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Towing 101

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always remember to stow the trailer jack in the travel lock position before heading off to the lake with your boat. 

 

your pal,

lo n stoopid

 

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  • Global Moderator

I’ve done that. I redid my old flat bottom about 5 years ago and got a new jack. First time leaving to go fishing I leave it down and drug it down my driveway. I feel your pain.

  • Author
4 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

I’ve done that. I redid my old flat bottom about 5 years ago and got a new jack. First time leaving to go fishing I leave it down and drug it down my driveway. I feel your pain.

i made it all the way to the lake!...... after stopping by to pick up my cousin at his house and loading his gear in my boat. 

  • Super User

You drag the lower unit skag all the way to the lake!

Tom

You got lucky. When I did the same thing it destroyed the swivel ring on my jack and I had to replace the whole thing.

You need to get the one that has bearing buddies attached, keep it greased up and it’ll last for years flying down the road ?

  • Super User

I was going to say you're lucky.  Normally it bends and destroys it, if it's left locked down.  Looks like yours might have been unlocked and just floating on the caster wheel.

I didn't same...  I drove about 30 miles and when I stopped for gas I saw it.  Thankfully, it never touched the ground or was damaged.

  • Author
18 hours ago, WRB said:

You drag the lower unit skag all the way to the lake!

Tom

no sir, just forgot to lock the trailer jack in the up position ?

6 hours ago, Way2slow said:

I was going to say you're lucky.  Normally it bends and destroys it, if it's left locked down.  Looks like yours might have been unlocked and just floating on the caster wheel.

thats it

  • Super User

Glad it was an easy fix.  The only way to keep from breaking stuff is to leave the boat in the garage.  It happens to all of us.   It’s the stories of looking in the rear view mirror and seeing the boat tumbling down the road that make me cringe.

Checklists. They seem tedious but they work. I'm not preaching, because I'm guilty.

 

 

I did the same thing a few weeks ago with it locked down and it bent the wheel holding tabs.  With lots of heat and a BFH it works now.

  • Super User

A couple years ago I hooked up my boat and went by and picked up my buddy that has a 1/2 mile (sandy) dirt driveway.  We loaded his gear and headed back down his driveway. Suddenly he ask me to stop and steps out of the truck. He steps out in front of the truck for a minute and is looking at the dirt that builds up in the center of sandy driveways.  He jumps back in and says that he was trying to figure out what dug a nice little trench in the mounded dirt. I immediately knew and jumped out to rotate my trailer jack. Luckily it had no damage just very sandy. 

On 5/19/2019 at 6:07 PM, Tennessee Boy said:

Glad it was an easy fix.  The only way to keep from breaking stuff is to leave the boat in the garage.  It happens to all of us.   It’s the stories of looking in the rear view mirror and seeing the boat tumbling down the road that make me cringe.

I was putting away Christmas decorations and knocked a 2X8 off the rafters and it smashed the gauges on my console.

So not even in the garage is safe from me. lol

On 5/19/2019 at 7:19 PM, haggard said:

Checklists. They seem tedious but they work. I'm not preaching, because I'm guilty.

 

 

Customers always offer to help at the end of a trip.  I always thank them and kindly refuse help.  You have a routine and someone "helping" can throw the routine off causing you to forget something important.  

7 hours ago, dave said:

Customers always offer to help at the end of a trip.  I always thank them and kindly refuse help.  You have a routine and someone "helping" can throw the routine off causing you to forget something important.  

Yep!  People are the worst distraction for me... Any help or interaction always makes me forget something.

 

So it's like a hard no for me. I usually fish and launch by myself.  So I have to keep the same routine

  • Super User

I always shut off the radio and open the windows as a start towing to listen for any unexpected noises.

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