As I come down the road to my house this evening, something was wrong. It took me a second....but....something is missing. Wait....where the F#$% is my trailer? When I turn into the driveway, my headlights illuminate this:
So...how did it get from the driveway next to the house to the bottom of the hill? Turns out...my landlord is having her brother-in-law paint the house. He decided it needed to be moved to give him access. But wait....the tongue was locked...how did he move it?
So...I checked out the situation.
Notice the proximity to the parts cars. How the hell am I going to get my truck in there to pull it out? I am able to lift the tongue by hand...but with my health issues, that is the limit. I can only do it if I stand between the rails with one hand on each, and do a proper squat lifting with my legs....I can NOT move the trailer while I have it lifted. I need to use this trailer tomorrow afternoon. Now...as I look at it, something else doesn't look right. Upon close inspection:
That wasn't like that before.
Notice the roughly 18" long trench behind the jack. Looks obvious to me. He decided to move the trailer....so he picked up the tongue and used the downhill slope to move the trailer. To stop it, he dropped the tongue and let the jack act as a brake, bending the jack in the process.
I tend to be a very passive person. I usually take things in stride, and deal with the problem rather than getting caught up in who's fault it is. In other words....when I am dealt a crappy hand, I will simply fold and wait for the next hand rather than throwing my cards and demanding a new dealer. This time, I ask your advice.....how should I proceed?
In case you think this is not Fiero related, I need the trailer tomorrow so I can pick up a Fiero.
$89.00 new bulldog jack. $60.00 bucks to cut old one out and weld a new one in. Alot cheaper than a confrontation which could lead to a fight and involve police and lawyers. lesson learned and dont hire him again. i know its beside the point or the principal , just sometimes Ppl do stupid Chit! BTW nice little hidden fiero bunch you have there
[This message has been edited by dematrix86gt (edited 07-24-2013).]
$89.00 new bulldog jack. $60.00 bucks to cut old one out and weld a new one in. Alot cheaper than a confrontation which could lead to a fight and involve police and lawyers. lesson learned and dont hire him again. i know its beside the point or the principal , just sometimes Ppl do stupid Chit! BTW nice little hidden fiero bunch you have there
Umm...
quote
Turns out...my landlord is having her brother-in-law paint the house.
HE didn't hire the guy. The Landlord hired him.
I'd be really pissed. I don't know what you can do or if it would be worth trying to do anything. But I'd still be really pissed.
First cool off a bit, I would be totally Pi$$ed off as well, but that will get you no where, as a Landlord ALWAYS has the upper hand. Yes, even if you win a battle in court, see if you get your lease renewed or your deposit back. After cooling off, I would then approach the landlord nicely, and show him the photo's that you posted here. Ask nicely that he replace the lock, and fix the jack on the trailer.
That trailer can't safely be used like that, as with that bend, the weight of a car could cause it to bend further, if it were not attached to the hitch the entire time that is.... think of the Southwest Jet in the news yesterday and today.
[This message has been edited by JohnWPB (edited 07-24-2013).]
$89.00 new bulldog jack. $60.00 bucks to cut old one out and weld a new one in. Alot cheaper than a confrontation which could lead to a fight and involve police and lawyers. lesson learned and dont hire him again.
Although I am pissed about the jack, I think the fact that I can't get to it with the truck is the worst part. I can't move this myself...and it has to be done tomorrow...while all my friends are at work.
quote
Originally posted by BlackEmrald: Does the jack still operate? If so, I wouldn't worry about it. If not, grab a hammer and bang it back out.
I don't know...I decided that it was best not to touch it tonight. If it doesn't retract, then I am going to have to remove it before my trip tomorrow.
As Khw noticed, I didn't hire him. I have requested contact info for him from the landlord through text message (not going to call her at midnight). I also gave a brief description of the situation. We will see what I wake up to. If he comes back tomorrow morning to do more work, there WILL be a confrontation....but at least he will be here to help me re-position it. As I mentioned, I tend to be quite passive...so I am not real concerned about this escalating to violence.
OK, guys....thanks for letting me vent...and for confirming that I am justified in being pissed. As I said in the first post, I tend to deal with the problem rather than getting caught up in who's fault it is.
The jack issue...I will order a new one tomorrow. Regardless of who is ultimately paying for it...it needs to be replaced. For the trip tomorrow...the jack will be removed if necessary, and certainly not trusted with any weight. There should be no reason to remove the trailer from the truck until I get home. I will worry about who is paying tomorrow after I hear from the landlord and/or her brother-in-law.
For getting the trailer to a usable position....if he shows up, he will be forced to help me. If he doesn't, whiteandnerdy27 has volunteered to stop by and help.
Problems solved....worst that is to come is a potential argument over $40...and as a couple of you have mentioned, that isn't worth losing sleep over.
Throw some weight on the back of the trailer. Spin it around. Tie the dog to the tongue for added rotational torque. Do not use bent stand like noted earlier with precious Fiero on it. Pull out with truck.
