horrible first load with new trailer

I just got into scrapping a few months ago but having to go to the scrap yard all of the time got annoying. I have a 1997 chevy s10 so i have the choice to go to the scrap yard all of the time or keep loading/unloading it to make room for new scrap. in order to always have an empty truck i decided to buy a 5x8 trailer to store everything. long story short today was my first trip to the scrap yard with about 1350 lbs of tin. on the way there i heard a noise and felt the truck jerk a little bit which caused me to look out the window. when i turned my head i noticed a tire come screaming by me and start bouncing in the on coming traffic lane. I thought to myself, hmmm i never put a tire in my load and then it hit me, the tire fell off my trailer. it turns out that not a single nut on either tire or bolt on any of the u bolts were more than hand tightened. Horrible first day driving and using a trailer !!!!!!

That is not going to be cheap to fix ... do you have insurance ?

it happened in front of a mechanics house!!! he came out and helped me put the tire back on so i could drive it off the street. then he told me where to get new u bolts made withing five minutes away. I took multiple trips to the scrap yard to empty out the trailer and picked up the u bolts. when i went back to get my trailer he actually put the new u bolts on for me. It was the craziest situation but the best time/place for it to happen. im just glad no one got hurt and no property or vehicles were damaged. im also a little shell shocked about taking the trailer now though too hahaha. this happened in a residential area close to my house so i was only going about 25-30 mph.

Thanks for sharing haha! I was SO close to having this happen to me O.O
I bought my trailer and pulled it like 25 miles home for its first trip. A buddy happened to be over and was looking at it and asked to make sure I had taken off the caps and put new grease in since it had sat too long. Since I had no clue what he was talking about he went to the store with me and showed me.. while doing this we found both wheels to have like half an inch of wiggle room which would also explain why it was vibrating the whole way home. Not sure how I didn't lose a single lug nut.. but I knew I was lucky!

Sounds like you at least made some lemonade out the lemons today. Now just keep adding the sugar with the fixed trailer

I also bought a used late model trailer this summer. On the first load, a wheel fell off right in the scrapyard while I was backing into place. The bearings were out of it and like yourself, it couldn't have happened in a better place. Had it come off in traffic, ........bad news ! I also found that the previous owner had put loctite on every lug nut. I'd have never gotten those nuts off with a hand lug wrench. I carry a generator and electric impact and that saved the day every time I had a flat.

Originally Posted by THEDANIMAL

it happened in front of a mechanics house!!! he came out and helped me put the tire back on so i could drive it off the street. then he told me where to get new u bolts made withing five minutes away. I took multiple trips to the scrap yard to empty out the trailer and picked up the u bolts. when i went back to get my trailer he actually put the new u bolts on for me. It was the craziest situation but the best time/place for it to happen. im just glad no one got hurt and no property or vehicles were damaged. im also a little shell shocked about taking the trailer now though too hahaha. this happened in a residential area close to my house so i was only going about 25-30 mph.

I'm thinking of a little or a lot of (depending on how you look at it) Divine Intervention. You analyze those set of circumstances.... I'd change your title to "Amazing first load with new trailer" Glad it worked out for you. Buy that mechanic a new wrench.... or a beer. I hear mechanics like beer...lol

Make sure you go back to that man's house with a six pack or a gift certificate for dinner to say thank you. You were very lucky to have bad luck next to his house.Then hand him your business card like Mechanic said.

i gave the guy a $20 for helping me and offered to give him a hand with hauling his quad.

[QUOTE=pjost;221019]After re-reading this once I got a good nights sleep, it sounds like you bought this trailer new from a Lowes, or Runnings, or Menards? I would take it back and make them give you a new one. Plus let the manager know whoever is assembling their trailers isn't doing their job. Might save someone else an accident.[/QUOTE
i got if off of someone on craigslist and i left him a message after it happened. i havenet decided what to do or how to handle the situation. im alot cooler today then i was yesterday when it happened.

Glad it worked out for you. It is good that that guy was there to help you. Your next trip with the trailer should be much better than this trip.

In my opinion, CL is buy here, pay here. Buyer beware. As is. No warranty. Caviat emptor.



Satisfy yourself with a lesson learned, and spare yourself the hassle of a showdown over something you should have found yourself.

I say you overloaded it. A 5x8 straight axle trailer is not meant to be holding that much weight. Correct me if I am wrong, and please post the axle rating.

Correction: these trailers have a 1400-1650 load capacity. So I was wrong

" I don't remember putting a tire on the trailer" That seems to be a common thought that runs through peoples minds when similar things happen. I've read it several times now. Kind of like when I was driving my 57 chevy in high school I looked down and thought "gee I never realized these cars had a light under the dash" Then I realized it wasn't a light but my dash was on fire. The previous owner had taken a stick, wrapped tinfoil around it and stuck it in the fusebox.