Boat trailer comes loose - tragic.

Nothing like making a bunch of presumptions/accusations based on a single picture and 15-second article, which really only contained 2 relevant sentences.

No safety chains? Just because you don't see them now doesn't mean they weren't on there and broke.

And considering that the article said the driver had a "black toyota truck", I'm guessing that is his truck in the picture.

carringb wrote:

...Hitch balls are strongest when they are in compression from having tongue weight on them. That's why all heavy-duty tow bars don't use hitch-balls.

Huh:h Can't imagine any universe in which that makes sense. Or how its even relevant to this accident.

All sarcasm aside, its a sad situation. Though I can't imagine the driver receiving anything more than a citation. Criminal negligence will be near impossible to prove.

And some people think it's okay to pull a toad without a braking and breakaway system.

I would be surprised if that truck was the actual truck that was towing the boat. I can't imagine that after a fatal accident the police would let the boat owner hook the rig back up and drive on. I would bet the hitch shown is on a police vehicle or a tow shop vehicle. You can also see that the winch has broken loose and there is a drag mark where the front of the trailer looks to have been pulled. Seeing that there are also some good looking hydraulic jacks and blocks, I suspect we are seeing a tow company vehicle, not the boat owners.

Very sad for the young woman and her family.

Iraqvet05 wrote:
I've never seen a hitch like that. It looks like a cross between a standard ball hitch and a pintle...what would you use it for and what is the purpose of the top jaw?

It is exactly that, a combination ball and pintle hitch, used to tow either ball or pintle hitch trailers. The jaw is latched open when towing a ball trailer and closed when towing a pintle. It's hard to tell from the pics, but more combo pintle hitches I've seen have a 2 5/16" ball and most boat trailers that size have a 2" coupler. In the photo of the with the investigators, it appears that the coupler is just sitting on top of the ball rather than being fully seated on it. Maybe the driver tried to tow a 2" coupler trailer with a 2 5/16" ball.

Iraqvet05 wrote:

I've never seen a hitch like that. It looks like a cross between a standard ball hitch and a pintle...what would you use it for and what is the purpose of the top jaw?

That's exactly what it is. Its a combo hitch to allow you to pull a trailer with a pintle-ring, without changing your ball mount. I'm not a fan of those. Hitch balls are strongest when they are in compression from having tongue weight on them. That's why all heavy-duty tow bars don't use hitch-balls.


On another note... SAFETY CHAINS!

There was a double-fatal wreck town summers ago on the Oregon coast, where a small flat-bed trailer with quads came off, and went into the windshield of the oncoming minivan.

I've had a tailer come off. The chains worked!

It is sad that 1 person died and another person injured because of someones negligence. Towing is a serious business, the driver involved in this accident is going to be sued and spend some time in prison for his/her negligence.

Me Again wrote:
Why does the receiver hitch look like a rusty version of this?

Good eye! I don't see safety chains either!

Maybe you can post what the front of the trailer should have looked like to work with the pic you showed.

I should have said show what else works with that setup.

Also the winch is just hanging there. Looks like the post it should attach to is missing?

Oasisbob wrote:
Some time ago there was a post about someone who sawa campground neighbor with an unsxafe trailer hook up. Many said best response was to "mind your own busness". This story is a prime example of why unsafe towing is everyone's busness.

You have the absolute right to say anything you want to me. I have the absolute right to ignore you and tell you mind your own business. That's where "everyone's business" ends.

Me Again wrote:
Why does the receiver hitch look like a rusty version of this?

I've never seen a hitch like that. It looks like a cross between a standard ball hitch and a pintle...what would you use it for and what is the purpose of the top jaw?