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Ever had boat/trailer come off while driving?

Posted on 6/20/25 at 5:32 pm
Posted by Mushroom1968
Member since Jun 2023
5082 posts
Posted on 6/20/25 at 5:32 pm
Saw it happen today, guy heading to Caddo lake. I pulled over to help and he was just in shock. Boat went off road, down embankments into trees. Boat is fine but trailer is trashed. Not an expensive looking boat. Well we think boat is fine. He was on phone with a buddy and already had 2 guys coming before I even spoke to him.

Happened to my dad about 30 years ago. He fished and pulled boat probably 2-3 times a week but wasn’t paying attention and didn’t make sure trailer was locked on all the way. It was an old Jon boat. Curious any stories on here about it.
Posted by Rob Perillo
Member since Feb 2017
492 posts
Posted on 6/20/25 at 5:43 pm to
No, but I had my 9.9 Johnson outboard pop off my old duck boat one morning after we swapped motors the night before. Never noticed until we got to the boat ramp. Back tracked and found it on the side of the road, had to duck tape the tiller handle back together but it fired right up!
Posted by KemoSabe65
70605
Member since Mar 2018
6185 posts
Posted on 6/20/25 at 5:45 pm to
Left Laffy pulling dad’s custom al boat back to Gallion La. Stopped for gas in Columbia and noticed I hadn’t locked the bulldog down. Glad there was some toung weight on that bumper.
Dropped a go devil off the toung one morning but the safety chains held. Glad it was early and dark, nobody saw my dumb mistake.
Posted by BeerThirty
Red Stick
Member since May 2017
984 posts
Posted on 6/20/25 at 5:46 pm to
Had a 16-18’ tractor trailer do it 25+ years ago while in my 92 Toyota 4x4. Thank hayzoos I had the chains on and it was an empty trailer. It was yanking the little yota side to side until I was able to get it stopped. It was scary as shite. I have triple checked my trailers ever since.
Posted by dstone12
Texan
Member since Jan 2007
38174 posts
Posted on 6/20/25 at 5:52 pm to
Only a canoe.


The lashings fell off our trailer and I heard what sounded like a boom.

I asked if we were near any pick arse kids that we’re playing 2 live crew and the driver said,

That was my canoe.

If flew forty feet into the woods and all it had was some grass in the cleat.
Posted by TideSaint
Hill Country
Member since Sep 2008
82522 posts
Posted on 6/20/25 at 5:53 pm to
I was working with a concrete cutting outfit over 20 years ago and we were hauling a hydraulic unit after a wall sawing job.

All of a sudden the trailer is beside the work truck and not behind it.

The tongue snapped in two. Chains held for a bit, but they broke before we could stop the truck. Tongue slammed down into the ground on the shoulder once they did.

The unit didn't take any damage somehow.
This post was edited on 6/20/25 at 5:57 pm
Posted by cgrand
HAMMOND
Member since Oct 2009
46072 posts
Posted on 6/20/25 at 6:03 pm to
not while driving but I have pulled out of the ramp without hooking up and dropped my boat slap down onto the concrete

thank god my outboard was tilted up
Posted by Saskwatch
Member since Feb 2016
17901 posts
Posted on 6/20/25 at 6:06 pm to
My Dad has a fun story of his boat passing him down a hway after it came off the hitch
Posted by slinger1
Louisiana
Member since Jun 2017
287 posts
Posted on 6/20/25 at 6:26 pm to
Been saved by safety chains twice, hit a serious hump in the road heading to Venice hung by chains till I got pulled off to the side of the road had already driven 60 miles
Posted by Loup
Ferriday
Member since Apr 2019
15519 posts
Posted on 6/20/25 at 7:00 pm to
My dad and I were on Evangeline Thruway in Laffy at about 4 am heading to Lake Verret. Trailer came off but the chains caught it. We pulled over and as we were hooking it back up two big ole black trannies walked up and asked if we needed help. We told them no thank you and one of them started twerking.
Posted by DownshiftAndFloorIt
Here
Member since Jan 2011
70776 posts
Posted on 6/20/25 at 7:52 pm to
Im amazed the chains actually worked for yall. I've always assumed they were just for show and would rip apart if ever needed.

I have been passed up by my own tire while it was on fire, but never by my own trailer. Have had all manner of violent trailer failure in my day though. We leave early, drive far, drive fast, and break lots of stuff. I dont understand why boat trailers aren't all galvanized steel and built like cow trailers with bunk boards.
Posted by turkish
Member since Aug 2016
2243 posts
Posted on 6/20/25 at 8:31 pm to
Not a boat but I dropped a utility trailer going up Hwy 61 one afternoon. Safety chains caught it, but a little damage was done.

