Community Forums

Adam R · 09-12-2022, 08:24 PM

I had a semi-tractor and 20 yard side dump trailer get stuck on my property this past weekend. Tractor got sucked into soft dirt and the trailer ended up wedged against some pine trees. I had to use my 1993 Landcruiser to extract the tractor twice (tied off to a big tree of course and I had the winch line doubled up). We disconnected the trailer at one point and re-hooked at a 90 degree angle. It was a cluster, but we got him out eventually.

Adam

El Chapo · 09-12-2022, 11:43 PM

1.1 miles of backing on the Blue Ridge Parkway at 0200 in the morning during the hardest rainstorm. A tree branch came down right in front of me, completely blocking the road. I didn't have my toad, which I have a winch and ways of cutting up downed trees. I was also solo. Backup cams in 2014 weren't that great in the rain at night. Fortunately, no other vehicles ever came by. I had to stop every 50 - 150 feet, depending on curvature of the road, to ensure I wasn't going to hit something or go off the road. Took about an hour. Pulled it off.

What a night. Glad I wasn't towing.

Jay D. · 09-13-2022, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4x4ord

My philosophy is: If I can drive in, I can back out. I have had to back up a mile towing a 55 foot trailer in the past. At least the narrow road was straight so I was able to back up at about 30 mph. It only took about 2 minutes.

ME TO, i had to back out a one lane gravel road almost 3 miles and not straight. its not bad once you get started.
Jay D.

tuffr2 · 09-13-2022, 04:28 PM

Lol - agree, once you get started you just have to keep going. Been there and done that a few times. Once started no going back.

tcg · 09-13-2022, 05:56 PM

A quick story about unhooking and repositioning the tow vehicle.

Many years ago I was working at a marina, a guy picked up his shiny new 24' boat and trailer. As he was backing it into the beautiful cement ramp, flanked by a steel seawall all the way down, he jack knifed the trailer.

He got out and unhooked the truck but before any of us could yell, stop, don't disconnect, he did. The boat and trailer went all the way down the ramp bouncing off the steel seawall.

His boat wasn't even in the ramp when he disconnected. It just was at a bad angle and started to roll.

Moral of the story... If you're going to disconnect and reposition, chock those wheels, on both sides.

Ckduallie · 09-14-2022, 03:34 AM

I had to unhitch and reposition the truck to get into a site once. I had a 1999 F350 drw back then the front axle was on leaf springs and didn't have a great turning radius.

tuffr2 · 09-14-2022, 04:42 AM

You can go to youtube and see all kinda stupid boat ramp mishaps. 1st time owners really are too excited to think. I worked with a guy that bought a new pop-up trailer and went to his favorite state park with a lake. Yes, he unhooked the pop-up and it rolled into the lake. Brand new pop-up too. Yes, chock those wheels.

Both times I unhooked to reposition the truck neither time did I chock the wheels because I was on flat soft land. I had a truck with a tight turning radius but was really surprised by how much room I needed as the truck would swing close to 90 degrees to the trailer. Watching for trees and tree branches is bad. I unhooked the truck and still had to be careful.

Jay D. · 09-14-2022, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuffr2

You can go to youtube and see all kinda stupid boat ramp mishaps. 1st time owners really are too excited to think. I worked with a guy that bought a new pop-up trailer and went to his favorite state park with a lake. Yes, he unhooked the pop-up and it rolled into the lake. Brand new pop-up too. Yes, chock those wheels.

Both times I unhooked to reposition the truck neither time did I chock the wheels because I was on flat soft land. I had a truck with a tight turning radius but was really surprised by how much room I needed as the truck would swing close to 90 degrees to the trailer. Watching for trees and tree branches is bad. I unhooked the truck and still had to be careful.

i had a cabin at a local lake for 30 years. IF you want a good time, take a lawn chair to your nearest boat launch and get comfortable, for the best comedy show anywhere.
Jay D.

jleonard · 09-14-2022, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay D.

i had a cabin at a local lake for 30 years. IF you want a good time, take a lawn chair to your nearest boat launch and get comfortable, for the best comedy show anywhere.
Jay D.

Absolutely very entertaining! Years ago we were on a mooring ball in Plymouth , Mass harbor near the boat ramp. They have a 12 foot tide there so extra entertaining.
Very slippery plus several tow vehicles had their exhaust pipes under water by the time they were ready to pull the boat out.

tuffr2 · 09-14-2022, 02:32 PM

A 12' tide will be approx. 2' and hour. A tide coming in or going out really swirls the water. I bet watching the boat ramp is extra entertaining with that kind of tide.

Launching my Seadoo I wish I could unhook and rehook because that thing is nearly impossible to back up. On a boat ramp you guys think I could use chocks and unhook? Humm...never mind as it would be too difficult and entertaining.

1RetiredFire · 09-15-2022, 03:17 PM

🤣YES!!!!

Only once with my Class A and Jeep at a gas station. I knew I shouldn’t have committed the entry before I made the move. Good thing, we were only 3 miles from our stop for the night so we disconnected at the pumps and my wife drove the Jeep to the campground.

💩 Happens.

danrn · 09-15-2022, 03:50 PM

Been in some tight spots, but I've been lucky and never had to disconnect. Although one time getting out of a small gas station I had to cut the turn so tight that I pulled out the emergency brake line. My wife came running up to the truck telling me I was dragging the camper. I now have a longer brake line

BeatCJ · 09-15-2022, 04:02 PM

I have had to unhook my travel trailer one time to get it out of where I pulled into to park. I was trying to make room for someone else, so I got in around some tree branches, and had a lot of jockeying around to get back out.

I have had to do it a couple of times collecting junk cars on a flatbed trailer, too. Sometimes you have to collect them where they sit, and getting the trailer in front of an un-moveable car can be a bit of a trick.

Bigd9 · 09-15-2022, 04:13 PM

Shoot yes we have. In our Class A I pulled into a Flying J. A tractor trailer rig had just pulled up after refueling, the driver got out and when inside. I pulled up and added 80 gallons of diesel and the semi truck was still there right smack dab in front of me.

I went to the front desk and they paged and paged the driver. No answer. I had to ask two semi's behind me to back up far enough so we could unhook the toad, back it out of the way and then back the coach out. We re-hooked and went on our way. As we left I noticed someone had placed orange cones across the fueling lane to keep anyone else from getting stuck behind that semi