Trailer came off of ball

[ryanburkhart]

Ok.. So we sucked it up and purchased a new trailer and boat. We got the boat Saturday evening brought the thing home and Sunday morning went to the lake.... Well on our way to the lake when crossing the railroad tracks it came unlached and slammed into the back of my truck. The dealership put the boat on the hitch... So now we are $1500 dollars worth of damage to the truck, the brake release cord broke off and the pin obviously never worked. We went and bought a lock to replace the faulty pin. Is that normal? I have been towing trailers my whole life and even without the pin in and have never had this happen. We were pulling a Sea Ray 185 on a single axle on a 2" ball. Who should be responsible?

 

[bigNATE®]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

IMO it is the fault of whoever did the safety check to make sure everything was good to go..... as for no pin/lock in the coupler... thats your call but there is always one in mine

 

[JasonB]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

I have a policy that I never waver from. I put the trailer on the truck. Period. On the rare occasion that someone helps me out by getting it done before I have a chance, I thoroughly inspect. The one time I didn't follow this policy, I was towing a post hole digger home. I assumed the rental guy knew what he was doing. Wrong. After flipping the thing back over ( it flipped over on teh way home when it came off the ball and the tongue dug into the pavement. Luckily, the safety chains held. Upon investigation, the coupler was stretched out and a good shake would knock it loose. Lession learned.<br /><br />My truck and my boat on the line, not to mention my family... I'm checking it out. The dealer should know better, but it's kinda like being the captain of the ship, you should check it yourself regardless.<br /><br />Always use a pin, even if its a positive locking type coupler.<br /><br />Not trying to be a jerk, but your insurance will probably end up footing the bill.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

Are you sure the ball is the correct size?<br /><br />Have you adjusted the coupler to fit the ball snugly?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

it's kinda like being the captain of the ship, you should check it yourself regardless.<br />

Ayuh,............<br /><br />I think that's the way Most people see it........

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

This story confuses me a bit...it sounds like you determined the problem was a "faulty pin" so you bought a lock to replace it. How was the pin "faulty?" The only way I can think of it possibly failing is to shear in half.<br /><br />From a legal standpoint, you have to prove liability to get anything from anyone. Prove that their person screwed it up in a court of law and they'll be held responsible. If the pin was indeed "faulty", then liability rests with the manufacturer of the pin. If in fact the pin was missing, and never installed by the dealer, then the dealer shares some responsbility for overlooking this necessary safety item, as do you for driving away without checking that everything was done correctly.<br /><br />As a side note, you might want to check your tongue weight. If it bounced off the hitch, your rig may be improperly balanced.<br /><br />I agree that this is a classic insurance claim. Depending on how big your deductible is, it might be worth turning in.

 

[NYMINUTE]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

Check it yourself and lock the ball in with a padlock. Check everything 2X or more. Especially after a nasty road or pothole.

 

[tommays]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

if i am reading correctly the boat was NEVER unhitched by the owner <br /><br />it would seam that if the ride home was a bit longer from the dealer when the boat was new the day before it would have fallen off then ?<br /><br />please correct me if i am worng<br /><br />i allways keep a pin in my couppler just in case but i would expect a dealer to do the same on a new install <br /><br />tommays

 

[DJ]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

A "safety check" is REQUIRED before the boat moves anywhere. Especially after sitting overnight. Who knows who could have been "monkeying" with it. A "missing" coupler pin is the SOLE responsibility of the owner/driver-IMHO.<br /><br />I DO NOT see this as a dealer issue.<br /><br />I would be suspect of your tongue weight, it may be on the light side. That, might, be a dealer issue. But, still, it didn't cause the incident, just may have added to it.

 

[ryanburkhart]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

Thanks for the input... The trailer was checked before we left the dealer and everything looked great. However, the pin slides in and out of the hole on the coupler. Normally you would push the little button on the side to slide it in and out. This is not the case you can slide the pin in and out. That is why I am wondering if it is a manufactuer problem?

 

[all thumbs]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

I would say the safety check is up to the driver. I own several types of trailers with different coupplers. One type is the bull dog, where it opens sideways, you can see when it closes around the ball properly. The other type has a lever on top that you lift. I have had trailers put on the ball on this type that you can't see it lock properly. The best thing to do on that type of trailer is after you think you have it seated try to lift up on the tounge to see if it really is. You can also do this with the aid of your trailer jack. It never hurts to double check when it comes to safety.

