Boycotting Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve and I have a long history together.  It appears that karma, Christmas Eve, and I have a long standing debt to be paid.  I was married once before, with an anniversary on....wait for it, Christmas Eve.  I had a rather eventful Christmas Eve two years ago that I don't care to ever repeat.  So with that bit of history, I am now boycotting Christmas Eve.

On this Christmas Eve, I was driving west along I-40  through Amarillo, TX trying to make good time and get back to Sacramento, CA on Christmas Day or perhaps the day after.  After refueling at a local Love's gas station, I checked the tire pressure on the boat trailer, checked the fluids, and all looked good. 3/4 of a mile down the road.....disaster!

At 55mph, the left wheel on the boat trailer came completely off.  The lug bolts were sheered (see photo on right).

I called my father and reported the bad news.  I then texted, called, and emailed the owner of the boat with photos to show him what had occurred and to find out how he wished to proceed.  After a little research and some help by the local state troopers, I was able to determine that towing of the trailer would be possible but quite expensive.


About an hour later, my dad was able to find a 24 hour trailer repair shop based out of Amarillo.  He had spoken to the owner, Jeff, and he would be right out to have a look.  We were all very relieved to learn that a tow would not be necessary, but I still was unsure how a repair could be done considering the missing lug bolts.


I was soon to learn more than I ever cared to know about trailers, marine trailers, and the proper way to outfit them.  It appears that this trailer was jimmy-rigged together with inappropriate parts:

• 3,500# axle w/a 5,000# boat
• agriculture bearings rated at 2000#
• low grade lights not designed for marine use

Jeff, from Hawkins Trailer & Equipment, informed me of these issues and agreed to speak to the owner to decide how he wished to proceed.  When presented with the evidence, and the owner was informed of his options:

• upgrade axle to a 5,000# one

• upgrade bearings and hub to marine grade
• install marine (waterproof) lights
• replace wheels and tires to sufficient weight rating

The owner opted to not do these things and have repairs done on the cheap.  After all, it was not him assuming risk while driving cross country.

I followed Jeff back to his shop to get the correct hub covers for the trailer and to settle up the bill.  The costs were more than the owner expected.  However, the repairs were more extensive than originally thought, and two trips were required because of the unusual configuration of the trailer. 

The owner then began to argue with Jeff about the costs....at length.   For the better part of 10 minutes, Jeff explained exactly why the costs were greater:  new tire and wheel were required (we thought we might be able to re-use the old ones), remanufacturing of old hub so it could be used again, and the two trips to the accident site. Keep in mind that this all occurred on Christmas Eve, when every other outfit was closed The argument continued until Jeff got to a point that he handed me my phone and said, "I'm not arguing any more."  I was able to talk some sense into the owner and he eventually agreed to pay.  Unfortunately, the damage to my impression of him was done.

I've now decided that my adventures with this very ill equipped trailer are complete.  I will help to find a suitable storage facility and deliver it there, but Amarillo is where our paths separate.

Moral: Treat the 'help' nicely, and pay a little extra to get things done properly.