But remember that when I drove into Texas I instantly lost another hour... Central daylight time .. Now I am 2 hours behind Phoenix... But that wasn't my worst worry as I crossed the Texas state line...
I usually go fill up the diesel tank every morning, but the price this morning was $4.. So being the scrooge that I am, I thought I can do better than that... So I headed up Hwy 54... And in about 15 miles I hit a $3.89... Well that's better.... So I winged it into the station....
That's when the trailer hitch decided to drag in the roadway.... There was an overly deep rain wash along the highway, which when the back wheels dropped, the trailer dug right into the berm... Instantly I hit the gas to drag it on thru, but it was so deep I was almost stuck.... That would have been tow truck time.....
Someone had stolen my older drop hitch, so last fall I went over and bought a new one... A full 5 and 1/2 inch drop.... But that must have been more than I had before, because it seemed to drag almost everywhere... Way more this morning.!
Once parked as I was filling the tank, I noticed that the really beefy new hitch had taken quite the hit... It was folded upwards almost to the point that the trailer wouldn't go on the ball.... And to make things all that much more agonizing, the guy in the power company truck at the next pump began telling me how bad this all was..... According to him, the trailer would pop off at the slightest bump due to the tilt in the draw bar... Now keep in mind we are miles from now where... What was I going to do about it?
And he had me going for a while too, until I jacked the jack up under the hitch and it didn't come apart.... But even after seeing this, Mr Helpful didn't leave... he kept on stressing that I had only minutes to live.... Finally my tank was full and the credit card went thru... So I just walked off and left him standing there...
I drove around to a side street and then back out onto the highway... It was bent upward far enough that it didn't drag anymore... Of course his warning ran in my head all the way to Dalhart, as I expected the trailer to come off of the hitch at any moment... See why the Texas time change wasn't on my mind...
But even thru the bumpy part of the Texas highway 54 it seemed to hold... It was tipped forward at a precarious angle but it held...
See how the ball is tilted about 30 degrees toward the draw bar... And the actual bar under the blue sticker is bent right in the middle... All of the metal is stretched.. The welds didn't break, but everything is bent... Even the threads on the ball are messed up...
The farther I went without mayhem, the more confident I became... driving the rest of the day without stopping. But as I arrived in West Wichita tonight, I came upon a Wal Mart and stopped and bought a replacement... One with only 3 inches of drop...
The neighbor fellow here in the campground and I managed to get the old one out and the new one hooked back up... We couldn't see anything else that was broken... The actual hitch might be bent a tad, but not enough to cause any problems... We'll have to wait and see if the tow bar still goes in correctly, but that will be another time...
Tonight I am camped at a KOA that is no longer affiliated... They have withdrawn from the system... It's called All Seasons and it is West of Wichita... I saw their signs when I came into town and followed them on a curiosity... When I checked in they gave me a 15% discount for my Escapee card... And I only took 30 amp electric, as I am not running any air conditioners.... Its supposed to freeze over night.... LOL But then I added on cable TV for $2 more... Total $29.... More like it...
If I run both electric heaters tonight it might pop the fuse at the pedestal... We will see.....
So I saved a couple of bucks on fuel prices, only to spend $30 for a new hitch.... Just how my day usually goes......
Retired Rod
Why can't any trip go smoothly? And not just yours but everybody always seems to have an issue somewhere along the line. Sure glad the guy at the gas station was wrong. Way wrong. But it's a good thing you did save that money on the campground. Now you are good to go to get home.
ReplyDeleteAh, it's always something. Not sure if the bent hitch is salvageable. I'd be temped to heat it up, straighten it out somewhat and keep it as a spare. But you're only out thirty bucks, so maybe not worth the grief. Enjoy your day. Hope it warms up for ya.
ReplyDeleteBob I thought about this for quite a while as I was driving.... But the metal seems to be stretched and with heat it would take what temper there is in the cold steel away... Then it would bend easily when banged on the ground.... I came to the conclusion that it is an iron pile item at this point....
DeleteSounds like a can't win for loosing type of day. Bet that utility guy thought about your hitch all day also. Not much else to do in Texas.
ReplyDeleteThat must have been quite a bump you had to bend that hitch. At least it wasn't your trailer banging along the ground. Hope you make it home safely without any more adventures!
ReplyDeleteYou shouldn't have any problems from Wichita to home. Hope the weather cooperates and you arrive safely.
ReplyDelete