How often do you check your u-bolts

[IADIVER]

This is just a reminder to all you boaters out there, this past weekend my son, my brother and his son, a good friend and I, went to Minnesota from Iowa fishing, one way is around 165 miles from my brothers residence.
The trip was pretty much uneventful other than both boats we took found those nasty rocks and we ended up having to buy new props.
Caught Walleye, Perch and Catfish and everyone had a good time.
However on the way home, around 3.5 miles from my brothers residence the boat/trailer that was behind the vehicle I was in had the u-bolt holding the axle to the leaf spring on the passenger side break, at least that is what we are thinking.
When that happened, it sounded like a bomb had exploded and when I looked back the boat/trailer was in the wrong lane and being dragged on the concrete, luckily there was no one coming in that lane!!
Man what a scary thing to have happen at 55-60 MPH.
First thing I did when I got home was crawl under my trailer and look at the u-bolts and everything else under there to see if I could see anything.

 

[IADIVER]

 

[earl60446]

I have never checked mine. Did your strap(s) in back break? Why did the boat leave the trailer?
Tim

 

[bcbouy]

i check my ubolts,lugs and bunk bolts several times a season only because we travel hundreds of kilometers of forest service backroads every year.last year i actually lost a couple of bunk bolts,luckily they were the ones that held the bunks and not the bunk vertical brackets.now they all have nylock nuts.

 

[BigTerp]

I check EVERYTHING thoroughly on my trailer each spring and fall. Axle, u-bolts, bunks, tires, etc. Wheel bearings get cleaned and re-packed with grease each spring and fall as well. Before each trip I check tire pressure and quickly visually inspect everything else. My biggest fear is a catastrophic failure of something on the trailer while on the road.

 

[IADIVER]

I have never checked mine. Did your strap(s) in back break? Why did the boat leave the trailer?
Tim

Boat left the trailer cause straps that were holding the back of the boat to the trailer broke as well when the u-bolt broke and the axle and wheel ended up in the center of the trailer out back so the axle actually was shaped Like an L. And the safety chain kept the boat with the trailer.


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[IADIVER]

I check EVERYTHING thoroughly on my trailer each spring and fall. Axle, u-bolts, bunks, tires, etc. Wheel bearings get cleaned and re-packed with grease each spring and fall as well. Before each trip I check tire pressure and quickly visually inspect everything else. My biggest fear is a catastrophic failure of something on the trailer while on the road.

Big terp I can honestly tell you this was a catastrophic failure, sounded like a bomb went off when the u-bolt broke..


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[Bridge4]

Wow, glad everything worked out relatively okay (no big injuries or destroyed boat). I will be checking my trailer before I go out again!

 

[BigTerp]

Big terp I can honestly tell you this was a catastrophic failure, sounded like a bomb went off when the u-bolt broke..

I bet. Glad it wasn't any worse.

 

[user 23839]

If that happened to me I'd probably start going to church again.

 

[sportsman]

If it is mechanical or electrical, it will break. Sometimes sooner, sometimes later. There is more to this saying, but I don't want to sound like a smart ass.