Three things to preserve your trip from a trailer accident

[Piscivorous Pike]

I travel 1500 miles one - way to my favorite fishing grounds and see many broken down rigs on the side of the road.

This is mine. Happened at 3:30 pm hours on Saturday and by 8:30 I had a new coupler and was on the lake shore, 35 miles from this photo!

I. Always buy tires that are for high speed trailing, most off the shelf at the discont store are not tolerant of highway heat and speeds. This tire although highway grade developed a seperated tread that contributed to the roll over.

2. Over the top of the boat, fitting onto the gunnels is a three piece hard wooden top that has two cable loops at each end secured to the seats and in the middle cover too and through these I run a pipe, each pipe has a cabe out one end and a large fitting on the other that does not allow it to pass through the loops. I lock the pipes together and that secures the top. No theft and it keeps everything inside the boat.

3. A three point tie down system of tensioning straps, bow and two on the transom are adequate to hold the trailer an boat together as a unit. Every see one fall off at the ramp when jerked out way too fast? Or bounce off over rough road?

4. I said three but this is an extra; Keep a RV tow service like AAA, I have 100 miles of RV towing with my annual membership

Unfortunately this is the second time this has happened, the first I did a U-turn and the right wheel found a chuck hole at the steep edge of the road, I wrote it off because of these features.

This time the the true nature surfaced. Two batteries, 25 hp Merc, Minkota, 7 gallons of gas equals about #330 pounds behind the axel that is only as wide as the boat.

I stopped and started a left turn, the centrifugal force started the roll, the failed tire flexed and over she went.

My 12 good rods, not cheap things, and 7 tackle bags stayed in the boat. I took about 3 gallons of gravel up under the cover. The boat stayed on the trailer. The coupler bent as designed to do.

I met three nice policemen and a tow truck took my rig on a flatbed to a Wal-mart. Three bolts put the new $18 coupler on ($8 from Harbor Freight), I changed the tire, signed the AAA invoice. I may carry an extra couple from now on too, item # 5?

The skip was ridden on the bearing buddy cap, guide on and ratchet buckle of the tie down. The gunnel had scars and wears bondo and silver paint, you can't tell. Very minimal damage.

I caught bass. Being a Pike fisherman, Bass are just something to kill time till the next Esox trip.

I spend the money to insure my time to fish is not wasted. Money is replaceable, time on the water or my favorite, teaching kids and old kids who never fished this addiction.

[T4ckee]

Thanks for sharing this tip. May I know what trailer hitch you're using? I'm eyeing for blue ox towing system but I'm also open to other recommendations.

[kylesmoney]

You know this thread is almost 10 years old right?