Weekend mishaps

[JDP]

Re: Weekend mishaps

did getting mad and hollering at her for trying to help,get anything done faster ? its only a truck it can be fixed I love my truck and boat but I love my girlfriend more .

No hollering and getting mad didn't get anything don't faster. As I said, I told her I was sorry. I love my wife very much. Guess that's why I have been married as long as I have. How many 28 year olds do you know that have been married for 10 years. I keep all of my toys (truck,boat,motorcycle) in very good shape. I would like to see your reaction to somebody (even the girlfriend you love so much) wrapping the boat trailer around the side of your truck. Yes I know it's just a truck and it can and was fixed. But just the same my wife and I understand each other very well. She knew I was not really mad at her but the situation. We have both moved on and joke about it now.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Weekend mishaps

No hollering and getting mad didn't get anything don't faster. As I said, I told her I was sorry. I love my wife very much. Guess that's why I have been married as long as I have. How many 28 year olds do you know that have been married for 10 years. I keep all of my toys (truck,boat,motorcycle) in very good shape. I would like to see your reaction to somebody (even the girlfriend you love so much) wrapping the boat trailer around the side of your truck. Yes I know it's just a truck and it can and was fixed. But just the same my wife and I understand each other very well. She knew I was not really mad at her but the situation. We have both moved on and joke about it now.

Ditto to post #9

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Weekend mishaps

On the Jimmy thing, mine's a 4-door, which is why the spare's underneath, I guess. Good luck with solving your problem.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Weekend mishaps

On the Jimmy thing, mine's a 4-door, which is why the spare's underneath, I guess. Good luck with solving your problem.

Thank You. I am going to mess around a little with my options over the weekend. I have thought about an extension sleeve to the ball to keep the trailer further away from the drop down half gate to give me great visibility of the trailer when backing down to recover the boat. Only problem is that I would have to change back before hitting the road.
Oh well, I will post back with any news.

 

[piggy]

Re: Weekend mishaps

answer to a lot of problems is rewire trailer with water tight connections and mount tail lights on stands on both sides of trailer. Then you can see them when backing down the ramp to load or unload. You don't have to unplug your lights (the lights are above water an connections are waterproofed) and it is much easier to load in a cross wind or a crosscurrant.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Weekend mishaps

I would like to move the spare underneath but there is no room for it. It is a 2 door Jimmy and looking at the handbook I have the choice of where it is or inside. I always had the tailgate open on the minivan when backing the trailer alone down the ramp but am a little wary doing it with the Jimmy as the spare wheel frame will be flapping around and the proximity of the winch and bow post on the trailer would be extremely close to an open and dropped down tailgate.

My first boat and tow vehicle set up was a 92 Blazer (same exact thing as a Jimmy) and a 17ft boat. I put the spare tire in the cargo area and took the spare tire mount off the back of the tailgate. No need for a mount if the tire is inside the truck. It really easy to do, the only bad thing is that there were visible bolt holes on the back of the truck but who cares? With the tail gate dropped down I can see the entire trailer and can thread a needle with it. I don't know about your trailer but my winch post was far enough away that it wasn't a problem as long as I don't make real tight turn. I got a full size pick up later and same boat. It had a beautiful hard toneau cover that completely block the view. At first, I took the cover off the truck and dropped the tail gate when backing down. The truck looks way better with the toneau cover so I put it back on. I started looking into back-up camera system and found that it take too much money and time. I then started learning to use just the side view mirrors and then thing became just as easy as swiveling my head around.

 

[olefisherman]

Re: Weekend mishaps

oleman with stiffneck . walmart sells a backview tv camera with lisence plate holder for $100 it works.

 

[SNye45]

Re: Weekend mishaps

I love my wife very much but she even has trouble reversing into a parking space, I dread to think how she would handle the truck with the trailer attached. I summed the situation up and picked the lesser of two evils. I asked her if she would like to try putting the boat on the trailer instead of dealing with the truck. She wanted to try.

So on a calm day, with little activity on the ramps, she tried for the first time. I backed the trailer into the water and was there to guide her onto the trailer. For the first time she did great, although a bit faster than I would of liked.

She has managed to load the boat 3 to 4 times now, which helps me out as I do not have to everything as before. It cuts our time at the ramp in half, as we do not have to tie up anymore. However, if the wind is blowing at the dock, I am more more confident (of no damages occurring) at doing everything myself.

