Came Off The Ball

[ravaneli]

sorry to bring back this from the dead. Bought my first boat and yesterday was my first ever put in. When I backed up do drop the boat off a bad ramp, this happened to me. I drove a long way to get to the ramp and went through bumpy road, so i really can't believe i didn't lock it and drove all the way with the coupler just sitting on top of the ball. Yes, the ramp was bad, but I too thought this can never happen without some serious accident, and I expect to find the damn coupler physically destroyed if it popped. Instead, upon my amateurish inspection, everything looks fine. Needless to say I am so nervous now I am afraid to take the boat out without doing something about it. I don't even care about the money, i want some precaution that this can never happen again. What if I hit a pothole while I drive? This can be a serious serious accident.

Any advice? What can I buy? A better coupler? Any other device?

And what insurance do I need to cover boat transportation accidents? This is not covered by my auto insurance, is it?

 

[GA_Boater]

To echo JASinIL2006. please do not hijack old threads, start a new one. Took care of this one and started your own thread for you.

Are you sure you latched the coupler? Hope you use safety chains properly.

A hint - after dropping the coupler on the ball and latching, use the tongue jack to raise the tongue a few inches. That insures the ball and coupler are actually hooked.

Call your insurance agent, only they can answer an insurance policy coverage question.

 

[oldjeep]

2" coupler on a 1 7/8" ball? 2 5/16" coupler on a 2" ball? What kind of boat and trailer are we talking about here?

 

[UncleWillie]

Make sure the ball and coupler are matching sizes. There are 3 common sizes.
Look at the numbers stamped on them, they all look alike.

The 10% tongue weight will keep it on the ball unless you give it a reason to lift.

Backing up, Down Hill, and Braking at the same time might do it!
As suggested, use the trailer jack to lift the rear of the truck. It should not come off!

Many years ago I towed a 6000# Generator for work, 50 miles, before the 2-5/16" coupler jumped off the 2" ball, crossing RailRoad Tracks.
Luckily, it happened at <5mph, and not on the interstate I had just been on, but the scariest feeling I could remember for years!

 

[ravaneli]

In another forum recently i was attacked by admin for creating a new thread for a topic that was done many times before. Use search button - they said. I hate searching, but this time I went out of my way to do a diligent search before making my own thread. Well what do you know, i get hit again : ). Sorry about that, i guess there is really no shortcut to reading the rules.

Back to my boat, it is a stock 2015 Tracker Pro Guide WT. First trip to the river. I had the wires but not crossed. Lesson learned there. The coupler has a pin, and the pin was inside too.

I will have to look at tightening that nut when i get back but I want to buy some extra security just to feel better. This experience left me shaking. Glad there was no damage to my brand new 20 000 boat. The trailer kinda fell on the trailer jack, and the jack looks a little bruised, but appears to be working properly now. It looks cheap, so I want to replace it with a better one anyway.

Those couplers are like 15-20 bucks. I wish i could spend 30 and get a stronger one, but they are all same price and same 3500 lb spec. Can you recommend me one that is stronger or has better measures against this?

Guys I know I am coming off a little stupid here, trying to buy something new instead of finding why this happened, but I am only 34, with no experience with any of this, and I am really shaken, and it will just soothe my nervous system if I know I did something to make it better.

 

[Stingray185GXi]

I am also wondering if you are using too small of a ball for the coupler (2" vs 1.25"). Otherwise I find it really hard to believe that the coupler came off the ball with the coupler closed and the pin inside. If the coupler in fact open up with the pin inside and this is how it came off than it seems there is a problem with your coupler.

 

[gm280]

I can understand you having this happen. Even if both the coupler and trailer ball are of the same size. Trailer couplers need to be adjusted for your trailer ball. If it is too loose it may close but not secured. If you look under neither the coupler, you will see an adjusting nut surrounded by a locking plate. I suggest you open up the coupler while sitting on the trailer ball and adjust that nut until it fits really securely when you actually close/lock it on the trailer ball. It may take a few times, but you will understand how it adjusts pretty quickly as you adjust it. Then when you lock it on the trailer ball, there is no way for it to come off... JMHO!

 

[GA_Boater]

In another forum recently i was attacked by admin for creating a new thread for a topic that was done many times before. Use search button - they said. I hate searching, but this time I went out of my way to do a diligent search before making my own thread. Well what do you know, i get hit again : ). Sorry about that, i guess there is really no shortcut to reading the rules.

