Desert Whaler
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- Oct 28, 2020
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So I just bought a matching spare wheel/tire for my boat trailer.
I always take one, but I wanted a fresh one, mine was getting pretty rough.
Which reminde me of an 'experience' I had several years ago, and maybe it might save someone here from having the same 'Stupid Attack' I had.
I took my Whaler down to San Diego bay to do some fishing. When I got there, I noticed my drivers side trailer tire was really low.
So I quickly launched the boat and figured I'd just swap in the spare when I got back.
At the end of the day I pulled the wheel/ tire off and put on the spare. Pulled the boat out and realized the trailer spare was shot as well.
So my buddy had a spare on his rig and loaned it to me.
Bolt pattern matched up perfectly, so I did a quick swap and cinched everything down evenly while it was up in the air.
I lowered it down, and with a breaker bar, went around each of the lugs (in opposing order) and really leaned on them.
Off I went . . . I get onto the on-ramp of the freeway and as I get up to merging speed I feel a GNARLY vibration.
I look in the mirror and there's smoke coming off the spare tire I just put on !
Luckily there was an off-ramp right there, and I immediately got off.
I crested the top of the over-pass and stop to make a right turn. . . I roll forward and the wheel /tire falls completely off !
I look in the mirrors and I'm dragging the trailer, with sparks and shit flying off the hub / shackle bolts.
I go to hit the brakes and realize I'm on the fucking train tracks . . . I immediately PUNCH IT and drag the rig a few yards clear of the crossing.
Shit all happened in seconds.
After I flip on the hazards, I go to get out of the truck , and a guy pulls up in his car and says, "Your wheel flew off" . . . no shit sherlock !!!!!
As I start to run back to retrieve the wheel/tire, the arms of the train crossing come down . . . DING-DING-DING-DING-DING !!!!!
SECONDS later the Blue Line commuter train flies by at what seemed like 50+ MPH . . . . FUCK MEEEE.
The rest of the story is boring . . . Pep Boys, etc etc. etc. for for wheel/ tire, new lugs etc.
But I was seconds from being scattered and drug into a million pieces.
But what the deal was, (and I obviously didn't realize this at the time) was that the fucking lug nuts off my 'steel' wheels had a different angle where it seats up against the face of the wheel then it did to the aluminum wheel off my friends rig. They fit on with no problem, and 'looked' fine, but it wasn't the right 'fit'.
At the time all I was concerned with was if the bolt pattern was the same.
It surprised me how quickly and easily all 5 lug nuts spun completely off, especially after I had just yoked on them.
I'm not Hercules, but I've worked with my hands all my life, and I've changed / rotated my share of tires .
Feel free to nail me to the cross over being an 'Idiot-Stick' . . . but if I can make this mistake, I could see someone else doing it as well.
Safe Trailering
I always take one, but I wanted a fresh one, mine was getting pretty rough.
Which reminde me of an 'experience' I had several years ago, and maybe it might save someone here from having the same 'Stupid Attack' I had.
I took my Whaler down to San Diego bay to do some fishing. When I got there, I noticed my drivers side trailer tire was really low.
So I quickly launched the boat and figured I'd just swap in the spare when I got back.
At the end of the day I pulled the wheel/ tire off and put on the spare. Pulled the boat out and realized the trailer spare was shot as well.
So my buddy had a spare on his rig and loaned it to me.
Bolt pattern matched up perfectly, so I did a quick swap and cinched everything down evenly while it was up in the air.
I lowered it down, and with a breaker bar, went around each of the lugs (in opposing order) and really leaned on them.
Off I went . . . I get onto the on-ramp of the freeway and as I get up to merging speed I feel a GNARLY vibration.
I look in the mirror and there's smoke coming off the spare tire I just put on !
Luckily there was an off-ramp right there, and I immediately got off.
I crested the top of the over-pass and stop to make a right turn. . . I roll forward and the wheel /tire falls completely off !
I look in the mirrors and I'm dragging the trailer, with sparks and shit flying off the hub / shackle bolts.
I go to hit the brakes and realize I'm on the fucking train tracks . . . I immediately PUNCH IT and drag the rig a few yards clear of the crossing.
Shit all happened in seconds.
After I flip on the hazards, I go to get out of the truck , and a guy pulls up in his car and says, "Your wheel flew off" . . . no shit sherlock !!!!!
As I start to run back to retrieve the wheel/tire, the arms of the train crossing come down . . . DING-DING-DING-DING-DING !!!!!
SECONDS later the Blue Line commuter train flies by at what seemed like 50+ MPH . . . . FUCK MEEEE.
The rest of the story is boring . . . Pep Boys, etc etc. etc. for for wheel/ tire, new lugs etc.
But I was seconds from being scattered and drug into a million pieces.
But what the deal was, (and I obviously didn't realize this at the time) was that the fucking lug nuts off my 'steel' wheels had a different angle where it seats up against the face of the wheel then it did to the aluminum wheel off my friends rig. They fit on with no problem, and 'looked' fine, but it wasn't the right 'fit'.
At the time all I was concerned with was if the bolt pattern was the same.
It surprised me how quickly and easily all 5 lug nuts spun completely off, especially after I had just yoked on them.
I'm not Hercules, but I've worked with my hands all my life, and I've changed / rotated my share of tires .
Feel free to nail me to the cross over being an 'Idiot-Stick' . . . but if I can make this mistake, I could see someone else doing it as well.
Safe Trailering
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