Boat trailer comes loose - tragic.

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

majorgator wrote:

BenK wrote:


IMHO, most states has too high a min threshold...it should under
1,000 lbs...maybe 500 lbs

Boy that's really excessive.

Agreed. Weight is weight. So I can't haul 1000 lbs of weight in my truck bed? Ben, that would outlaw almost every truck camper made.

I would believe your truck has brakes. That is the weight he believes that trailers should have brakes if they weigh over that.

The 500 and even 1000 pound weight comment in regards to trailer brakes is just silly. And the state law weights in his post are wrong - actual laws are much higher in most states.

As T&P states, if the law was 500 pounds, that would mean I couldn't haul my ATV in the bed of my DRW.

BenK wrote:
Guys..."...State Brakes Required ( when "towed" Vehicle meets or exceeds)...."

Means TRAILER, not on or in the TV...

I take that line/limit to be GVWR of the trailer...

Have no problem with a 10K GVWR towing a small 1.5K lb utility, but the 7K GVWR
towing a 1.5K lb trailer should have trailer brakes and is where IMHO...even on
a 1K trailer

and yes, admit to being very conservative when it comes to this kind of stuff...even
more so with my advice to newbies

You old salty dogs already survived the Darwinian testing a long time ago... ;)

Yes I know we are talking about trailers Ben..............but..........as I said, weight is weight. The TV does not care if that 1000lbs is in the bed of the truck or pushing on the hitch. The truck brakes still have to do the job.

What does an average TC weigh Ben? 2K? 3K? 4K? The truck brakes have to stop that weight!! That means we would have to outlaw TC's. I'm not going there murphy or not!!

Guys..."...State Brakes Required ( when "towed" Vehicle meets or exceeds)...."

Means TRAILER, not on or in the TV...

I take that line/limit to be GVWR of the trailer...

Have no problem with a 10K GVWR towing a small 1.5K lb utility, but the 7K GVWR
towing a 1.5K lb trailer should have trailer brakes and is where IMHO...even on
a 1K trailer

and yes, admit to being very conservative when it comes to this kind of stuff...even
more so with my advice to newbies

You old salty dogs already survived the Darwinian testing a long time ago... ;)

That list is missing one thing!
Is the weight limit shown UNLADEN weight or GROSS weight?
Usually, a 1500 lb. limit will be unladen weight, and a 3000 lb. limit will be gross weight.
Usually. But, you can't rely on that. So, it is an rather important bit of information!

majorgator wrote:

BenK wrote:


IMHO, most states has too high a min threshold...it should under
1,000 lbs...maybe 500 lbs

Boy that's really excessive.

Agreed. Weight is weight. So I can't haul 1000 lbs of weight in my truck bed? Ben, that would outlaw almost every truck camper made.

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:

wing_zealot wrote:

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.

Would expect nothing less from you. Then a phone call to the police to let them know what is heading down their roads. A quick honk and wave as I drive by.

I agree with OasisBob. OTOH, it's human nature to be defensive when approached by a stranger who is telling you that you are not doing something correctly be it following a rule or how your rig is hooked up.

The approach is important. The best way to make an enemy is to start out by saying something stupid like, "you rig isn't hooked up right!". "That truck isn't enough to pull your trailer", "you need to pick up your dog poop". Those approaches never work. You need to be kind, as if it were you on the other side.

When it comes to safety, it doesn't matter what country you live in, your lack of knowledge or ineptness becomes my business. My kids, my family, my neighbors or my community are at risk.

BenK wrote:

Idaho 1500

I'll be damned. I've carried a lot of yards of gravel in a utility trailer with no brakes over the years. Never more than a couple of miles, though. Still that trailer with the gravel in it had to run close to 3,000 lbs.

BenK wrote:


IMHO, most states has too high a min threshold...it should under
1,000 lbs...maybe 500 lbs

Boy that's really excessive.

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:
Also no matter the cause the driver is going to be issued a citation. Unsecured load at minimum and most likely a vehicular manslaughter charge.

Citation? Probably.
Manslaughter charge? Perhaps not likely.
They would have to be able to show evidence they can prove there was willful negligence on the part of the driver. Equipment failure can come in many shapes and forms.

Let's say your (that's YOU) trailer ball had an internal stress fracture due to some defect in the manufacturing. While traveling the speed limit, the ball breaks causing your trailer to become disconnected. The 5/16" safety chains (installed by the trailer manufacturer) break off due to the strange combination of forces acting against them. Your trailer veers off the road and kills a pedestrian. You've done NOTHING to cause this. Would you welcome a manslaughter charge??

Not trying to downplay the tragedy...its really sad and I hated to read it. But we can't always assume somebody did something wrong to cause this. Sometimes its just an accident...