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Trailer SAFETY- Cautionary tale

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Posting this so others dont make the same mistake. I needed to move my trailer off the street down into my driveway for trash day. It was late and I was in a hurry.  I did not hook up the safety chains, just figured locking the ball would be ok. No Bueno!

I got very lucky. I had terraced the hill with a small wall that slowed the trailer. I built the house solid with plywood sheer wall around the whole house. Finally the trailer hit the house in the best possible spot. 

They call them safety chains for a reason.  Dont be a BUM - USE THEM!

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Whew...that could have been so much worse...:o

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Bummer glad nothing worse happened I did this once with old Trailer in back of my house put on the ball and left jack down and forgot to latch the ball or use chains was just moving trailer down alley to street maybe 200 yards and Jack hit bump and disconnected my 34' weekend warrior and slide about 15 feet back luckily pretty flat otherwise could have taken out a neighbors house. Alot of my old customers switched to pintle hitches from balls on their dump trailers and haulers just for strength and peace of mind knowing it's 100% hitched especially if not loaded right with 0 or negative tongue weight might wanna switch

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Dang, just inches from that window. Luck be with you.

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Crazy!  Saved by the sheeting!  That would of been a whole lot worse without that sheer panel!

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The trailer ended up in a complicated spot. We could not physically roll it out. I could not jack it up without causing more damage to the house and could not get the truck into the tight spot and hook it up anyways. The little skidsteer I had purchased came to the rescue. Wife said I did not need the skidsteer- HA!

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Gahooollee, if that is how you spell "Golly" the way Gomer Pyle says it - haha- That sure was close.  If you were watching it happen, must have been scary.  Good Karma that given possibilities, that was all that happened.  I'll raise a toast to that !  cheers. 

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Left the jack down on boat trailer. The trailer came off breaking the chains going around a corner. Heavy 30 ft boat. The front of the trailer and bow of the boat went through the window of the corner house.  

The boat and trailer were ok and I'm in the glass business and had his window replaced that day. 

Wasnt one of my finest moments. 

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Oh snap I got a 20 ft travel trailer loaded in the rear  hooked to my truck in the driveway. 

I shid probly get home soon

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I try to be super cautious with trailers.  When I latch the hitch I also put a lock on it to not only secure it from theft but to keep the latch from coming up on accident. 

 

I've got a pintle hitch for the Jeep I just need to get a Lunette ring on the trailer.  It's way overkill for my tiny trailer but I built the trailer to pull behind the Jeep loaded with camping gear off road and want the extra flexibility.

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