Stupid 80 owner tricks (towing)
- Thread starter IdahoDoug
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- Thread starter
- #22
Thanks for the abuse. 
The truly sad part is I HAVE a pin specifically to ensure the latch gets seated and secured. But this only works when you're paying attention :-[ and actually do it. I'm anal about the boat trailer - crossing chains and winding them, greasing the ball, duct tape to ensure the emergency cable doesn't bounce off on gravel roads, etc. But as any of you guys in demanding jobs will agree, it's when you get too comfortable with what you do and start skipping checklist items that problems occur. Such as when you tow a bunch and are now just bringing some debris to the dump in a quick tow.
I guess I do have some fun stories, but I look at it this way. I do a lot of fairly interesting and sometimes highly involved things of the sort that if you do them long enough you're going to incur the wrath of Mr. Murphy. Goes with the territory, and I don't mind 'fessing up when he visits. I'll have to find my post from a few years ago detailing not only the Tow of the Century (Idaho to Maine, Cape Cod et. al. and back) but an ill fated boat retrieval on the famous bar that Bar Harbor is named for while we were out there. Think locked 80 vs 6000lb boat, steep low tide slope of slimey head sized rocks. Also think trailer tires buried to the axle from the waves before I even tried to move. Oops. Toss incoming tide into the mix and voila' - good times had by all.
Found myself actually looking at the dent this evening and chuckling to myself thinking how I could have been looking at duct tape over a fist sized hole in the tailgate and plastic over the hatch window.....
Thanks CDan - I'll contact you about that offer. It would be an honor to have a chunk of your rig on mine for the rest of its natural life. Inbreeding 80s is about the only time I'd be for keeping the gene pool intact
DougM
The truly sad part is I HAVE a pin specifically to ensure the latch gets seated and secured. But this only works when you're paying attention :-[ and actually do it. I'm anal about the boat trailer - crossing chains and winding them, greasing the ball, duct tape to ensure the emergency cable doesn't bounce off on gravel roads, etc. But as any of you guys in demanding jobs will agree, it's when you get too comfortable with what you do and start skipping checklist items that problems occur. Such as when you tow a bunch and are now just bringing some debris to the dump in a quick tow.I guess I do have some fun stories, but I look at it this way. I do a lot of fairly interesting and sometimes highly involved things of the sort that if you do them long enough you're going to incur the wrath of Mr. Murphy. Goes with the territory, and I don't mind 'fessing up when he visits. I'll have to find my post from a few years ago detailing not only the Tow of the Century (Idaho to Maine, Cape Cod et. al. and back) but an ill fated boat retrieval on the famous bar that Bar Harbor is named for while we were out there. Think locked 80 vs 6000lb boat, steep low tide slope of slimey head sized rocks. Also think trailer tires buried to the axle from the waves before I even tried to move. Oops. Toss incoming tide into the mix and voila' - good times had by all.
Found myself actually looking at the dent this evening and chuckling to myself thinking how I could have been looking at duct tape over a fist sized hole in the tailgate and plastic over the hatch window.....
Thanks CDan - I'll contact you about that offer. It would be an honor to have a chunk of your rig on mine for the rest of its natural life. Inbreeding 80s is about the only time I'd be for keeping the gene pool intact
DougM