Your relationship with your landlord should dictate the mention of obvious carelessness. Since landlord brought family into this, and should you choose to seek damages, talk with landlord, not family.
Why not get a jack with a wheel? It would make it much easier to move around in the future. As for the landlord, did he notify you that they would be painting and ask that things be moved away from the house? If he didn't, I think I might let him know what happened and see what concessions he volunteers. Pushing demands on him could create long-term tenancy problems.
$89.00 new bulldog jack. $60.00 bucks to cut old one out and weld a new one in. Alot cheaper than a confrontation which could lead to a fight and involve police and lawyers. lesson learned and dont hire him again. i know its beside the point or the principal , just sometimes Ppl do stupid Chit! BTW nice little hidden fiero bunch you have there
I would at a minimum notify the landlord that he needs to pay for the new jack as his designee caused the damage.
Sign up your landlord for some questionable mailing lists, & land him on the no-fly list. It's subtle, but maybe it'll help you sleep at night.
LOL....I like the way you think. But perhaps I am just a bit naive here...what mailing lists will get her on the no-fly list? I know how to get her on the spam lists for fake rolexes, Canadian drugs, and videos that show you how to get laid. While those can be quite annoying, they won't land you on a no-fly list.
Well working at a surplus everything store... about $150 bucks of pissed just to fix the trailer. Let alone just the idea of moving YOUR property
Unless you were notified (I think by mail is required, but at least in person) that the trailer needed to be moved, the painting contractor had NO rite to move your property! He is responsible for the damaged jack. Sorry to hear about a bad situation happening to a good guy.
boy am i glad my first assumption was wrong....... I went back to the pictures at "....used the downhill slope" i seen this boo boo (in red) and percieved crooked wheel, as the stopping mechinazim used by said contractor
soooo much better for you in my wrongness wheeew
[This message has been edited by batousai666 (edited 07-24-2013).]
boy am i glad my first assumption was wrong....... I went back to the pictures at "....used the downhill slope" i seen this boo boo (in red) and percieved crooked wheel, as the stopping mechinazim used by said contractor
soooo much better for you in my wrongness wheeew
NOpe, I think that body mod was alrady there Or at least it was after the last time i left after parking the van in that area
Greg, Yeah, your right have a safe trip and cya when you get back.
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**************************************** 88 Formula CJB Arrived Finally. #689 of 1252 Time to start Working TONY! There are Two kinds of Fiero's : Notchies and Donors! Click here for My 88 t-Top Build
...what mailing lists will get her on the no-fly list?
Al Qaeda Magazine Al Jazeera America (email address required so get it) Sign the landlord up for the magazine Azan. It is a Taliban publication. I'm sure there is more that can be done but I'll leave the rest of the internet scouring to you. Enjoy!
First...whiteandnerdy27 showed up and helped me rotate the trailer so I could hook the truck to it. Wasn't an issue with two of us. Then, I dropped it onto the hitch of the truck, hooked up the safety chains, hooked up the wires, and started to pull out. I get about three feet and I hear and feel a nasty clunk. I knew what it was right away....some moron forgot to retract the jack. It dragged it a little ways, then it caught a tree root. If you thought it was f#$%ed up before, you should see it now. Even bent the plate that it is attached to this time. And I have nobody to blame but myself. At this point...is it even fair to complain about it to the painter or landlord?
Then....the painter calls. First thing he does is apologize for moving the trailer without getting permission. Started explaining how he only planned to rotate it and move it a couple feet when the hill took over. I admit it...I rolled over and told him not to worry about it. I also tried not to laugh as I imagined him running along in front of it trying to stop it before sacrificing the jack to save it from crushing him between it and the parts car. Seriously...I am glad he didn't get hurt...could have been really disastrous had he tripped along the way.
Then...I take the trailer down to Charlotte to pick up Trinten's 86 GT...I am dropping it off to get some work done on my way up to Michigan to get my convertible. Last light before his house, I come to a stop...and a truck comes to a stop behind me. Light turns green, and before I can hit the gas, I hear and feel another nasty THUNK. WTF!?!?! I look in my mirror, and see that the trunk behind me has practically driven up onto the back of the trailer. I got out with my MagLite in hand (you know the routine...it is to look for damage, but works as a weapon if it came to that). I found no damage...absolutely nothing...not even a scratch. Checked out the back of the trailer...the tongue...the hitch...no sign of damage to any of it (for the record, all lights on the trailer worked before and after the hit). The guy didn't want to call the police even though his bumper didn't fair nearly as well as my trailer...and at that point I really didn't care why (still don't), I was already running late. I continued on my way and picked up the car. Hopefully, this will be the extent of my problems on this trip.
Case closed...I am done with it. When I get back, I will pull the current jack off (it did still retract...but I can no longer lay my tailgate down in front of it), bang the mounting plate flat again, and install the new jack. I refuse to argue with anyone about it any more.
