This started as a post in the why? thread but I can't post there for one reason or another.

Why do people think that not only using a generic one hitch fits many is a good idea, but not only attach it the cargo floor of your Mercury Mountaineer with 3/4" Grade 2 bolts and over 10 washers per a bolt is anything a like a good idea?

I attached one of our 6x12 enclosed trailers which have a unladen weight of 1890 lbs when I finished attaching it I could swear I heard something odd but over the roar of I-35 which our shop is right next to I couldn't be sure and all of my connections were good so I give the customer their paper work and tell them to go inside.

Next thing I see they are pulling their combo forward and probably around the shop to the front doors and then *Bang* *Bang* *Boof* *Crunch* the hitch had in two motions ripped 3 of the 6 bolts out of the sheet metal flooring and sheared off the other 3.

Of course the driver stops but without a connection to the stopping vehicle the trailer not guided solely by Sir Issac Newton and\or the good lord traveling at most 5 mph the trailer smacks the tailgate shattering the window, severely denting the whole tailgate.

So I call my manager while the customer is yelling about what just happened and how are we going to fix it and how its my fault that this happened. Well after talking and showing the sticker on the hitch that said "Use only Grade 8 fasteners." to the customer they still want the shop to pay for the repairs and will probably get a lawyer. Well another guy from the shop is taking pictures of everything and pulling the security camera videos from the 3 cameras aimed in that general area to send off to the higher ups.

At this point I'm 99.9% sure that I'm not fired, I tried to get a few pics for here but my manager didn't like the idea.

Thanks for listening and remember kids use the right tool at the right time in the right manner as described in the user manual.

 

On one hand I am glad it happened in the parking lot instead of I-35--- on the other I am not so happy that it happened to you!

 

Stupid is as stupid does and you can't fix it. Thank goodness it didn't make it to the highway and come loose in front of a family in a mini van.

 

Agreed if that had happened I honestly don't think I would be keeping my job for long after a mishap like that regardless of whose fault it actually is on top of the untold carnage that a rogue trailer even unloaded could do and the injuries sure to in sue.

 

I hope the best for you Jared. I would assume that since the failure was with the hitch install, that wasn't installed by you, and wasn't with your trailer, that they don't have a leg to stand on. If anybody they should file a lawsuit against whoever installed the receiver hitch.

At least no one was injured.