BIG Whoops not even at Truckhaven

I was so pissed that I missed truckhaven because of the Arizona Boat show that I guess I still got to get some carnage. The story, moved about 33 boats back to the shop, on the very last one a 38 foot yacht, weighing about 18,000 lbs on trailer, all was going smooth. This is(was) a brand new adjustable bunk trailer for our yard with big boats. Well, the usual route had a ton of construction so I took an alternate route (at 12:30 a.m.) and my guide truck told me that I "just barely" cleared at 16' bridge. When I came around a bend I saw 14' 6" so I started to stand on the brakes. While going under the hard-top cleared but all of the gps, lights and horn broke off, then the boat started to slide forward throught my back window and all of the tongue weight snapped my hitch. This is the same hitch I pull my 34 footer with on the freeway all the time and this was only going about 30 top speed.

It probably looks a lot worse than it was, we picked it up and towed it the rest of the way with a pickup going really slow, it probably had 10,000 lbs of tongue weight with the boat that far forward. Luckily I had a fork lift on the trailer behind me. We needed to have 7 guys standing on the back of the fork lift to pick up the tongue and the rear wheels of the forklift where airborne. OSHA would have probably arrested us!

Got pics though!

 

[410Fortune]

Holy crap I'll stick with my 19'
Looks like it could have been ALOT worse!!

I wonder how hard Excursion rear doors and glass are to find in the junk yard? hahahaha

 

[Hartman]

Holy ****!@

 

['97 V8]

That could have been A LOOOOOT worse. good to see your ok and all. I take it insurance will cover the damages.

 

[Dannyboy]

actually the company or company's insurance will take care of it.

 

[Albino 94LTD]

Um,,,,I got to say it,,,,,,where were the transom straps??

That could've been REALLY expensive.

 

[94explorer2x4]

Holy ****
Its an alumastinger duh
I guess if the hitch did not snap the rear suspension would have ben toast probably bent axle or something

Nate

 

[nissanboy]

Not to add insult to injury but with a trailer and boat that big get a real hitch... I would suggest a hitch with some sort of load equalizing ability and a anti sway bar wouldnt be a bad idea either.

 

[FROADER]

I was so pissed that I missed truckhaven because of the Arizona Boat show that I guess I still got to get some carnage.

Should have shined the show and came to Truck Haven. You would have gotten body damage since everyone else did but it would have been the Explorer and not the Excurision!

That sucks but you're stoked the company will take care of it.

Truck Haven in a month. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152240

 

[Dannyboy]

That hitch is not weak, it's a solid aluminum hitch with a higher rating that any steel reciever hitch by 2000 lbs. I'm not a rookie, just had my number with the amount of towing that I do. I've been lucky before, but I put on 20,000 miles a year, 10,000 of them are with a trailer. This situation looks so much worse than it was but this trailer was the most to blame if anything. The front channels of the trailer are completey warped and trashed. A total loss. I could have strapped this down, but that still wouldn't have stopped this. I am not a fan of this trailer design as it has so much less contact area with the boat hull than any average trailer since it is adjustable for several boats in a yard. As for no rear straps, that wouldn't have mattered, I assume they would have broken and this style of boat isn't designed to have any rear lifting hooks on the hull, nor does it have a front eyelet. My 34 footer will not budge on it's trailer, even with wet bunks if I need it to move forward a half inch.

Any hitch would break with that much tongue weight. It was so much down force on the front of that trailer that a forklift was lifting the back tires in the air and the other truck towing it back at 3-4 mph for 2 miles was squatting so bad with an adjustable hitch at it's highest point.

 

[gijoecam]

I'm curious: What's the gross weight on the boat? What was the drawbar rated for weight-wise?

First, why in God's green Earth wouldnyou have utilized the tie=down points on the transom?? Sure, it may not have stopped the hitch from breaking, but it DEFINATELY could have stopped the boat from sliding forward which CAUSED the hitch to break. The straps I used to use for my boat were rated for 10,000 lbs of breaking strength. As long as they're tight to start with, the boat's not going to slide. In the trucking and hauling industry, that'll get you a ticket for failure to secure the load.

Why are there transom tie-down loops on the hull if they're not meant to be used? Is someone going to pull a skier with a 38-footer??

Glad everyone's OK though..... It could have been a LOT worse!!

Did the safety chains hold?

-Joe

 

[justin146]

Is someone going to pull a skier with a 38-footer?

I have wakeboarded behind a 42-footer

 

[OZexplore]

towing 18,000 lbs behind sometihing that is rated to tow about 5000 is a disaster waiting to happen (and it did) at least no-one was hurt and if i was your insurance co i would not be paying

 

[gijoecam]

I'm quite sure that the truck itself is rated to tow at least 11,000 lbs, but I'm also sure that the rating is with a weight-distributing hitch, and a GCWR of no more than 20,000 lbs. So, yeah, needless to say, it was overweight to begin with. It should have been an F650 at the very least..... I'm thinking that the right tool for the job involves a Peterbuilt and a drop-deck boat hauler.


-Joe

 

[justin146]

I have an F150, which is rated to tow 9000lbs; but everyone else in my company has '06 F250s, which we were told can tow 18,000lbs with a double axled trailer-as long as both axles have brakes.

 

[hostile413]

not familiar with boat trailers, but did it have trailer brakes?..i pulled trailers with my explorer and the trailer brakes make alot of diffrence...i just didnt know if marine trailers had them?

 

[Dre]

holy crap! Danny - at least you're OK... why would you even consider towing a beast like that with a whimpy Excursion???

was that your new ride or a company truck??? perhaps even bosses wife's DD???

good luck with the insurance claim... you were not fired for this???

 

[baja_explorer117]

lmao i hear ya man i got dragged into the lake in the company excursion by a boat about that size took 4 chevys to put us out