For the record....revenge such as getting someone on the no-fly list is fun to think about...but I will not waste my time pursuing it (especially considering that with the security clearance I had in the military, it would look REALLY bad if I got caught looking into that kind of stuff).
[This message has been edited by CowsPatoot (edited 07-25-2013).]
Hats off to you sir. Rare to find a reasonable, sane, levelheaded, down to earth, fair minded, not out to sue somebody, common sense kinda guy these days. You made the right call, at least in my mind and I'm guessing in yours.
Had a similar thing happen to my trailer, only no painter involved, just a friend who borrowed the trailer, forgot to run the jack up before moving it, (same type/mount jack), also bent the mounting plate. He ended up buying me a new jack and mounting it, but it is the kind that mounts on the side of the tongue rail, and pivots to horizontal when not in use (gets welded in place). Never have to worry about that again, at least in theory!
Good call on your part, as I said, at least in my mind. Stuff happens!
HAGO!
p.s. *footnote* wish I'd have known you were at the 30th, you are one of the folks I'd really liked to have met...maybe I'll make the 35th?
[This message has been edited by Sage (edited 07-25-2013).]
Hats off to you sir. Rare to find a reasonable, sane, levelheaded, down to earth, fair minded, not out to sue somebody, common sense kinda guy these days. You made the right call, at least in my mind and I'm guessing in yours.
Had a similar thing happen to my trailer, only no painter involved, just a friend who borrowed the trailer, forgot to run the jack up before moving it, (same type/mount jack), also bent the mounting plate. He ended up buying me a new jack and mounting it, but it is the kind that mounts on the side of the tongue rail, and pivots to horizontal when not in use (gets welded in place). Never have to worry about that again, at least in theory!
Good call on your part, as I said, at least in my mind. Stuff happens!
HAGO!
p.s. *footnote* wish I'd have known you were at the 30th, you are one of the folks I'd really liked to have met...maybe I'll make the 35th?
Kicking myself for not walking over and shaking your hand at the 30th... Didn't know you had been there until the day of the awards, and had no time to try and find you...
If you happen to have a spare minute and cash it would be a good idea to put a back up plate on the jack. Once those things bendin my experience even if you bend it back it will bend there again just from useage. Just food for thought my man, I just hope your luck picks up. Kinda seems like my great luck traveled your way, do me a favor and regift it to someone else down there and don't return to sender it lol.
Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die. ~Malachy McCourt
Take no revenge that you have not pondered beneath a starry sky, or on a canyon overlook, or to the lapping of waves and the mewing of a distant gull. ~Robert Brault
..and then still don't do it.
[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 07-25-2013).]
Well that's your 3, so your covered for the rest of the year!
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**************************************** 88 Formula CJB Arrived Finally. #689 of 1252 Time to start Working TONY! There are Two kinds of Fiero's : Notchies and Donors! Click here for My 88 t-Top Build
I know you have resolved yourself to this, but I would be upset. Mostly because you have health issues and you needed the trailer.
First your landlord should have given you 24 hours notice that they were going to be at the property (or have someone that represents them at the property, ie furnace guy), that is tenant rights (they can't just "pop by").
Second, the painter should have contacted you about the moving trailer. He could have got run over and then guess what? He probably would have sued you, even though he had no right to move it, and won (because the idiots always seem to win now).
I would still complain to the land lord and tell them what happened with estimates on the damage just to get it on the record. I'm sure she is paying the joker under the table and he probably doesn't have liability insurance (unless he is running a business). If the guy was really sorry for what he did, he would have been at your house the next morning to see if he could help get it out from the bottom of the hill. If he was sorry he would have left a note. The reason that he called you was because he is scared of you suing him for the damage. For that reason alone I would have made him pay for it.
As far as you making it worse, not you fault. You only made it worse because he put the trailer in that situation. If he had left the trailer alone, none of the extra BS would have happened.
Originally posted by MulletproofMonk: . If he had left the trailer alone, none of the extra BS would have happened.
NO, I feel he still would have got rear ended. With his luck, not like you can see a Bright Red Pickup towing a Trailer!!!!!!!
CowsP, I gotta talk to you pick up your phone please :P
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**************************************** 88 Formula CJB Arrived Finally. #689 of 1252 Time to start Working TONY! There are Two kinds of Fiero's : Notchies and Donors! Click here for My 88 t-Top Build
Well that's your 3, so your covered for the rest of the year!
Well Its my Fault, I posted this and it got worse!!!! Im Sorry Greg!
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**************************************** 88 Formula CJB Arrived Finally. #689 of 1252 Time to start Working TONY! There are Two kinds of Fiero's : Notchies and Donors! Click here for My 88 t-Top Build
Here's hoping you have a great trip to Michigan. The weather will be cool, so you from the south may want long pants and may be a light jacket. Us Michiganders are wearing shorts & t-shirts dancing, singing and partying because the "hot" weather is gone. LOL
Peace be with you, Steve
[This message has been edited by solotwo (edited 07-26-2013).]
