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Wayne
05-08-2004 22:22:08
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Hey guys, I've got a situation here and although I've made my decision and don't plan to change it, I'd still like to hear some other opinions as to wether I'm doing the right thing. I've got a guy that asked me to build a trailer for him. One of his first comments to me was to build one like I know how to build one so it would last. His old one was a double axel, 16', two runner type car trailer, that had been floored and had 32" sides. It recently laid down on him 300 miles from home when it broke both a hub shaft and both springs on the rear axel. I looked at it the other day and it was stress cracked all over, and just generally beat all to he--...he's only been using it for about 4 years. For a new one he was gonna supply all the materials and pay me $1000 to build it. A he- of a cheap price to pay for building something this size but I was doing it as a side/evening project with no extreme rush. He said he wanted a 20 footer capable of handling 15,000lbs. He already had already gotten a major good deal on two Dexter 7500lb axels with brakes, and had a new 2-5/16 ball type reciever to go on it. Now the problem, he only wanted to build it out of 2x3x1/4 rectangular tube and some 2x2x1/4 angle iron. I could not convince the guy that this material was not gonna be heavy enough to build the trailer he wanted....BECAUSE... He knows trailers since "His family is in the surplus/scrap business just like he is and they all have trailers build out of light material like this. It doesn't need to be all that heavy because they don't routinely haul but maybe 5,000lbs, but they have hauled 17,000lbs for over 400 miles on them before"....Because he has gotten lucky and not killed anybody before I could not make him see that what they did was VERY UNSAFE. You just can't take a 5000lb trailer and expect to safely haul 15,000+ on it. I also told him that the ball hitch he had wasn't rated for that kind of load, that he really needed a pintle hitch but again, 'they had done it before.....'. I know this guy goes out of state quite often, doesn't have any kind of tag on his current trailer, and I figure wasn't planning to register and tag the one he wanted me to build either. Thing is he says he has never gotten caught for anything, be it no tag or more importantly for being grossly over loaded and unsafe. I ran a little longer there than I planned but I wanted ya'll to have a good idea of what I was faced with. So, even longer story shortened some, I told him that I hated to turn down his money but I could not, in good consience, build a light weight trailer that I knew was gonna be used in an unsafe manner. That if he wanted me to build him a heavier trailer that wouild safely handle the loads he hauled then I would be happy to. That's been a few days ago and I haven't heard back from him. I need the money as bad as the next guy, but I just - couldn't - do - it.... I'm not so much worried about the liable issues as much as the simple fact that even if I was building to his specs I would still be the builder. I don't ever intend to knowingly build something that is gonna be inherently unsafe in use. I just couldn't do it and still have a clear conscience no matter how much the money called my name.... How do you guys feel about this situation? Would ya'll have made the same decision I did or what would ya'll have built the man's trailer however he wanted it and took the money and ran??? Thanks for the time guys..... I just needed to vent a little over this idiot and I'm also just a little curious for other opinions....
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