Slow speed rogue trailer

[LakeMac26C]

I'll share my experience about how I almost got crushed by my trailer. Some will laugh. Some will flame. All will learn.

I'm putting my boat and trailer away for the season a few months ago. As usual, I back it into my grassy backyard which is level as far as I can tell. Except this time I put a few boards under the tires to reduce rubber rot during the winter. Then I go to decouple the trailer and jack it up. As it clears the ball, the whole trailer immediately surges forward into my soft bumper cover. I don't have enough strength to push the trailer backward and I have my foot jammed in front of the trailer jack wheel to try to stop it from moving. But its not enough and the tongue slides into the sheet metal of my hatch. No one is around and I don't have my phone. CRAP!

I have to let the whole thing go while I run around looking for some boards to chock the wheels. Then I drive forward enough to recouple the hitch, push the trailer back onto the boards, CHOCK THE WHEELS, and decouple. Now I have some decent scratches and dents in my car.

It's the old mental error of "I've done it this way 100 times" that made me add one small change (the boards) expecting the same results.

[Russ]

Been there done that. Have the scratches to prove it.

[LakeMac26C]

My buddy is a contractor and he knew right away, without giving him a single clue, what the dent and scratches were from. Made me feel a bit better.

[Stickinthemud57]

Yes, the dent near the trailer hitch is all too familiar to those who trailer.

Mine was under more unusual circumstances.

The first winter I had my 26S I decided to put it up on cribs so I could apply barrier coats to the bottom and finish with VC17. In the process of lowering it back onto the trailer, I placed a block of concrete under the wheel of the trailer jack to get the front closer to the bottom of the boat and decoupled my van from the trailer. As I eased the weight of the boat onto the trailer, gravity and wheels do what they do and the trailer lurched forward into my tailgate. On one hand, I was bummed that I dented my tailgate. On the other, I realized that had the van not been there I might have ended up with a much bigger problem on my hands.

Realizing that I did not have enough strength to push the trailer back where it needed to be, I decided to use the van to do that. After all, the tailgate was already dented and I really did not have that much choice.

Later, after much filling, sanding, and painting I mended the damage. A few months later someone must have bumped me in a parking lot, because a small dent had appeared in the exact area I had done the repair. Oh well...

[Dougiestyle]

I need to try this!! My tailgate is pretty rough and a few more dents would accent it

[LakeMac26C]

I just cleaned the dented area and put a bunch of wax on it to prevent any rust. I've done some body work and painting in the past and know enough to not try it again because it's a real skill to get it right.

Btw, the new 2023 Subaru Forester has a smaller engine, higher CoG, but is rated to tow 2x what my Forester can tow. How is that possible???

[pitchpolehobie]

I just cleaned the dented area and put a bunch of wax on it to prevent any rust. I've done some body work and painting in the past and know enough to not try it again because it's a real skill to get it right.

Btw, the new 2023 Subaru Forester has a smaller engine, higher CoG, but is rated to tow 2x what my Forester can tow. How is that possible???

Wondering the same. I bet an advanced transmission cooler.

[OverEasy]

More towing capacity???
I’m interested and wondering too!

[LakeMac26C]

I want to get a TX cooler for my Forester. They sell generic kits, but the problem is the specialized high torque transmission fluid my car takes. I'd have to add a bit more to the system to fill up the cooler and plumbing, but they only sell it by the 5gal drum and it's around $400! Just to get a couple quarts out of it.
https://parts.subaru.com/p/Subaru__/CVT ... V0200.html

[Wyb2]

I almost did the opposite. My driveway is level where I generally would unhook the boat, except for the very edge where it starts to slope away slightly. Past the driveway that slight slope quickly turns to a steep slope that is home to a few oak trees. I have a single axle enclosed trailer that I’m a bit more familiar with than the boat. It does not have a wheel on the tongue jack, the boat trailer does.

Back the boat up to where I want it, hop out, disconnect the wires, release the ball and start cranking it up. As soon as the tongue clears the ball the boat starts rolling away from the truck. Towards the hill, towards the oak trees. Crap, this has never happened with the cargo trailer. I brace myself and pull as hard as I can, and the boat slows down but doesn’t stop.

Until the safety chains catch.

Man, was I lucky I didn’t think to unhook those first.

[NiceAft]

Man, was I lucky I didn’t think to unhook those first.

Scary

I’m guessing the next time, chocks under the wheels came first