Some forums think newbies shouldn't ask questions and should use the search to find all the answers. If only life and forums worked that way! You can find a lot of answers using search, but it never hurts to ask, Some members, even here, seem to think search reveals all - It just doesn't happen. We prefer new topics over hijacking. We feel each topic belongs to the one who starts the thread. When 2 or more are posting in the same thread about their related or unrelated problem, no one can keep it straight.

Since this is brand new, I would take it back to the dealer for them to check out. New things do go bad and warranties cover such things. Make sure the ball and coupler are the same size first.

 

[smokeonthewater]

You don't need anything better you just need to figure out what went wrong..... Either you did something wrong (no offense but since you are new this is fairly likely) or something was defective.

 

[ravaneli]

You don't need anything better you just need to figure out what went wrong..... Either you did something wrong (no offense but since you are new this is fairly likely) or something was defective.

None taken. I did something else, so stupid that I won't even write it here. And this is a guy who took out and replaced clutch and transmission on a 97 maxima himself.
I WILL put my best effort in finding out. Already have a few things to check when I get home. But I also want to make sure that if I can get something more secure I do it, just to make me feel less nervous.

Not to hijack my own thread, but my receiver slightly wobbles inside the hitch tube. Only like a milimeter or so. A friend told me his wobbles a little too, but this did not comfort me. Is that safe? Again, everything looks solid on visual inspection. Im thinking of wrapping aluminum foil or some other metal sheet around the receiver to stop the wobble, but its hard to find something so thin, and also it will probably disintegrate and fall from the pressure anyway. Any additional advice on that would be appreciated as well.

 

[GA_Boater]

Completely normal, otherwise with a little rust build up you wouldn't be able to put in or pull out the ball mount.

 

[Milemaker13]

Brand new? Gotta be a loose nut below the coupling. I'd say tighten that nut and give your dealer an ear full!

 

[Bondo]

I WILL put my best effort in finding out.

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... What sorta coupler ya got,..?? flip handle,..?? Screw-down,..??

What size ball,..?? Coupler,..??

If We knew what ya got, We can throw ya some pointers,.....

Some couplers are Easy to screw up, others are almost no-brainers,...
'n some of the what look like no-brainers are the Easiest to screw up,.....

 

[Silvertip]

Let me tell you a story that may ease your mind and teach you a lesson at the same time. My two daughters and their families along with my wife and I rent a lake place in northern Wisconsin for a week of family bonding. We meet up in the parking lot of a local shopping center. As we get ready to leave on this 3-1/2 hour road trip I purposely make a quick visual inspection of all the rigs as neither of the husbands know which end of a screwdriver to hold (yes - I know that's cruel). Daughter #1's hitch was not fully down on the ball so I tested him by asking if he was ready to go. Sure was the answer. I said I don't think so. He frowned, pursed his lips and made about three trips around the rig and finally said I give up what's wrong. I walked over to the hitch, picked up the tongue and dropped it on the ground. With this, my daughter went ballistic with him and she later told me he had bought a couple of new balls and even a new draw bar because he couldn't get the coupler down. What went wrong here. He had the right ball for the coupler but all that was needed was about 1/8 turn looser on the yoke adjuster nut. Back to your problem. Are you certain you had the coupler fully down on the ball? The coupler cannot come off if the yoke is adjusted properly. So now that you know, put the coupler on the ball making sure it all the down. Latch the coupler. Now try to pull if off, or use the tongue jack. It should actually lift the tow vehicle and not pop off.
Now open the latch but don't disconnect the trailer. Tighten the big yoke adjuster nut under the coupler until you cannot lift the coupler off the ball with the latch open. Now loosen the nut little by little until the coupler just comes off. Done. With that adjustment, it may require that you ensure the yoke is full down when you hitch the trailer, but when closed, it is impossible for the coupler to separate.

 

[H20Rat]

Before you go completely down the path that something failed, I wouldn't rule out that the ball was never engaged. I have a couple trailers that are very deceiving, I usually end up laying on the ground to visually verify that the tongue actually ended up below the ball, otherwise it can get trapped and not drop down. Without looking from the bottom, it will appear to be normal. (and don't EVER think about sticking your hand under and feeling if the tongue is stuck or not. If it is just resting on the edge and decides to drop into place, you might earn the nickname 'stumpy')

 

[smokeonthewater]

ALL receiver hitches have a little slop in them.. absolutely normal... they make devices that stop the rattle but they are ONLY to make things quieter... there is absolutely no safety issue there..


