trailer bounced off hitch

[kywildcat]

Had my first experience recently with my boat bouncing of of the hitch. I tow a 18' Bayliner with a Toyota 4Runner. I hit a rather deep pothole at a slow speed (probably less than 5 mph) and the thing popped right off! I was going this slow because I knew the hole was there and knew how to "avoid" it. I do a really thorough check before leaving to make sure everything was secure, including bouncing the trailer to make sure the coupler was tight. After getting the boat back on, I went ahead and tightened the coupler bolt a few more turns just to be sure. Now the latch on the coupler requires a little more pressure to snap shut. My question is how tight should this be? Can it be over tightened? And should the torque on this be checked each trip? Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks

 

[Pony]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

Not sure about the torque specs...but do you use a coupler pin to secure the coupler closed??<br /><br />Personally I loke to use a master lock on mine to be sure it doesnt come off.

 

[patenglish]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

Never had this problem before except when I had a 1-7/8" ball on for a 2" hitch. It will come off...

 

[islandboat]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

Do you have enough tongue weight with the boat in normal load situation? No ice chests or supplies loaded in the rear of the boat that could cause less than needed toungue weight? 2" ball and 2" hitch? <br />Did the hitch open the "latch" when it hit the bump or did it stay locked close and slip up off the the ball?

 

[kywildcat]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

Yeah, I do use a locking coupler pin.

 

[Pony]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

posted by mean15:<br />"I had a 1-7/8" ball on for a 2" hitch. It will come off... "

LOL...I think we have all tried that one. 1/8" seems like such a small differnce sometimes.<br /><br />

posted by trophy175:<br />"Do you have enough tongue weight with the boat in normal load situation? No ice chests or supplies loaded in the rear of the boat that could cause less than needed toungue weight? 2" ball and 2" hitch? <br />Did the hitch open the "latch" when it hit the bump or did it stay locked close and slip up off the the ball? "

I imagin an 18' bayliner has plenty of tongue weight for such a small truck regardless of where coolers are....If the latch did open then i suggest the master lock or i believe they make a coupler lock as opposed to a little pin....

 

[kywildcat]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

The latch stayed closed when it popped off. As for gear in the boat, I only had a couple of tackle boxes about midway and about a half a tank of gas. When I got it back home I check up under the couple with a flashlight and didn't see any evidence of anything bent or damaged. I had towed about 60 miles the day before with no problems. I'm just glad it happened on a side road 2 minutes from home instead of 30 miles of interstate. Thanks for the help!

 

[Pony]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

Yeah, sounds like you ran into a bit of good luck, prolly wouldve done a lot of damage if it were under different circumstances

 

[phantoms]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

As others stated, check and make sure you have the correct ball size for the coupler. It may be that you just didn't have the coupler latched under the ball. It may have looked as if it latched, but actually rested on the ball instead of latching under it. Always feel under the coupler once you latch it to make sure the ball is encapsulated by it.

 

[Pony]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

goodpoint phantoms....i make that part of my pre-departure checklist.

 

[AK_Chappy]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

So,<br />How did your safety chains work? Did you have them crossed and did they suspend the trailer like everyone says they will?<br /><br />AK Chappy

 

[kywildcat]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

Had them crossed, but evidently not tight enough. I played around with the tension later, and the way it looked to me, you would have to have the chains almost tight (in turn prohibiting sharp turns) in order for this to work. The chains would have to be shorter than the distance from the hook up points to the ground or its gonna hit. The tongue just falls thru the back of the cross. I was thinking about making the cross under the tongue and clip the chains together at the cross point to hold it into place. Looked like it would have a better chance of working.

 

[milkyway]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

ky,<br /><br />I put some grease on the ball so it will slide freely with the coupler and also to prevent scratches on the ball and getting rusted. Then, after I have lowered the coupler on the ball, I move the car (therefore the ball) a little forward. This way, I have the coupler and the ball pulling and tight on each other. Then I close the latch. While holding the latch in the locked position and pulling it forward so that it will hug the ball ( look at the cup underneath so you'd see whatI mean) then I turn the bolt with a wrench to tighten the cup and the latch. I can move the latch just a little bit but my tightening the bolt would not allow me to unlock the latch by hand. That's good - the ball is snug, almost tight but not very tight allowing the ball and the coupler to work together. Grease helps to do this. Then I lock the coupler with a trailer lock.<br /><br />In your question, you turned the bolt to tighten the latch, then engaged the latch. As you can see, I have it vice versa. Close the latch ( it does not matter how loose this is) grab and push the latch forward so that (looking underneath) the CUP will grab the ball. Then tighten the bolt. Tight enough but not so tight to allow the ball to slide freely on the coupler and minimize friction. You will realize that after you do this, there is now way you can unlock the latch without first loosening the bolt. This I do everytime. Still, I try my best to avoid bumpy rides.

 

[Triton II]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

I use a hitch lock called a couplemate (sounds rude but works well). The crossways slider goes in two different positions. Low down for locking it to the trailer hitch, or in the top position for locking the hitch to the tow ball on the towing vehicle. The best thing is the hitch can't possibly pop off the ball when you use one of these. Also, the padlock can't be broken because the design prevents the U-shank being exposed so bolt cutters don't work.<br /><br />

 

[rwidman]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

Make sure the coupler is the correct size for the ball (or vice versa). It's possible that the coupler is worn or broken. Repair parts are available for some models. On mine. the safety pin would prevent to coupler from comming off even if the coupler was not latched so check yours carefully. Check the ball for wear.<br /><br />Tongue weight should be between 5% and 7% of the trailer as loaded and ready for travel. This weight is for safe towing and should not be adjusted to keep the coupler on the ball.<br /><br />If all else fails, replace the coupler and the ball if it is worn.

 

[jtexas]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

if the coupler is too tight, it could turn the ball when you turn...possible that it could ratchet the ball right off the hitch or more likely loosen it to the point where something could break.<br /><br />I think if the coupler falls through the space behind where the chains cross, the vehicle attachment points are too far forward; moved back toward the ball gives you more slack, then shorten 'em a little (or move 'em back on the trailer, too)...still have enough slack to turn but they cross further back from the end of the trailer.<br /><br />[edit] thought about it a minute...with the chains crossed, do the ends of either chain get farther apart in a turn? I don't think they do. In fact, I think they get closer together. They are farthest apart when the trailer is straight behind the tow vehicle.<br /><br />[edit again] sorry, that's not exactly true in all cases, see the thread titled "trailer safety chains"

 

[TELMANMN]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

I would get a new coupler and ball. One or the other is not correct. Thousands of dollars for the boat or 40 bucks for a new ball and coupler?

 

[brine]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

kywildcat . losing a trailer certainly does something to clean shorts!!As many replies have said, check the coupling "cup" is under the ball. Also check to see if the coupler is rated with a capacity stamp. There are many knock off "flea market" trailer parts out there that are not made to last. KEEP IT AS A UNIT! good luck!

 

[kywildcat]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch

Thanks for all the ideas and advice guys. It will give me something to work on this weekend. As for right now I may have to climb on board in the back yard, as our part of Katrina is about to roll in!

 

[monoshock]

Re: trailer bounced off hitch