This was about 2 weeks after I’d seen a guy lose one in about the same spot. I thought to myself, “that’ll never happen to me.” It did.
Posted by BrotherEsau
Member since Aug 2011
3584 posts
Posted on 6/20/25 at 11:21 pm to
Left my house once, I’m 2 minutes from the interstate. 1st stop sign, sounded strange. Second stop sign I was like “wtf”. Pulled over and found that trailer didn’t seat when I locked it down. The noise was the trailer sliding forward and hitting the truck. Thank god I heard it, paid attention and checked it.
Posted by Mid Iowa Tiger
Undisclosed Secure Location
Member since Feb 2008
23432 posts
Posted on 6/21/25 at 12:46 am to
quote:


No, but I had my 9.9 Johnson outboard pop off my old duck boat one morning after we swapped motors the night before. Never noticed until we got to the boat ramp. Back tracked and found it on the side of the road, had to duck tape the tiller handle back together but it fired right up!


I had an outboard come off the transom while I was running it. Thankfully my grandfather for whatever reason taught me to chain the outboard to the transom so I was able to recover it.
Posted by VernonPLSUfan
Leesville, La.
Member since Sep 2007
17493 posts
Posted on 6/21/25 at 7:46 am to
Had a 25hp Johnson come off the boat after hitting a stump. Thankfully it was only 4 foot deep. It dragged the fuel tank to the back and the gas line stayed connected. Told the guy with me, you heard of an outboard, an inboard, well here's an overboard. Seemed one of the clamps was stripped and wasn't tight on the transom.
Posted by Junky
Louisiana
Member since Oct 2005
9029 posts
Posted on 6/21/25 at 8:38 am to
I’ve had the utility trailer come off the hitch before as well. I always cross the safety chains. They worked as designed.
Posted by Bobandus
Member since Aug 2018
192 posts
Posted on 6/21/25 at 9:01 am to
Happened to my padnuh right before we were about to get on the interstate at Causeway. Trailer tongue rammed into the back of this 4 runner. No damage to boat and trailer, but a little body damage to vehicle. Ever since that happened, I jack up the trailer after I latch it on the hitch to make sure it's secured.
Posted by thegreatboudini
Member since Oct 2008
7063 posts
Posted on 6/21/25 at 9:55 am to
In 2017 while working in the oil field I was instructed to use my personal vehicle (a 2016 new body Tacoma) to tow a 16ft enclosed trailer to a frac location in Pecos. Total weight was about 6k, and man that Tacoma had a hard time with it.

I left my place about 1am to get to Pecos at crew change so we had some hands to help get the new equipment unloaded and busted equipment loaded.

About 5:30am, 40ish miles east of Fort Stockton on 10 I felt a gentle jolt. Tapped my cruise off (thankfully I was only set at 68 IIRC). Then I felt a big jolt. Glanced both mirrors, trailer lights on passenger side were gone, all lights on drivers side, tigers out the cage baby. At this point I'm probably 50mph and this bitch is coming around the side and the chains are pulling me around too. I grab my dog (wiener dog) and probably yelled a couple things as the wheel ripped out my hands and we're on our side. Then roof. Then passenger side. And it stops.

Dog got tossed out of my arms. Couldn't find him. Couldn't find phone. Kicked windshield out.

Walking up to highway there's not a car in sight. I see a light in the middle of 10 50yds up. Walk up, it's my phone, face up, ringing. Hands on location wondering when I'll be there.

Firefighter found my dog pinched in the back seat like a clamshell.

Neither of us had a scratch, miraculously.

Boss who made me to use my Tacoma (against policy) instead of the 2500 that they were driving around that I requested to use was relived the following day.

This post was edited on 6/21/25 at 9:59 am
Posted by Soul Gleaux
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2012
4200 posts
Posted on 6/21/25 at 10:42 am to
A buddy called me over to back his ski boat down his private ramp. I headed over and backed up to the trailer. He hooked it up and gave me the thumbs up, so I headed to the ramp. As I was backing the trailer to it I was looking in my mirror as I put it in drive to straighten up. Couldn’t help but notice the trailer was still slowly going backwards. Next thing I know is he is screaming bloody murder as he is sprinting down the ramp after the boat and trailer, which is now hauling arse towards the water. Turns out his trailer had a removable tongue and his dumbass didn’t put the pins in. Luckily nothing was harmed, it somehow dodged the cypress trees lining the ramp and went straight in the water. We just had to winch it out and jack the front up so we could put the tongue back in, which was still hanging off my hitch.
Posted by MoarKilometers
Member since Apr 2015
20314 posts
Posted on 6/21/25 at 11:11 am to
Once my folks were out of town for a younger brother soccer tournament, so I was swinging by their place to let the dog out, feed him, etc. There was a message on the answering machine from the cops, about towing dad's boat from where he questionably parked it with a for sale sign. I rallied a buddy with a truck, trying to be all courteous and responsible at 20 lol. We found out immediately his ball was undersized, but it was barely a mile tow, so we opted to risk it. Very first turn, going left it popped off due to my buddy's speed and a light bump in the road. We went left, it kept going straight Only time I've voluntarily jumped out of a moving vehicle. I was straight Flintstone trying to stop it, dragging feet. I was not winning by any stretch, but we avoided complete disaster of striking another vehicle or being struck. Lessons were learned that day, and a great memory was made.
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