How to stop a trailer rolling downhill...

LVChris · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 2:14 pm

Don't try this at home!

Had to confess, hoping I will be forgiven by confessing my stupidity.

Just got the biggest boat I have ever owned 1996 24 ft Four Winns Vista. With that purchase I had to get a bigger truck and a bigger spot at the storage yard and decided why not make it easier and get a drive through spot. Parked it the first time a few weeks ago, easy as pie.

Yesterday we take her out for the day, all went well. I forgot to put the truck in park when I backed her in the water, but my habits have taught me to apply the parking brake when launching, so when I got back in the truck she hadn't moved and inch. Pulled her out no problem and drove back to the new storage area and thought I would be in and out in minutes.

I misjudged my path (I think because I entered from the opposite direction than the last time) and somehow got my boat wedged in between a pontoon and another boat with only inches to manuever on either side. On top of that my truck is severly jackknifed. I have been trailering for a long time and honestly have never seen such a mess. After 20 minutes of trying; I get the idea that I will simply disconnect the trailer and straighten out the truck...you probably see where this is going.

The ball is stuck in the tongue (even though I always grease her) and I jump up and down on the bumper but no luck. So I put the truck in drive and inch forward. I hear it release and at the same time hear my 16 year old scream! I'm in Park and out of the truck before I see it --- My boat is rolling down hill and moving pretty fast.

What happens now is all in about 5-10 seconds; I scream for my daughter to grab the chock and I grab one and run to the wheels and throw it under then I notice I am getting squeezed between my boat and the one next to me. Within seconds I am released (the chock I think turned the boat) and I see the trailer tire roll right over the chock, but it slowed it a little. Too unsafe to try that again, so I run for the tongue, grab it and plant my feet firmly into the dirt. Using every ounce of strength I have I manage to slow it to a near standstill and my wife appears from the truck I beg them to throw the chocks under the wheels and we get her stopped.

I am sure I must have at least damaged both boats beside mine and mine as well. After several minutes of uncontrollable gasping and shaking I open my eyes and start to look....
nothing...not a scratch anywhere...
10 ft from the back of my boat...I long line of jetskis that she would have rolled over like nothing...
and all downhill and hundreds of baots for at least 1000 yards before the highway.

Angels?
Luck?
Teamwork?
Adrenaline?

Call it what you want, but I for one was a praying man that day, and a lucky man, and part of a great team, and full of adrenaline.

I am sore today, body kind of feels like I was hit by a truck. But me and my family are alive and well. No one was injured, no property was damaged, and I learned a valuable lesson...

"LOOK FOR ANY SLOPE, AND LEAVE THE CHAINS ON UNTIL YOU ARE CHOCKED."

Hooked it all back up, turned her around and parked from the other direction, drove right in no problem.

Hope this stops anyone else from ever making the same mistake.

EvilZ · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 2:22 pm

Yikes....glad it all ended up working out! Sounds like it was very close to being a whole lot worse.....

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 2:35 pm

Anyone film it for YouTube ?

Glad everyone and all boats were safe.

LouC · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 3:57 pm

Wow you should buy a lottery ticket
European spec boat trailers have to have parking brakes... Maybe not a bad idea...

ric · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 4:04 pm

LouC wrote:

Wow you should buy a lottery ticket
European spec boat trailers have to have parking brakes... Maybe not a bad idea...

Those are probably illegal here in the US for some idiotic reason.

neutron · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 4:19 pm

glad to hear no one was hurt(cept maybe your pride for a moment) and nothing was ruined!

That will teach ya!

I never even touch the tounge till both sides are chocked. I had a boat jump sideways when only one side was chocked and it nicked my bumper and almost caught my hand

yrless11 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:20 pm

neutron wrote:

glad to hear no one was hurt(cept maybe your pride for a moment) and nothing was ruined!

That will teach ya!

I never even touch the tounge till both sides are chocked. I had a boat jump sideways when only one side was chocked and it nicked my bumper and almost caught my hand

+1

First rule I learned over on the camper forums I frequent is to chock your wheels on your trailer before you disconnect from your TV. Also, leave your safety chains connected until you have raised the tongue off the ball and ensured your trailer isn't going to move. IMO, This doesn't seem to be stressed enough in the various boating forums.

Glad nobody was hurt and all turned out fine

LouC · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:17 pm

ric wrote:

LouC wrote:

Wow you should buy a lottery ticket
European spec boat trailers have to have parking brakes... Maybe not a bad idea...

Those are probably illegal here in the US for some idiotic reason.

Actually there is no mention of it in the state regs, but you can buy a kit to add it to a drum brake system, none for discs that I know of. Here we have a lot of steep hills so I always use chocks any time the trailer is un-hooked from the tow vehicle.

ric · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:19 pm

Figures, my trailer is disk...

LouC · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:21 pm

Believe it or not, the brakes on Euro spec and Aussie spec trailers have cable operated drum brakes, they are a completely mechanical surge system. It's actually easy to add a parking brake to that kind of system. The fact that they use a mechanical system means that there are no wheel cylinders to get seized up by salt water but I don't know much about how well they work.

ardy · **Posted:** Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:53 am

LouC wrote:

Believe it or not, the brakes on Euro spec and Aussie spec trailers have cable operated drum brakes, they are a completely mechanical surge system. It's actually easy to add a parking brake to that kind of system. The fact that they use a mechanical system means that there are no wheel cylinders to get seized up by salt water but I don't know much about how well they work.

When I have to replace all the brakes and stuff, thats what I am going for

TX H210SS · **Joined:** Thu May 27, 2010 9:10 am **Posts:** 1488

You painted a pretty good picture of the stress...i would of been walking around mumbling to myself throwing my hands in the air after that ordeal.

Note to self..add choks to the toolbox....never had used them since I have not unhooked unless at storage but can see having too at some point.

scottmph · **Posted:** Tue Aug 21, 2012 10:20 pm

I always leave the breakaway brake cable attached until everything is stabilized (chock doesn't slip sideways or collapses). Glad it all worked out for you! Great story!

LVChris · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2012 2:21 am

You know this all happened 2 days ago, I still see my boat rolling away every time I close my eyes...and still believe it was someone else and I just saw it happen, meaning I can't believe it happened to me.

neutron · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:01 am

dont sweat it chris. all is well and most important you learned something valuable.

www.iFourWinns.com

How to stop a trailer rolling downhill...

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