buddy guy
Senior Member
Joecal...State Police called tow trucks to get us off the highway. We had to disconnect the trailer from the truck, which was not easy because the back of the truck was now so close to the ground that the trailer jack would not fold down. So we had to use floor jacks to get the trailer off the ball. Then the tow guys eff'd up the trailer jack by cranking it up too much, so we couldn't get it to go back down. We lucked out in a way because one of the tow truck drivers was on his way to work in his personal pickup (with a hitch) and he stopped at the scene. We ended up using his truck to tow the trailer off the highway because none of the tow trucks that showed up could do that. The kid's truck was lifted though, so that is why the trailer jack got extended up beyond its capacity. So because it wouldn't go down, we ended up getting the tow ball under the trailer, then we used a sledge to kick the trailer jack out from under the trailer and the trailer receiver fell onto the tow ball. It was a comedy of sorts to be sure (although it wasn't funny at the time). It was also the hottest day of the year in New England (97 degrees).
So the kid towed the trailer with his pickup, and the truck got dragged up onto the flatbed. Because it was a weekend, and on a state highway (Rt 495 in MA), the tow truck drivers could not take me home (60 miles away). They had to bring me to a parking lot of a local mall and drop the truck and the trailer there. That alone cost me $133 for the tow...plus I threw the kid $40 for using his own truck to tow the trailer. From there, I called AAA to tow the truck home, and I called Uber to bring me to a U-Haul shop so I could rent a truck to tow the trailer home (AAA won't tow a trailer). First, though, I had to go to Home Depot and buy a new trailer jack and install it on the trailer so that I could maneuver the trailer up and down. Good thing I remembered to bring tools with me on vacation. After all that, of course, I had to bring the rental truck back the next day (60 miles away).
As much as a PITA as the whole thing was, I was very fortunate. 1) no one got injured 2) No accident from my wheel rolling across the highway 3) I have AAA Plus so the tow home was free 4) insurance covered the damage to the truck as a comprehensive claim.
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wow. amazing.