RedAllison
Well-Known Member
:shock: :gasp :cuss
Guys I just got in this afternoon from a 500 mile, 75-80mph entirely interstate run from Lake Fork, TX too my home in Jackson, TN. First thing I did when I got back into town is drop my boat off at the storage bay. My storage bay is 12x30 and since I have a 4 wheeler behind the boat I don't back the boat all the way in and I swing the tongue of my trailer around to close the garage door.
So today when I pulled the pin to swing the trailer the tongue fell down about an inch and off-center!
I looked around on the otherside only to realize the damned bolt holding the tongue together on the starboard side was BROKEN OFF right above the nut. I don't know when it broke and it didn't round anything off so I can only assume it broke closer too home than 500 miles away or sometime while in TX all this past week.
So if you have a swing away tongue CHECK THE SOBs every time you are about to pull it on the road. Honestly this is the first time I've had a "swing away tongue" and I've always thought in the back of my mind that that simple bolt and pin just didn't seem substantial enough too me. I think I'm going to call Boatmate Monday to let them know about what happend, but I think I REALLY going to replace the damned bolt AND the removable pin with grade 8 hardware and make it PERMANENT!!!
I SHUTTER to think what could've happened today. Not only would I have lost my beloved red barge but more importantly Andy and Neal were riding the majority of that trip directly behind us. If that tongue would've let go those links are BEHIND the safety cables, the boat and trailer would've simply come completely seperated of the truck...
Pic 1: Notice NO bolt or nut hanging below the tongue joint!!!
Pic 2: All that was holding the right side of the tongue on, the bolt broke about 1.5-2 threads below the non-thread section. I've NEVER tightened or even checked this damned bolt so I know it wasn't over torqued or "stretched". In talking with Boatmate Monday I'll see what they recommend but I'm thinking one grade 8 bolt on each side with a couple of flat washers (that fit into the recess of the joint) and then properly torque it all down, probably even buy extra length bolts so I can put a nylock bolt under a regular bolt for extra assurance.
Guys I just got in this afternoon from a 500 mile, 75-80mph entirely interstate run from Lake Fork, TX too my home in Jackson, TN. First thing I did when I got back into town is drop my boat off at the storage bay. My storage bay is 12x30 and since I have a 4 wheeler behind the boat I don't back the boat all the way in and I swing the tongue of my trailer around to close the garage door.
So today when I pulled the pin to swing the trailer the tongue fell down about an inch and off-center!
I looked around on the otherside only to realize the damned bolt holding the tongue together on the starboard side was BROKEN OFF right above the nut. I don't know when it broke and it didn't round anything off so I can only assume it broke closer too home than 500 miles away or sometime while in TX all this past week.
So if you have a swing away tongue CHECK THE SOBs every time you are about to pull it on the road. Honestly this is the first time I've had a "swing away tongue" and I've always thought in the back of my mind that that simple bolt and pin just didn't seem substantial enough too me. I think I'm going to call Boatmate Monday to let them know about what happend, but I think I REALLY going to replace the damned bolt AND the removable pin with grade 8 hardware and make it PERMANENT!!!
I SHUTTER to think what could've happened today. Not only would I have lost my beloved red barge but more importantly Andy and Neal were riding the majority of that trip directly behind us. If that tongue would've let go those links are BEHIND the safety cables, the boat and trailer would've simply come completely seperated of the truck...
Pic 1: Notice NO bolt or nut hanging below the tongue joint!!!
Pic 2: All that was holding the right side of the tongue on, the bolt broke about 1.5-2 threads below the non-thread section. I've NEVER tightened or even checked this damned bolt so I know it wasn't over torqued or "stretched". In talking with Boatmate Monday I'll see what they recommend but I'm thinking one grade 8 bolt on each side with a couple of flat washers (that fit into the recess of the joint) and then properly torque it all down, probably even buy extra length bolts so I can put a nylock bolt under a regular bolt for extra assurance.
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