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Adventures in trailering

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Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3754 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/23/2014 : 10:25:50

It was a dark and stormy night…. Well, it should have been. My tale of woe might actually have started on launch day in Port St. Joe, Fl in January. Pearl was sheathed in real Florida ice on my proposed launch day. Spring came a few days later.

A lot of camber on the staging lane at the launch ramp led me to adding a safety loop around the mast in case it slipped off the roller as I walked it aft. Good move! Four feet and “thunk”. Put the mast back on the roller. 1 foot, “thunk”, repeat, repeat. I was pretty good at it by the time I reached the tabernacle. Erecting the A-frame, launching, and rigging my sweet, remote control, electric winch to raise the mast was quick, controlled, and effortless. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as quick as the dense, fast moving fog bank coming across the bay. Pearl spent the night at the ramp. The rest of a great winter suggested that at least my Karma account was full.

Then came pulling Pearl out at the end of March. I guess the Karma account was depleted.

I think I’ve finally learned most of the tricks of the torturous channel to the ramp since i didn’t touch the mud or submerged pipes along the edge. Simple pleasures, holding lines attached to the upper shrouds to control the mast as it is electrically lowered to gently rest on the roller. I’m a simple guy, life is good.

Pushed the button, love it, to pull Pearl on to the trailer. She slid forward, loaded the aft rollers. Incredible crash and shriek of metal! The coupler broke. It wasn’t as old as me, but it was pretty old.
I’ve never seen that, never want to see it again. Safety chains straight up. I’ve had worse jobs in gravel parking lots than replacing a coupler, but I was younger then. Anyway, “K” account refilled and on the road by early afternoon.

All the way to Montgomery, AL., 200 miles. Followed the GPS, bad move. GPS said go straight, but I knew I should turn left. Wrong lane, to late. Turn around? Maybe the GPS route is better. Nope. Two blocks and the nice road turned in to a narrow, dark connector. BAM! A pothole worthy of Ohio. BAM! The trailer hits it. Another crash , scraping and grinding. The aft crossmember bracket broke and the cross member uprights and roller sets are dragging behind me. Right turn into a convenience store/gas station lot. Ponder, shoo away panhandlers, ponder. These things never happen in places you would like to stop.

Action time. Call Boat/US Trailer Assist. They’re on it. Time passes, panhandlers too. Trailer Assist calls back. Height of the boat requires a semi with a low-boy trailer and they’re having trouble finding someone to come out tonight. I tell them that it isn’t really a neighborhood where I would choose to leave Pearl or spend the night. An hour later TA calls back with a truck on the way. On the way for 90 miles. I called an RV shop 3 miles away. The security guard thought they could probably do the repair and would unlock the gate and let me drop her there so it could be looked at in the morning.

The truck finally arrived. The friendly, helpful guys suggested that a truck & trailer shop that they took a lot of big rigs to might be just what I need. A phone call, and they said they would be happy to work on my little trailer. Called and thanked the helpful security guard and let him know that I wouldn’t be coming. A nice bed in Prattville had been waiting for me for 6 hours. I was happy, the dog was happy. In bed shortly after midnight.

Day 2. Called the shop and left a message. Prattville is a lovely, historic town with a gorgeous, old waterfront on the Alabama River that was busily sprucing up for the Spring tourist influx. A nice day, but no return call.

Day 3. Called and left messages. Billy, the owner, called back. Sorry, the Army had a munitions truck with a broken trailer. First priority, armed guards at the gate and nothing else got done. He would look at the trailer in the morning and be the primary mechanic himself.

Day 4. Arrived at the shop to find Pearl’s stern hanging in a sling instead of the bow eye and winch taking the strain. I’m feeling better. We did a walk around while he suggested what should be done to avoid problems in the future. The list:
1. build new crossmember a couple of gauges heavier instead of ordering the same one. (stronger, faster and cheaper)
2. build new axles a couple of gauges heavier (stubs are good, just cut out the axle and weld in new stock - as above S,F, & C
3. replace all spring bushings
4. repack wheel bearings, replace one for sure (replace one hub at my request)
5. replace the brakes since its all apart.
6. run all new brake lines (getting rusty, might as well get it done now.)
7. replace the brake actuator and coupler with a bigger and better unit.
8. replace 2 wheels (two are already new, the spare is on the best of the original 5)
9. rust binding primer and a coat of paint on the frame

Dollar signs were swirling in my mind. I asked for a ballpark price and braced myself. A thousand less than I was thinking! Substantially less than I paid to have it sandblasted and painted a few years ago.