 

[basstracker219]

Re: Weekend mishaps

i've heard allot of people like those cameras.

 

[jokaj]

Re: Weekend mishaps

A happy wife is a happy life! No amount of Kung fu will save me from her. Just grin and give her a kiss and all is well. I have a two way radio - one for her and one for me. That way I don't have to yell at the top of my lungs and i can help her from afar....should she need it......

 

[j_martin]

Re: Weekend mishaps

My wife helps me at some ramps. She is definitely directionally challenged by anything over the shoulder, but I can talk her back pretty easily from the boat with the personal radio.

 

[dwco5051]

Re: Weekend mishaps

Do what I did. Marry a farmers daughter. If she could back a 4 wheel wagon up a narrow barn ramp at ten years of age backing my trailer is a piece of cake for her.

 

[gypsysoul]

Re: Weekend mishaps

Ok gentlemen, I have been a glutton for punishment my whole life (married four times). But I have taught all of them to back my trailer's in for me. If you use the right system they can all learn it. women need a reference. all my tow vehicles have had dual mirrors. the way I teach them to back up is to use the bottom of the steering wheel (this works for guys that ride the short bus also) which ever way they want the trailer to go slide the bottom of the steering wheel that direction. and the trailer will go that way. so if they see the trailer moving toward the passenger side of the truck push the bottom of the steering wheel towards the drivers door and vice versa for the other side. and the big thing is SLOW until they learn to control it. my wife can back our 27' motorhome with our two story boat trailer just fine. but when we met she couldn't back her buick out of the driveway!

my logic in this thinking is this, my boat's are usually worth more than my tow vehicles. So I would rather have them dinging up my truck than one of my boats. using the above method I have even taught my teenagers to become proficient backers. Hope this helps save someones relationship.

 

[HANGEYE]

Re: Weekend mishaps

I put some of those "ORANGE CONES" out in the hay field. Put the wife on the lawn tractor with an EMPTY trailor. After about 2 hours, she could go through the cones better backwards then frontwards (almost). When we are at the ramp, she can back in to load or unload the boat with the best of them. She has even taught a couple of her friend in the same manner. I could not be more proud of her.

 

[wrvond]

Re: Weekend mishaps

My girlfriend loves our boat and everything about it. She had no prior boating experience whatsoever, yet has proven to be an exceptionally adept deckhand. I encourage her to try different things, such as skippering, launching, recovery, etc.
I am ultra careful to never get frustrated when things don't go exactly the way I think they should. It would just about kill me to think that I had said or done something to sour any aspect of boating for her.
Barring accident, there is no doubt she is going to outlive me. I want the time we have together to be the best they can be, and after I'm gone, I want all the memories to be good ones.
I like the ideas of hand held radios. Alternatively, get in the passenger side of the car and coach her.
While I may not agree 100% with how the OP handled the situation, it is certain it could have been handle much worse.
It's a shame you didn't have a camcorder, you might have won some money on "funniest videos".

 

[rjlipscomb]

Re: Weekend mishaps

I'm chiming in with the yelling does no good and your wife is a real trooper for giving it a try crowd. Enough said.

My wife will not drive the truck with the boat attached. She'll park the truck and empty trailer. I have tried to encourage and teach her, to no luck. She tells me she is a girl and girls don't do those things. Okay. She will drive & park the truck w/ trailer allowing me to take the boat from the launch under power. She'll drive the boat while I get the trailer back into the water and trade places with me while I load the boat back on. Marriage teaches us how to work together with each other's strengths. And, BTW, she will not ride the tube with me driving the boat. NO TRUST or simply knows me better.

 

[79Merc80]

Re: Weekend mishaps

I know y'all are going to think I'm crazy, but I actually learned how to back up a trailer using the big matchbox type cars. The cars that were about 6-8" long and the front weels turned side to side. Unlike most of my friends that would grab onto the trailer and pull the car, I would turn the front wheels and back the trailer up. When I was younger and had one of those peddle cars, my Dad made a trailer for me to tow behind it. My parents have commented that at the age of 7, I was able to put a trailer tire on a dime. With the matchbox cars, I actually get an aireal view in my head of what the car/truck and trailer are doing and where I am going with it.

Hope this helps. It sure has helped me later in life. Never too late to start.

Craig