After several years of towing with my truck, my wife got a brand new Mazda MPV 4WD. It was only a few weeks old and I had a towing settup attached to it. I pulled it out the driveway, and we were in a fairly populated community, so I got about 4 blocks away, and was rounding a 90 degree turn, and I look in the mirror, and to my horror, there was my boat heading sraight for a row of brand new Cadilacs & Mercedes Benz's!, I was able to get the van straight, but the boat had a mind of it's own, it seems! I tapped the brakes from about a 10 MPH speed and decided to just let it hit Mamma's new ride, a sacrafice, but better than having one damaged vehicle, then a whole row wiped out!
What I discovered, was that the beam had failed, and if the saftey chains were not in place, well this disaster could have been much worse. Upon inspection, I found that the previous owner did a fine paint job, but also was very handy with fiberglass. It seems he saw rust on the tongue of the trailer and even though it had eaten all the way through, instead of replacing it, he patched it up with an unsuitable subsitute! It was not detectable, until the mishap, and let me tell you, was quite a chore to fix it properly also! BTW, the boat survived intact, but the brand new Van required several thousands in repair!
So, I relize this was long winded, but I have a simple yet important chore, I feel should be done! Take a small bit 1/4" or so, and drill a pilot hole on the underside of that beam, as far back and as near to the weld as possible. (If using an eletric drill be careful, as this water streaming out can conduct electricity) If you have used your boat within a month or two, you will have a considerable amount of water streaming out! Then take a 1/2 bit and drill where you made that pilot hole. What you have accomplished, is a way for water to escape. It certanly will collect in that pocket if you don't have a exit! Don't do it, and possibly within a decade or so, you may experience the same adventure I had towing.
Any other accidents out there, anyone care to talk about? We can all learn from any wisdom imparted from either errors, or just circumstances allowing them to happen....