 

[AMD Rules]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

Sounds to me like you have:<br /><br />A) Wrong size ball<br /><br />and/or<br /><br />B) Improperly adjusted coupler, thus not properly clamping beneath the ball around the narrow shank<br /><br />and/or<br /><br />C) Coupler was sitting ON the ball, instead of fully engaged. While it may appear ok, it won't stay on especially over uneven surfaces like railroad tracks.<br /><br />The pin itself is a secondary safety device, and generally would not be the sole cause for the trailer to de-couple. On most couplers, the forces act in a direction that would not pull free if the pin was absent from the latch mechanism.<br /><br />Driver bears the responsibility for double-checking and ensuring the trailer is safely connected and wired according to safety regulations. Not what you want to hear, but a reality.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

Originally posted by burkhart:<br /> Thanks for the input... The trailer was checked before we left the dealer and everything looked great. However, the pin slides in and out of the hole on the coupler. Normally you would push the little button on the side to slide it in and out. This is not the case you can slide the pin in and out. That is why I am wondering if it is a manufactuer problem?

I'm having a hard time picturing your setup. A photo would be great. I've never seen a trailer with a pin that was released with a button, so obviously you have something new to me. Whatever it is, by all means if you don't think it's working properly, ask the dealer. If they agree it's defective, and you discover that indeed a faulty part on the trailer caused this, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to seek the mfr's help with some compensation. At the same time you have to choose your battles...may be easier to swallow the cost than deal with the hassles of such a legal battle.<br /><br />As per AMD's description, I was guilty one time of driving away with the trailer tongue sitting ON the ball instead of around it. It can be an easy mistake to make with some coupler setups. I luckily caught the error while doing a safety double-check at a gas station before it popped off. And now I ALWAYS check it twice the FIRST time.<br /><br />For you, it was certainly a difficult and expensive lesson learned. I bet you double-check everything for security a LOT more often now! Take care and enjoy your new boat...

 

[reddog349]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

As many pepole above have said , you have to check everything before you hit the road. Sounds like someone at the dealership was not doing his job .<br /><br />I watched a coworker lose a 68,000 lbs trailer after the garage hooked it up wrong.The driver was charged.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

burkart,<br />I couldn't exactly visualize the setup either, but as to your question, obviously the captain has final go/no-go decision, makes it your responsibility. <br /><br />But sounds like you did inspect it and it was installed as designed. It's reasonable to rely on manufacturer & dealer assurance that the design is sound (you aren't some kind of mechanical engineer or anything, right?) therefore either faulty design or equipment failure is at fault & you would be justified in pointing fingers at either/both dealer/manufacturer.<br /><br />just my 2¢

 

[ooootis]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

Sounds to me this pin is of the type we call pit pins used on aircraft. They have a little ball bearing at the end of the pin. A button at the end will retract the tension on the ball and the pin can be removed. Problem is that this is a close tolerance set up and any wear can cause the pin to fall out. I have done the exact same thing mine popped off coming outta the marina. I didnt have a pin installed. Have never used one ever on anything I ever towed. Guess what? I use one all the time now For less than 3.00 damaged my truck to the tune of 1,200.00. Tounge weight was not the problem in my case took 6 guys to lift and and roll get me hooked back up.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

how about crawl over railroad track, that's what I always do. Those things are devilish, have you ever look into the rear view mirror and see the way your entire boat and trailer bounce when going over a railroad track?

 

[tomatolord]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

You wont be able to prove that the dealer was at fault unless they have had other complaints.<br /><br />I have seen these pins before - there is just a small bearing on the side that pushes in - the idea is that a pin has pressure on it front to back and you need to pull side to side to get a pin out. The bearing is just there to keep it from easily sliding out. <br /><br />It sounds like the bearing either failed or was not properly pushed in all of the way.<br /><br />I dont use those bearing type pins - while they are convenient I would rather have a pin secured with some type of pivot pin - I just leave a set of pliers in the back of the truck - there is a small box built in my explorer.<br /><br />I dont trust anyone to hook up my trailers - most of the time I find that the person is just lacking in experience and they are going on what they THINK the setup should be.<br /><br />Sorry to hear about the damage though...

 

[monoshock]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

A $6 pad lock on the coupler is the best idea. My 2 cents.

 

[monoshock]

Re: Trailer came off of ball

A $6 pad lock on the coupler is the best idea. My 2 cents.