Neighbor's mishap

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I had to rent a Bobcat for a neighborhood project, and rented the trailer too.  My neighbor asked to use the trailer for picking up some sod.  Well, after a few hours I went over to his house to see if he was done with the trailer so I could take back the rental.  Just as I turn the corner I see his Tahoe (connected to the trailer) start to back up (down a hill).  I look in the driver's side of the Tahoe and see his 3 year old.  I drop the scooter I was on (borrowed my son's electric scooter) and started running.  Just then I see his dad tear out of the back yard (about 20 feet in front of me).  He ate it, but got back up and was able to get to the driver's door just as it jack-knifed and came to a stop.The 3 year old got out of his car seat, grabbed his Dad's keys sitting in a cup holder, put them in the ignition, turned it and pulled it out of park (trailer was empty).  Nobody was hurt thank goodness, but the trailer and SUV didn't fair as well.I have to say, the knuckles on the trailers are a lot sturdier than I thought, but I can't say  much for the hitch.  Broke right down the middle of the weld.  Hitch pin was junk too (and hollow).Didn't get pics of the SUV, but it damaged the back bumper, damaged a tire's rim, and gashed (but not completely) the driver's side tire (really big gash).  They are going to replace the tire (I hope).Anyway, after dropping it off and before leaving I snapped a few pics.  The bends on the trailer don't do it justice.  The whole front (bolt in) section will have to be replaced.I purchased the damage waiver BTW.... pays off yet again!    Attached ImagesThe Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --
Reply:Glad everyone is ok. That could have been an ugly situation. Trailer/SUV had to have had a decent head of steam on to do that much damage to the vehicle. Minimal damage to the trailer doesn't at all surprise me. Most 7-10 K flatbed equipment trailers are pretty stout. The couplers in that pict are designed as the weak link and are easy to replace.Also not at all impressed with the hitch pin. Doesn't look like a real factory pin in that pict the way it's all bent up. I've moved, pulled and yanked with factory pins over the years and I've never seen one that bad. Even when the kid rear ended my F550 and bent the heavy hitch frame up and smashed the bumper and body, the pin in the hitch still looked undamaged and he caught the hitch straight on with his frame rail. If he'd have hit that one I guarantee he'd have sheared the pin driving it into the receiver. Sad to see factory welds on that hitch were so poor. That was an accident just waiting to happen. Think what would have happened had someone T boned the trailer say at highway speeds and that had failed like that..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:What name brand hitch is that? I also agree a hollow pin is not intended for a hitch.lucky no one got hurt but metal!
Reply:Not sure on the brand... stickers all worn off.That hitch pin looked like it was made for something VERY light weight.... not a standard pin.  I am sure a standard pin would have been fine.The Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --
Reply:Scary for sure . How did he get it out of park ??  Don't you have to step on the brake to get out of park ?  If the kid did that he has a keen eye and memory from watching ma and pa drive.He is gonna be a real handful !  Hollow hitch pin must have been a piece of tubing. That leads me to believe that is a scary neighbor. I wonder about the receiver insert hitch too, maybe a light weight harbor freight.  How heavy was the trailer empty ? Some people are unaware of hitch and ball ratings.   Neighbor wanted to borrow my trailer, I looked at his hitch and the ball was stamped 3000 lbs. My trailer empty is 2000. I told him I take my truck .
Reply:Had some friends way back whose little boy got in the car and got it out of Park (before ignition locks and all that).  Rolled back in the drive, he fell or jumped out and a front wheel ran over him.  End of sad story.To this day I always double check that the truck is in gear, the parking brake is firmly set and the doors are always locked."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:I have not had any kids until recently now married with a 7 year old (wifes kid now mine too)But even before my dad had enough impact on me, keys don't stay in the car, doors are locked, house is locked, etc...Just me but your neighbor does not seem to smart.  Leaving the keys in the car.  A lot of people only have one set of keys, I have two just in case.  Kid could have locked himself in on a summer day that can  be bad.The hitch pin is just not smart at all.The "hitch" or actually called drawbar as the hitch is on the truck.  The lighter ones are hollow I have two of them rated at 5,000 and 500 tounge.  For my tandem axle that's a 12,000 and 1,200 and solid.  Ball matches the drawbar also.This is why I do not let anyone drive my trucks or use my trailers.Personally he should have atleast paid for the insurance.  All that said, it's good to see their are still nice and helpful people around and I try to be as much as I can, but I paid for all my stuff so I am carefull with it too.
Reply:Not sure how he got it out of park.  My minivan you have to push the brake too, but I am not sure how old the Tahoe is... looks pretty new (maybe early 2000's)Not sure about the pin.... not sure what it was from.  It was definitely a pin, but not sure what it went to.  Definitely not a trailer like this.Not sure on the weight of this trailer, but it can take a bobcat (7000K).  Neighbor had 9-12K of sod on it too and the trailer did fine.I doubt the hitch was HF in this case, but I can't be sure.  I saw his other hitch and they were non HF hitches.The Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --
Reply:Originally Posted by jdh239Not sure how he got it out of park.  My minivan you have to push the brake too, but I am not sure how old the Tahoe is... looks pretty new (maybe early 2000's)Not sure about the pin.... not sure what it was from.  It was definitely a pin, but not sure what it went to.  Definitely not a trailer like this.Not sure on the weight of this trailer, but it can take a bobcat (7000K).  Neighbor had 9-12K of sod on it too and the trailer did fine.I doubt the hitch was HF in this case, but I can't be sure.  I saw his other hitch and they were non HF hitches.