You my friend need someone experienced to help you out... this is actually pretty simple stuff but if you aren't experienced or highly mechanically inclined it can be terrifying until you get the hang of it...... I suggest that if you don't have a friend or relative with experience that you go back to your dealer and ask for some instruction... They SHOULD be able to have a tech (not just a salesman) help you out... heck even if you had to pay an hour labor (tho that would be crappy on their part) it would be worth it.

 

[ravaneli]

SO the ball is correct size - 2". Coupler.. don't know, whatever tracker uses. Has not only a locking pin, but a second lock, so it wont come out. This, together with the fact that it decoupled without any physical damage makes me thing that perhaps i indeed did not lock it in place. How I traveled all the way to the river on that bumpy black road is beyond me. Perhaps it was the tongue weight.

Now the NUT that is holding the mechanism. There is a metal washer, thick one, that is bent around it, so the nut cannot uncsrew. How can I tell if I need to tighten it more?

Thanks for your help and compassion, this looks like a good place. I like the fact that some of the advice is from personal 'experience' : ) . Makes me feel better.

The Tracker dealer's technician who 'introduced' me to the boat for an hour was a 90 yr old man. This may have been his last introduction for what I know. He showed me the storage and how to start the engine. Then I left the manuals at the store and they are supplosed to fedex them to me. My dad never had a boat, neither did any of my friends, and this was my first time ever on a fishing boat. Put in was easy, and driving was nice, except that I got stuck in the mud a couple of times. Lesson learned there - DeepV wont go in less than 2 feet of water : ). Anyway boat appears to not have a scratch, and neither does the trailer, so i hope i learned my lesson on time. If you have any other advice for noobs - don't be afraid to shoot. Like I said, no offense will be taken : )

 

[GA_Boater]

Next time you go to the ramp, talk with some of the other boaters. It won't take long to weed out the talkers and the helpers. I try lend a hand when it's accepted or asked for. There isn't much to to when waiting to launch.

Another thing is work on a routine. I do the same thing when I hook up, when I launch, when I retrieve and when I park at the end of the day. I get into trouble when I get out of sequence.

 

[smokeonthewater]

before going out again I STRONGLY suggest looking into a safe boating class..... might save your life (not to freak you out) and they will likely be able to help you with the hitch


the coupler on the trailer will specify what size ball it takes....

to test the coupler to ball fit remove the ball from the vehicle and latch it into the trailer... it should just slide in unlatched and should be loose but unable to be removed with very little movement of the coupler... once the coupler is fully latched there should be very little if any slop but you should still be able to rock the ball in the coupler IE not so tight it can't easily adjust to turns, hills etc.... We don't want it banging around or coming off but we also don't want it galling, squeaking, and binding while towing....



Doing this will also let you see and feel just how it works without any danger (well as long as you stop pushing if you pinch a finger) of injuries.... Get down and look at it from all angles as you latch and unlatch it.....

 

[MTboatguy]

sorry to bring back this from the dead. Bought my first boat and yesterday was my first ever put in. When I backed up do drop the boat off a bad ramp, this happened to me. I drove a long way to get to the ramp and went through bumpy road, so i really can't believe i didn't lock it and drove all the way with the coupler just sitting on top of the ball. Yes, the ramp was bad, but I too thought this can never happen without some serious accident, and I expect to find the damn coupler physically destroyed if it popped. Instead, upon my amateurish inspection, everything looks fine. Needless to say I am so nervous now I am afraid to take the boat out without doing something about it. I don't even care about the money, i want some precaution that this can never happen again. What if I hit a pothole while I drive? This can be a serious serious accident.

Any advice? What can I buy? A better coupler? Any other device?

And what insurance do I need to cover boat transportation accidents? This is not covered by my auto insurance, is it?

You just need to take some time becoming friends with your set up, look at it, learn it and understand how it goes together and how it comes apart, one of the biggest things I did when I was learning was put a note on my dash asking myself "Did you put the safety pin in"? I don't tow without putting a pin in the coupler to make sure it can't open.

There is no reason to be nervous, but there is reason to be prudent, get your routine down and you will be just fine, but it HAS to be your routine, figure out a step by step process you will remember. Then you will be fine.

Welcome to iboats, we can be a little gruff around here, but we have ALL been through those little quirks that seem so bad when they happen that makes you really embarrassed, but we all survived and so will you!