer on the back. They get it out of the water and then pull the whole thing up the ramp, but left the boat there. Don?t know what happened after that. It was time for us to go have some fun.

Re: Another Ramp Story

No pictures?

Re: Another Ramp Story

I didn't have a camera with me. I think my daughter took some with her phone though. I'll see if I can get them.

Re: Another Ramp Story

I saw a girl backing an empty trailer down a ramp towards he awaiting husband in the boat. She stopped and got out of the truck for some reason... forgot to put it in park and away it went... when we pulled it out only thing sticking out was the top of the cab. I felt so bad for her because she just drown a $35k+ truck that still had temp tags on it!

Re: Another Ramp Story

Ramps are often a source of free entertainment!

Re: Another Ramp Story

Here is a picture my daughter took. Have to zoom to see the truck coming out.

Re: Another Ramp Story

Aquaman-PSD said:

She ... forgot to put it in park and away it went...

Click to expand...

I always apply the Emergency/Hand Brakes first.
The manual brakes are my Primary holding power and the Transmission/Parking Brakes are used for redundancy.

If I only use the Trans/Parking brakes it feels like I am overstressing something when trying to get back into gear after the truck has rolled back a few inches against the transmission gears.

Re: Another Ramp Story

The Admiral is getting great experience pulling the rig up the ramp when we retrieve, but I still remind her "D for Drive, Darlin"

Re: Another Ramp Story

That's at Alum Creek. I know that blue houseboat. I actually towed him in one time.

Re: Another Ramp Story

UncleWillie said:

I always apply the Emergency/Hand Brakes first.
The manual brakes are my Primary holding power and the Transmission/Parking Brakes are used for redundancy.

If I only use the Trans/Parking brakes it feels like I am overstressing something when trying to get back into gear after the truck has rolled back a few inches against the transmission gears.

Click to expand...

I step on the brakes, push on the emergency brakes, then let off the brake pedal to see if it will hold. It usually goes back an inch or two... THEN I put it in park. Seems to put less stress on the locking pin....

Re: Another Ramp Story

jayhanig said:

I step on the brakes, push on the emergency brakes, then let off the brake pedal to see if it will hold. It usually goes back an inch or two... THEN I put it in park. Seems to put less stress on the locking pin....

Click to expand...

Yep! Same here!

To get it back into gear.
Start engine.
Step on the brake pedal with the left foot.
Release Emerg/Manual Brakes.
Put it in gear. Forward!
Press lightly on the gas pedal with right foot.
Feel that the tranny is taking the load.
Release Brake Pedal.
Drive up ramp.

I NEVER want to be THAT guy!

Re: Another Ramp Story

A couple months ago we had just launched and seen a suv go under with the boat trailer.. My wife took this pic with her camera. I have seen many photos posted on the wall at the little store where we launch, but this is the first time we seen it first hand. They were lucky the trailer jacked knifed or it would have been totally under.

Re: Another Ramp Story

Now that has to be embarrassing. All those people sitting there taking pictures, lol. I've had my embarassing moments, not quite that severe but....

Re: Another Ramp Story

Mason78 said:

Ramps are often a source of free entertainment!

Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more! Just last Saturday, around 6pm, we took our chairs and small ice chest and positioned ourselves for the ramp activities. Some of what goes on is laughable and some is agrivating. A lot of mishaps appear to be alcohol related. It's easy to pick out the less experienced boaters.

Re: Another Ramp Story

UncleWillie said:

I always apply the Emergency/Hand Brakes first.
The manual brakes are my Primary holding power and the Transmission/Parking Brakes are used for redundancy.

If I only use the Trans/Parking brakes it feels like I am overstressing something when trying to get back into gear after the truck has rolled back a few inches against the transmission gears.

Click to expand...

Aint they both lockin up the rear drive wheels? The "gears" aint taken the stress its the "Parking Paw"


I also use the parking brake but if you're in the "green slime", rear brakes are not going to help anything.

Re: Another Ramp Story

Dang, I didn't take pics yesterday and you would have all got a kick out them. Somehow they managed gridlock on a 4 lane ramp. Vehicles and trailers all crossed up, no body giving in and nobody going anywhere. Heck it was so bad I almost put my boat on the wrong side of the dock because I knew there wouldn't be another boat using it for a while. Then I remembered I was going to have to become part of the grid lock just to get mine out. So,, put put put, off I go for a scenic cruise. We should modfy the fuel rule so it reads, 1/3 out 1/3 back and 1/3 waiting for the ramp idiots to clear out.

Re: Another Ramp Story

bgc said:

Aren't they both locking up the rear drive wheels? The "gears" aren't taking the stress it's the "Parking Paw"

Click to expand...

Right you are!

However the Parking Paw is very hard to disengage and usually releases with a nasty THUD with 5000lbs of Boat and Truck trying to migrate down the ramp and out to Sea!

The Manual brake does the same job but is very well behaved when told to let go.

Redundancy is always a good thing. Don't be THAT Guy!

Re: Another Ramp Story

If you ever get the chance to look inside an auto trans, check out the park pawl. In most of them it is a flimsy looking piece. I've often wondered how they hold as well as they do. I would never trust my truck to one on a launch ramp. Best to make sur the e-brake is set also

Glenn

Re: Another Ramp Story

Every owners manual I've ever looked has advised to use parking brake in addition to putting transmission in park, especially on hills. The parking pawls I've seen are simple metal pins, not much too them at all.
It's also a good idea to use the parking brake occasionally just to keep the parts freed up, they tend to get all gummed up with brake dust, dirt and corrosion over time to where they might not even work anymore if they sit unused too long.

Re: Another Ramp Story

Wheel chocks are your friends on steep ramps.