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pulling jon boat in campground

bbaker2001
Explorer
Explorer
Camped at Oregon state park and I carry my jon boat on top of truck. Put two wheels on back to pull it to ramp and back. I just tie the front handle to receiver and went 6 mph. got stopped by ranger and was told it had to be connected via a ball. No real easy way to put one on the jon boat. Any suggestions.
I did see 3 people pulling there plastic dump units tied to hitch, maybe they need a ball also

was told the campground road is a public road and has same regs as a regular road
BB from California
2015 Ram 3500
2001 Cardinal
best friend is my wife 🙂
37 REPLIES 37

BarneyS
Explorer III
Explorer III
Please keep the discussion civil or the thread will be closed.
Barney
2004 Sunnybrook Titan 30FKS TT
Hensley "Arrow" 1400# hitch (Sold)
Not towing now.
Former tow vehicles were 2016 Ram 2500 CTD, 2002 Ford F250, 7.3 PSD, 1997 Ram 2500 5.9 gas engine

Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Explorer III
bbaker2001 wrote:
amazing you say a flagrant disregard for the rules. which means I must have continued to violate the rule. I did not, and will correct it by next year. my whole question was why is it wrong for me and not for those who pull a waste tote. simple question, difficult to get an answer


Simple question.....

One that should have been part of discussion with Park Ranger.

Discussion....not demanding/finger pointing

"Sir I understand your concern and why you stopped me. Could you explain difference between me towing my jon boat and someone towing a waste tote"?

Having that discussion with Park Ranger would have garnered more info then posting/questioning here.
Is it time for your medication or mine?


2007 DODGE 3500 QC SRW 5.9L CTD In-Bed 'quiet gen'
2007 HitchHiker II 32.5 UKTG 2000W Xantex Inverter
US NAVY------USS Decatur DDG31

RockyMt
Explorer II
Explorer II
So many of today's park rangers are just full of themselves that they can't think straight.

bbaker2001
Explorer
Explorer
Nope
my boat is not a road worthy vehicle
just an oversized wagon
maybe I could load firewood in it and drive around camp
wonder if I would get stopped
BB from California
2015 Ram 3500
2001 Cardinal
best friend is my wife 🙂

fj12ryder
Explorer III
Explorer III
westernrvparkowner wrote:
bbaker2001 wrote:
yes I WILL have a hitch next year, it is just stupid to say it is unsafe at 5mph. how far could it possibly travel if the strap fails, it is only 4 inches from ground, so the front hits the ground an stops.
BTW I did use a chain to connect, he said no to that also. .
BUT no one has answered why we can pull a waste Tote with a rope and no issues
yes some connect to back but I have only seen the rope used. and surly they do not have a metal hitch. I only see a double standard.

don't get upset, just asking
You've convinced me. The only person who should get to decide if something is safe is the person doing it. But why stop at 5 MPH. Surely it would be just as safe at 6 MPH. Then 10 MPH is less than a 50 percent increase. You could then argue that at highway speeds the momentum of the trailer would cause it to travel forward, not sideways should it disconnect and your tow vehicle would be plowing a clear path, so no danger there either.
Letting us all decide what is safe would surely be a money saver for the government as well. No more highway patrol officers enforcing things like speeding, seat belt laws, unsafe equipment, DWI etc. The weight police would be put out of business. Your state would no longer need to safety inspect your vehicle.
All those stupid laws that require consumer goods to be safety tested would be off the books. We will just rely on the good judgement of the line worker in China to decide if putting carcinogens in products is a good idea.
When you get right down to it, all laws are stupid. People will always do the right thing and never endanger others out of either ignorance or selfishness. Your fellow man has a perfect track record of always making the right decision. That ranger should be fired, he should have known YOU always put safety first.
Wow, even more hyperbole. If we're going that route, maybe we should castigate our forefathers because they took it upon themselves to ignore, and even willfully ignore, the king's laws. What next? Revolution?
Howard and Peggy

"Don't Panic"

peaeye1
Explorer
Explorer
Your oversimplified response to the op still does not answer his question, why a jury rigged jon boat that has wheels that are not meant for highway use, and not a waste tote. It's a simple question, do not bring china into the equation.:h I cannot imagine what was going thru the rangers mind, but common sense was not one of them.
2016 Ford F350 Superduty Dually Diesel, long bed.
40 ft Winnebago Destination.

