|
Boat Trailer Caution
I was putting my BassTracker Jet away last Sunday evening. Once backed into
the garage and disengaged from my truck hitch I started to position it
manually by pushing on the bow. I assumed this would be a simple task. My
garage floor is very smooth concrete. At one point I was pushing the trailer
in a direction that the trailer jack wheel did not want to follow. Instead
of the wheel coming around (like a shopping cart wheel), the trailer jack
apparently bent, then disengaged momentarily causing the trailer to collapse
onto the top of my left foot crushing a bone. Of course I saw starts,
freaked out a little, no make that a lot, and my wife called 911 (not the
bass club). I am now wearing a knee high cast and hating it.This probably happened because I once forgot to raise the jack and drove
away. By the time I noticed that I had done this the plastic wheel had
touched down a few times causing some minor flat spots. My guess is that a
flat spot prevent the wheel from turning on the "smooth" concrete whereas
the wheel has always been fine on the rough surface of my driveway. This was
my fault, I just didn't know any better. I guess I am partially venting here in the NG because I'm more or less stuck
in front of the computer with little else to do right now. Anyway, those of you with entry level boat trailers like mine ought to take
a good look at your trailer jacks and consider upgrading, especially if your
jack wheel has any flat spots on it.. Please don't send flowers. Donate LM fingerlings to Van Sciver Lake in PA if
you must. |
Richard
Dec 4
2004
|
| I've had this problem all along. I do not believe that my wheel has any flat
spots in it, so this answer may not apply to your situation. My solution is to turn the wheel in the direction that I am going BEFORE
pushing the boat. Now, how do I do that, one might ask?? Well, I carry a
cut-off golfer's old 9 iron in the tube opening at the top of the winch
riser-post. It has the head, but no grip. The head is big enough so that it
doesn't slide down into the tube opening. I slide the club's shaft into the -U-shaped area that supports the jack's
wheel, and turn the wheel with the added leverage. It has made moving the
boat around a much easier job. Any piece of strong steel that will fit will
do the same job. Incidentally, I noticed that a large manufacturer of trailer jacks has come
out with a nut-supported jack. It replaces the "folding stowable style" that
uses a "spring ring" to hold everything together. It is advertised as "the
sturdiest jack" or some-such. Perhaps yours is not the only collapse that
has occurred on certain style jacks. Sorry to hear that you are laid up.
RichG manager, Carolina Skiff Owners Group on MSN
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners
.. |
RichG
Dec 4
|
| <Painful story snipped> |
Andrew
Dec 4
|
| Hope you feel better Richard! My donations to Van Sciver Lake are finished, I'm gonna spend my time
somewhere where the fishing's good & the place doesn't stink like PWC. Too
bad you weren't there 30 years ago, it was really nice. Warren |
go-bassn
Dec 4
|
| Geez, that hurt just reading about it! Heal fast Richard.
John |
jbkbub
Dec 4
|
| Warren: "Donate LM fingerlings to Van Sciver Lake " You're right, we need em'. |
Richard
Dec 5
|
| Now I'm hurt..... we would have helped you out! And our website could use
some new pictures in the "Don't let this happen to you" section..... LOL.....
Seriously, though, Hope you feel better. >Donate LM fingerlings to Van Sciver Lake I'm with you Warren..... I'm outta there and not looking back! George
Bucks County, PA
<a href="http://www.911bassanglers.com>911 Bass Anglers</a>
<a href="http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com>Outdoor Frontiers</a>
<a href="http://www.nmnp.org>New Media For Non Profits</a> |
disp600
Dec 5
|
| I have new jacks on two of my trailers, adn I still have problems with it
even on smooth contcrete in my driveway. Since I pretty much always wear
work boats I just kick the wheel around everytime so that it is pointed in
the right direction. On the tandem axle trialer for my big boat its so
heavy that I can't move it anyway. I use a chunk of lumber left over from a
construction project as a lever to lift the front of the trailer and move it
over. I feel your pain though. I once got my thumb stuck between the top of a
jack stand and the bottom of my truck, and no amount of screaming on my part
got me any help. Of course the jack was just out of reach no matter how I
swung my free arm around.
|
Bob
Dec 5
|
| All I can nearly say is "Accccccccccccccccccccccccck" ! I know that had to
hurt like heck. Every time I move my boat and trailer I'm thinking the same
thing. If this thing ever falls on my foot it's gonna hurt like heck. I do
what most do now . . . kick or smack the wheel in the direction I want the
boat to go. . . but I still don't trust that thing. I think now after
reading this post however that before next season rolls around, I'm gonna
replace it. . . it's time for a new one. Thanks for the note. It may have saved someone else a problem. Get well soon.
|
Joshuall
Dec 7
|
| ....was it a BPS/Tracker labeled jack?....I had one for < month when it
"folded".....get a Fulton. said Huck |
Huck
Dec 8
|
|
|
Disclaimer: This is a computer-generated and formatted feed of current postings to a public
Internet forum. We do not control the information delivered, nor do we endorse or monitor its
content. Internet forums may carry offensive, harmful, inaccurate, and otherwise inappropriate material.
|
|