Day 5. Billy hurt his back, chip fracture of a vertebrae. He assigned another mechanic to be primary on my trailer. Short staffed

Montgomery is a fascinating place, well worth a few days of exploration. They have embraced their tumultuous racial history to build a stronger city. The Rosa Parks Museum is a profoundly emotional experience for those of us who were young then. Memorials to civil rights events close to the original capital of the Confederacy, Hank Williams Museum, and Wright Brothers Park. I had to see that since I’m from the home of the Wright brothers and powered flight.

Day 6. (Friday) Billy was back on light duty after spinal steroids. The sister of two of his mechanics died unexpectedly of a heart attack, both off for several days. Really short staffed. About 10:00 pm the new mechanic said it will be a couple more days. I decided to go home, file my taxes and come back when it was done.

Monday evening Billy called to say they would put the brakes on and be ready to go on Tuesday.

Road trip. Montgomery isn’t a bad drive from Dayton if you aren’t towing a boat.

At the shop on Tuesday morning Billy said the counter guys at NAPA couldn’t find the brake shoes without a part number. He said he had a call in to his regional NAPA man. He said “I do over a $100,000 a year with him; he’ll take care of it. Ben and I decided to go to the Tuskegee Airmen National Memorial and hiking in Tuskegee National Forest. The NAPA man arrived just as I left, about 11:00 am. Billy called about noon to let me know that his man identified the brake shoes, found a set in Birmingham, and a messenger would deliver them by 3:30. We had a nice afternoon. Sank my Grande Cherokee to the tops of the tires on a semi improved path called Thunder Road. Kind of wished that I had had my Wrangler at that moment, but the GC did fine. Jeeps look better covered with mud.

I only made it to Birmingham that night, but it was an uneventful trip home. The new actuator and brakes were a definite improvement. The trailer seemed to track better with no tendency to sway on long downhill grades. So now I have an almost new trailer. Looking at the list and some minor things that he did, the final bill of $1815 seemed like a great deal. And that was before he subtracted a very large discount for all of the delays.

Billy was on a service call for a stranded semi when I picked up Pearl. An EMS service called the shop shop just as I was leaving - a lift spring holding up a semi’s very large hood broke. Billy was OK, but had a large gash in his head and several broken bones in his hand. My week was pretty benign compared to his.

If you’re in or near Montgomery, I highly recommend this shop. The delays were unfortunate, but things happen. Billy said he had to do a lot of research, but he knows a lot about these trailers now.

BK National Tire & Truck Repair
3523 Mobile Highway
Montgomery, AL 36108

334.401.0615
isc114673@yahoo.con

Dave B. aboard Pearl
1982 TR/SK/Trad. #3399
Lake Erie/Florida Panhandle

Edited by - Dave5041 on 04/23/2014 10:45:02

TCurran
Admiral

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USA
588 Posts

Response Posted - 04/23/2014 : 11:43:18

Glad to see a happy ending...for you, sorry to hear what happened to Billy, he seems like a great guy and businessman.

Edited by - on

Tomas Kruska
Admiral

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Czech Republic
522 Posts

Response Posted - 04/24/2014 : 05:41:25

Sounds like a great nightmare to me. If I will imagine such situation on my trip to any nearest sea across different countries with different languages... uff

Glad you are back on the road again.

Edited by - on

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3754 Posts

Response Posted - 04/24/2014 : 12:56:11

Yes Tomas, that would add serious complications. There can be something of a language barrier when northerners talk to folks from the deep south, but at least it is sort of the same language.

Another government? I don't want to think about it.

Edited by - Dave5041 on 04/24/2014 12:56:44

ftworthsailor
Captain

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USA
279 Posts

Response Posted - 04/25/2014 : 07:08:28

Wow, Dave! Quite the adventure. Thanks for sharing! It was great reading....

Edited by - on

zeil
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1297 Posts

Response Posted - 04/26/2014 : 18:57:02

Great, detailed and interesting write-up... thanks for sharing Dave... add a few images and you'll have material for Mainsheet Magazine

Edited by - on

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.