fxfymn Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I had a guy come by last night to buy a fifth wheel hitch I had for sale on CL. He shows up in an older F-150, so I asked him if that was what he was planning on using to pull the fiver. After he said yes I asked him what kind of fifth wheel trailer he had. Turns out its an old 34' Nu-Wa, a very heavy trailer.I told him the 1/2 ton wouldn't pull it and if he tried he would be a danger to himself and everyone else on the road. He replied that he had called Ford and Nu-Wa and both told him the F-150 would handle it and besides he was only going "close to home" with the trailer. I kept at him, but he was adamant that it would work.I really thought about not selling the hitch to him to help prevent him from killing himself or someone else, but I figured he was going to do this with or without that particular hitch. Besides, I'm pretty sure the truck tires will blow out as soon as he puts the trailer weight on them.As a retired firefighter one of my pet sayings is "Thank god for stupid people or we wouldn't have a nice house." I think this one falls in that category. Quote Money, sex, and fire; everybody thinks everyone else is getting more than they are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 He has a lesson to learn for certain. Wait till he rolls a tire off the bead, or tears out a sidewall due to the push the neck of the trailer will impart on the truck and possibly wind up in a jackknife situation. I would hold no reservations as to selling someone something they want. Sounds to me like you tried to educate so you cannot do more. I always tend to err on the side of caution cause I have been to a few fatality accidents that involved operating equipment beyond it's design criteria.We all must remember; "We can't fix stupid". If someone chooses to ignore warning signs the liability is upon them and I have a clear conscience.Rob Quote Plodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I would have offered him help with a borrowed Peter truck from Glady's, Va. since no one else could have helped him.Guilty Feelingmike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
41chevy Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 God puts people like that here for lessons and for amusement. Can't do anything more than what you did.For me there is nothing like a sunday morning at the local boat ramp watching Darwin at his best!. Best sign of idiocy was a 2 wheel drive older S-10 with a 3 axle trailer and a 24 or 25 foot "go fast" boat. Watched for nearly 45 minutes of the little truck that couldn't! Got stuck trying pull the boat up a wet, 15 degree ramp. Couldn't picture it on the highway trying to stop or turn at speed. Paul Quote "OPERTUNITY IS MISSED BY MOST PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS DRESSED IN OVERALLS AND LOOKS LIKE WORK" Thomas Edison “Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘Holy shit, what a ride!’” P.T.CHESHIRE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fxfymn Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 For me there is nothing like a sunday morning at the local boat ramp watching Darwin at his best!. Best sign of idiocy was a 2 wheel drive older S-10 with a 3 axle trailer and a 24 or 25 foot "go fast" boat. Watched for nearly 45 minutes of the little truck that couldn't! Got stuck trying pull the boat up a wet, 15 degree ramp. Couldn't picture it on the highway trying to stop or turn at speed. PaulWhen I first made Lt. I went to a really slow company who's primary response area was the Potomac River. Since it was so slow we used to go to the local boat ramp and watch folks trying to back their boats into the water. It was a never ending source of amusement. Quote Money, sex, and fire; everybody thinks everyone else is getting more than they are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
other dog Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I would have offered him help with a borrowed Peter truck from Glady's, Va. since no one else could have helped him.Guilty FeelingmikeToo late- I had to clean mine out today, Jeff traded it. He got $47,000 on it, so he was happy as a puppy with 2 peters. Meanwhile, i'll be the one dragging up Sandstone 20 mph. Quote Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyRebel Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 God puts people like that here for lessons and for amusement. Can't do anything more than what you did.For me there is nothing like a sunday morning at the local boat ramp watching Darwin at his best!. Best sign of idiocy was a 2 wheel drive older S-10 with a 3 axle trailer and a 24 or 25 foot "go fast" boat. Watched for nearly 45 minutes of the little truck that couldn't! Got stuck trying pull the boat up a wet, 15 degree ramp. Couldn't picture it on the highway trying to stop or turn at speed. PaulMy little '86 Ranger (complete with 4-banger, 5-speed, 2wd, and 3.08 rear gears) pulled a borrowed 25' flatbed trailer when I moved all of my earthly possessions out of a rented house and into a storage unit. Of course I wasn't wired for trailer brakes, and I had to rig up something that would work with plain wires between the 4-flat on the back of the Ranger to the 7-round on the front of the trailer just to have tail/turn/brake lights. It did pretty well for what it was...The main thing a lot of people fail to do (and as a result get themselves into the most trouble) is to make the necessary adjustments to their driving in order to compensate for any shortcomings the vehicle may have. Quote When approaching a 4-way stop, the vehicle with the biggest tires has the right of way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajt3138 Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 My little '86 Ranger (complete with 4-banger, 5-speed, 2wd, and 3.08 rear gears) pulled a borrowed 25' flatbed trailer when I moved all of my earthly possessions out of a rented house and into a storage unit. Of course I wasn't wired for trailer brakes, and I had to rig up something that would work with plain wires between the 4-flat on the back of the Ranger to the 7-round on the front of the trailer just to have tail/turn/brake lights. It did pretty well for what it was...The main thing a lot of people fail to do (and as a result get themselves into the most trouble) is to make the necessary adjustments to their driving in order to compensate for any shortcomings the vehicle may have. thats a great advantage that truck drivers have over people that only ever drive 4-wheelers------------they probably understand the capabilities of any given vehicle better with their experience behind a vehicle thats capable of hauling a great amount of weight.aj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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