Reply:Originally Posted by BD1WOW !  9 to 12,000 with a Tahoe. Does his Tahoe have a brake controller for the trailer ?Pulling ok, stopping another story. I don't think his SUV is even rated for that kind of loadnot to mention the hitch or the tube insert. Depending on how far he was pulling this, that load may have impacted what happened to the hitch insert. Was there a stamped tongue weight/ load limit weight  on the insert  and ball ?  Glad no one was hurt. This is even scary now.
Reply:If that trailer is like most rental skidsteer trailers I've seen, it's got surge brakes, not electrics. I'm betting this is the case since I see the brake away cable going to the activator on top of the coupling unit. The wires look to small to be for a 7 pin cable with electric brakes.I've got the electric brake controller on my F550 and have never used it. Every single rental trailer has come with surge brakes since they expect the average home owner won't have a vehicle equipped with a controller.I've hauled sod on flatbed equipment trailers, and your guess on weight is probably pretty close. It's no big surprise the trailer was overloaded. Almost every home owner I've seen at Depot/Lowes that has a trailer is way overloaded. Even 9K of sod on that trailer, it was probably 1,000 to almost 3,000 lbs over weight, minimum. Most of those 7K or heavier flatbed skidsteer trailers weight at least 2,500 if not closer to 3,500 lbs empty. 12K of sod would have probably put him 50% over GVW on the trailer. My bet is the trailer wasn't rated for more than 10K. A few years back the feds changed the DOT ratings on commercial vehicles and in most states just having a trailer registered over 10K means you need a class A license to haul it. Most of the guys I knew who had heavy trailers back then dumped them rather than deal with the BS of having to get a commercial license rated to drive a big rig  just to haul an extra 2K of weight. I doubt you'd find any rental place that caters to home owners that would have a trailer rated at more than 10K. My rental place won't even rent their 7K dump trailer or any of their heavy skidsteer trailers to anyone who doesn't have at least a 1/2 ton rated pickup..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by jdh239Not sure on the brake control, but I know this trailer didn't have brakes.
Reply:Correct, I forgot about that cable/brakes.The Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --
Reply:I imagine these people have the right to vote.....that's really scary, but as it's only in America that's OK....whewww.Ian.
Reply:DSW is correct.Not sure if you understand or not.  So I will try to explain a little more.  (if you do understand I apologize maybe it can help someone else though)If you look at the pic of the coupler on the trailer it is bolted to the frame.  The coupler itself goes into a piece of square tubing.I believe at the back of the coupler assembly is the master cylinder.   When you stop (the truck) the trailer outruns the truck and pushes against the coupler.  Inside that "tubing" is the MC like a car.  So the coupler is the brake pedal if you will.That cable is just a safety thing, when the trailer falls off the truck it activates the brakes like an ebrake.  Like everyone else glad every one is okay and you did not have to pay.  Might have missed it before but that's a lot of weight for a half ton (if it was) and the drawbar he was using.Live and learn.
Reply:I knew if the cable pulled/broke a brake went on, but didn't realize the other stuff. thxThe Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --
Reply:Its downright scary to see the draw hitch shear the way it did!
Reply:Originally Posted by Jason280Its downright scary to see the draw hitch shear the way it did!
Reply:Will Anyone address the weld failure, without the distraction of DOT regulations?Opus
Reply:Originally Posted by jdh239Not sure how he got it out of park.  My minivan you have to push the brake too, but I am not sure how old the Tahoe is... looks pretty new (maybe early 2000's)Not sure about the pin.... not sure what it was from.  It was definitely a pin, but not sure what it went to.  Definitely not a trailer like this.Not sure on the weight of this trailer, but it can take a bobcat (7000K).  Neighbor had 9-12K of sod on it too and the trailer did fine.I doubt the hitch was HF in this case, but I can't be sure.  I saw his other hitch and they were non HF hitches.
Reply:Originally Posted by OPUS FERROWill Anyone address the weld failure, without the distraction of DOT regulations?Opus
Reply:Originally Posted by OPUS FERROWill Anyone address the weld failure, without the distraction of DOT regulations?
Reply:I'm sure the guys at the rental shop believed you when  you told them what happened.  Yeah right buddy, a 3 year old kid did this.  They might of voided the insurance since you loaned it to a neighbor.     My question is, did the father of the kid offer to pay for anything that was not covered?Next question, is that the last time you will ever loan anything to that neighbor again?    If it was me, I'd probably evaluate each time he/ she wanted to borrow something only because of liability these days.      In today's world you have to be careful of everything you do.Again this is just my .02¢---No good deed goes unpunished---
Reply:My family owns and operates a rental yard....That damage waiver shouldnt have even applied.  You are really lucky that no one was hurt because you would have been liable.For everyone's info:This happens frequently.  If you remove the trailer from the vehicle that it left the rental yard with; the rental company's insurance will not touch any liability or damage that comes from that trailer.  It will be SOLELY the responsibility of the rentor.jdh239....  I follow your posts on several forums; here and Pirate mostly and I would expect that you make pretty good decisions.  This was a bad one; please take more care in the future with rental stuff.  You never know what can happen!  I am really glad no one was hurt.Don't let that moron with the Tahoe suck you down into an abyss of stupidity when he overloads YOUR trailer.
Reply:I hear you.  I didn't know it was going to be that loaded.Regarding the damage to the trailer (referring to the accident and not any potential damage from possible overloading) he came down to the rental place with his insurance info.  He offered it but they said not to worry about it due to the damage waiver.The Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --