watched a guy almost lose his truck and boat today!

[beason]

We were floating out by the wake buoy waiting our turn to load at the ramp, and this guy was launching his boat. He didnt quite have the truck backed in enough, and was trying to power the boat off the trailer. The truck starts rolling back and I thought someone was inside and backing up a little to let him off the trailer. Next thing i know, big boy jumps up on the dock, and is running for the truck. It stops about the time he starts to jump off, just far enough back for the boat to come off and head out to open water. Big boy is now sprinting back down the dock and almost falls off the end of the dock trying to catch the bow rail. Just as i reach down to turn the key to go get his boat, he snags the bow line "super man" style and pulls it back in.

I chatted with him in passing after we loaded, and apparently the truck is a standard, and the E-brake would hold the truck, but not the pull of the boat trying to back off. He looked pretty frazzled. His wife was with him.. Hopefully next time she sits in the truck and holds the brakes.

 

[JB]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Well, if he looses his truck he is almost sure to lose it.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Man to bad you didn't get video!!

 

[jigngrub]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Pretty sure that's what they make wheel chocks for! Standard trannies have dunked a lot of TV's and trailers.

... and I'm not too sure about people that like to power the boat off the trailer with the main motor anyway.

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

That could have been a major disaster.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

I also don't understand why so many guys don't get thier wife/girlfriend involved with the process.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

I also don't understand why so many guys don't get thier wife/girlfriend involved with the process.

Because some wives and girlfriends don't want to get yelled at, and don't want anything that goes wrong to be their fault... not all men are of a sweet disposition!

 

[I Fish]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

If his truck was shut off, I'd bet he had the tranny in 1st gear, too. Almost everybody puts a standard in 1st, then shut it off. On a ramp, being in 1st gear causes the motor to turn in the wrong direction with the compression, instead of against it. Leaving it in reverse will cure that, but it defies logic, as you think you don't want it to go backwards, so why leave it in reverse?

 

[CharlieB]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

IFish is right about leaving a standard trans in Reverse, but for the wrong reason.

It really doesn't matter which direction the motor is turned, it will have compression either way. When turned in Reverse the power stroke becomes the Compression stroke and so on.

The REAL reason is most standard trans Reverse is a lower ratio (higher numerical advantage) than the lowest forward gear.

Ya think this may be one reason you see so many 4 X's at the ramp?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Because some wives and girlfriends don't want to get yelled at, and don't want anything that goes wrong to be their fault... not all men are of a sweet disposition!

Well luckily I never deal with the public ramps like I read about here. But it strikes me as nothing but selfish when a guy tries to do it all while adult females sit around looking pretty (or not!). It's just a macho/control thing, I know, but as much trouble and time pressure as I read about here, it takes a team. Granted, some women aren't strong enough to push a boat off a roller trailer or winch one all the way up, but a 90 year old woman can drive a boat or a vehicle, much as most guys don't like to admit it. (They can also operate a gas grill).

I'd give a solo guy a break (or better yet, a hand) but I'd have no patience with a guy doing it all with teens or adults of any gender sitting around being worthless. (Exception: the inexperienced guest. No place to train them! But family can and should be trained.)

BTW my mother did, my sisters and daughters do, and my wife can and often does, launch, operate and retrieve boats.

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Public boat ramps are just a great source of free entertainment. I've waited (in the water to load) many times and just enjoyed the antics of the newbies. Have even waited longer than I needed to just to sit back and watch.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Brand new boat: $45,000
Brand new truck: $38,000
Wheel chocks: $10.99
Having enough sense to buy and use the wheel chocks: Priceless!

 

[H20Rat]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

The REAL reason is most standard trans Reverse is a lower ratio (higher numerical advantage) than the lowest forward gear.

Might have it backwards there.. correct, first is a HIGHER ratio than reverse. That means the engine braking will be more effective in first, not reverse. Reverse falls in between 1st and 2nd as far as ratios are concerned.

 

[Jlee815]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Soo, I still dont follow... IF you have a manual transmission do you stick it in First or reverse in addition to using the Emergency brake? I think you are saying first which is what I would have done but I am not a gear head so I want to ensure I understand this...

 

[Stachi]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

if you have an interference engine , you do NOT want it to turn in the wrong direction.... the slack on the belt or chain goes to the WRONG side , and can permanently damage pistons / valves.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

So, if the truck wants to roll backwards ie; down the ramp, reverse is the correct holding gear?

 

[I Fish]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

If you are going to shut the engine off, and your back end is facing downhill, reverse will usually hold, and first won't. The opposite is true if you are somewhere with the front facing downhill (hopefully not at the ramp:facepalm I was always told it was due to the direction of the motor going against the compression from the last firing sequence, not that reverse is a lower gear, you know, you're opening valves that should be closed and allowing your compression to escape. Like smokingcrater said, I always thought reverse fell between 1st and 2nd, ratio wise. At any rate, for me, if I attempt to park on a ramp, and the tranny is in 1st, the truck will slowly lurch down the ramp. Put it in reverse, and no more rearward lurching. I've got an automatic now, so it's put it in park and set the parking brake.

 

[korygrandy]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

I also don't understand why so many guys don't get thier wife/girlfriend involved with the process.

I do. I put her on the beach so all the morons are distracted and I can safely launch my boat. Where I live the ramps can get a bit crazy.

The trick is not to rush the process.

 

[Stachi]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Yes. If the engine does turn , it will be in the correct direction. When the slack goes to the wrong side of a belt or chain ,the timing will be off and could result in internal damage.

 

[Stachi]

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

Re: watched a guy almost loose his truck and boat today!

If you are going to shut the engine off, and your back end is facing downhill, reverse will usually hold, and first won't. The opposite is true if you are somewhere with the front facing downhill (hopefully not at the ramp:facepalm I was always told it was due to the direction of the motor going against the compression from the last firing sequence, not that reverse is a lower gear, you know, you're opening valves that should be closed and allowing your compression to escape. Like smokingcrater said, I always thought reverse fell between 1st and 2nd, ratio wise. At any rate, for me, if I attempt to park on a ramp, and the tranny is in 1st, the truck will slowly lurch down the ramp. Put it in reverse, and no more rearward lurching. I've got an automatic now, so it's put it in park and set the parking brake.

In most automatic transmissions, first gear and reverse use the same planetary gear....hence , the same gear ratio in first or reverse.