westernrvparkow
Explorer
Explorer
bbaker2001 wrote:
yes I WILL have a hitch next year, it is just stupid to say it is unsafe at 5mph. how far could it possibly travel if the strap fails, it is only 4 inches from ground, so the front hits the ground an stops.
BTW I did use a chain to connect, he said no to that also. .
BUT no one has answered why we can pull a waste Tote with a rope and no issues
yes some connect to back but I have only seen the rope used. and surly they do not have a metal hitch. I only see a double standard.

don't get upset, just asking
You've convinced me. The only person who should get to decide if something is safe is the person doing it. But why stop at 5 MPH. Surely it would be just as safe at 6 MPH. Then 10 MPH is less than a 50 percent increase. You could then argue that at highway speeds the momentum of the trailer would cause it to travel forward, not sideways should it disconnect and your tow vehicle would be plowing a clear path, so no danger there either.
Letting us all decide what is safe would surely be a money saver for the government as well. No more highway patrol officers enforcing things like speeding, seat belt laws, unsafe equipment, DWI etc. The weight police would be put out of business. Your state would no longer need to safety inspect your vehicle.
All those stupid laws that require consumer goods to be safety tested would be off the books. We will just rely on the good judgement of the line worker in China to decide if putting carcinogens in products is a good idea.
When you get right down to it, all laws are stupid. People will always do the right thing and never endanger others out of either ignorance or selfishness. Your fellow man has a perfect track record of always making the right decision. That ranger should be fired, he should have known YOU always put safety first.

Bumpyroad
Explorer
Explorer
bbaker2001 wrote:
amazing you say a flagrant disregard for the rules. which means I must have continued to violate the rule. I did not, and will correct it by next year. my whole question was why is it wrong for me and not for those who pull a waste tote. simple question, difficult to get an answer


well pulling a waste tote seems to me to be similar to pulling a child's wagon full of firewood, blue tote, etc. and not a road worthy vehicle.
bumpy

bbaker2001
Explorer
Explorer
amazing you say a flagrant disregard for the rules. which means I must have continued to violate the rule. I did not, and will correct it by next year. my whole question was why is it wrong for me and not for those who pull a waste tote. simple question, difficult to get an answer
BB from California
2015 Ram 3500
2001 Cardinal
best friend is my wife 🙂

fj12ryder
Explorer III
Explorer III
There's no rhyme or reason to this type of thing. You were not following "The Rules" and were singled out for an attitude readjustment. If you allow this flagrant disregard of "The Rules" who knows what kind of anarchy will ensue.
Howard and Peggy

"Don't Panic"

bbaker2001
Explorer
Explorer
yes I WILL have a hitch next year, it is just stupid to say it is unsafe at 5mph. how far could it possibly travel if the strap fails, it is only 4 inches from ground, so the front hits the ground an stops.
BTW I did use a chain to connect, he said no to that also. .
BUT no one has answered why we can pull a waste Tote with a rope and no issues
yes some connect to back but I have only seen the rope used. and surly they do not have a metal hitch. I only see a double standard.

don't get upset, just asking
BB from California
2015 Ram 3500
2001 Cardinal
best friend is my wife 🙂

fj12ryder
Explorer III
Explorer III
peaeye1 wrote:
westernrvparkowner wrote:
I could see where such a cobbled together setup would be a hazard to others. What if you had to brake suddenly for kids running in front of you? The boat could easily become a runaway threat. You may think you are being totally safe, but laws don't differentiate between safe and unsafe operators. This is really no different than laws against hand held cell phones while driving. Most people can probably manage just fine, but the one that cannot is a threat to others.


and .....and ....and the sky could fall :R!!!!
Or you could be caught running with scissors!!!
Howard and Peggy

"Don't Panic"

Bumpyroad
Explorer
Explorer
Look out Henny Penny.
bumpy

peaeye1
Explorer
Explorer
westernrvparkowner wrote:
I could see where such a cobbled together setup would be a hazard to others. What if you had to brake suddenly for kids running in front of you? The boat could easily become a runaway threat. You may think you are being totally safe, but laws don't differentiate between safe and unsafe operators. This is really no different than laws against hand held cell phones while driving. Most people can probably manage just fine, but the one that cannot is a threat to others.


and .....and ....and the sky could fall :R!!!!
2016 Ford F350 Superduty Dually Diesel, long bed.
40 ft Winnebago Destination.