Jumping Through Hoops

This morning I got an appointment with a shop to do my trailer inspection today. Not all mechanics can do it. Only those certified for “Enhanced” inspection. One last piece of info I needed was to get the trailer weighed. The mechanic recommended a scrap metal place or another facility that actually did the inspections too. Confused as to what the shop that also did the inspections would think when I showed up for a weigh and nothing else, I chose the scrap metal yard.

Ever been to a scrap metal yard?  Yeah. It’s sort of what you’d expect. They’re usually pretty rough on the outside, but pretty decent once everybody gets to know each other. The trailer I built back in 2000 was nearly completely constructed of scrap metal I got from a yard in Phoenixville and one in Pottstown.

Of course they’re always in the worst parts of town.

Wait. Let’s back up. I’m not setting the mood quite right.

So there’s this big rush to get the trailer inspected, tagged and titled in PA before I go on vacation in three weeks. What that translates to is red tape, bureaucracy and a severe case of frantic urgency on my part. I’m not opposed to the inspections. It’s a one-time deal, so they want to make sure it’s road-worthy and safe at least once in its life. I’m just all nervous that someone somewhere will drop the ball or someones inbox will get too full and I’ll miss my timeline.

So yeah, I’m a little stressed over this.

I spent the weekend getting it ready and started calling at 7:30 this morning to get an appointment. The shop said bring it on by, but get it weighed first, hence where we left off.

I briefly debated doing all this before work, but work’s an issue too. We’ve got lots and lots to do. I can’t really afford to go running around West Chester for my trailer over what I need to do at work. I decided lunch would be the best time.

Shortly before lunch, I found the scrap metal yard on the south side of West Chester and headed out. Like I said, they’re not always in the nicest parts of town, so to add to my already jumpy nerves I had to now navigate unfamiliar territory. After a near wrong turn the wrong way down a one way street (not fun with a trailer people. really not fun), I did find the place.

Big old piles of metal, surrounded by chain link fences, dirt and a tiny trailer marked “office” sat before me. There were signs all over the place telling you what and what not to do. I carefully read them all three or four times making sure I wasn’t inadvertently screwing something up I wasn’t aware of. The most important sign of course was the one that said “Closed for Lunch.”

Are you kidding me? What am I supposed to do sit her in the grime and grit and wait for you to finish your turkey on white? I ate my sandwich in the car to maximize my time. How much break do you need from “Park here.” and “Dump it there.”?

Then some nice old fellow walks over to me and asks me what I’m looking for. I tell him I need my trailer weighed for an inspection and he says he’ll get someone to help.

Well that’s interesting. Then I see it. A little sign by the door of the weigh house says “Closed for lunch, except public weighs.” I wasn’t completely sure what that meant, but it seemed I somehow qualified. A guy came out. I un-hitched my trailer from my car (placed the hitch lock and keys(including my bike rack keys on the bumper of my car)) and rolled it over to the scale.

The weight came in somewhere in the 300 – 400lb range. Considering the axle is rated at 2,000lbs (I think), that gives me around a 1,500lb load capacity. Cool.

I helped the guy fill out the “ticket”. He hadn’t ever done a public weigh and somehow thought I knew more about it than he did. I paid him the $4. Re-hitched my trailer and headed off to the inspection station.

The inspection station is conveniently located on one of the busiest streets in West Chester. Makes for parking a car with a trailer, unhitching and getting the car out of there interesting. The people were nice. They took all my documents. They were impressed I had them all and said they’d get to it shortly after lunch.

As I climbed back in my car I finally realized in my excitement to get to the inspection station, I never took the lock and my keys off the bumper.

Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn!

I drove back over to the scrap yard and went in the main office. I disturbed some other guy from his lunch and asked if they’d found my keys. He called the guy that had helped me over the intercom and he said no. As a side note the guys there were really nice. I highly recommend the service at J E Kodish & Sons. If you need some scrap metal or have some to get rid of, they’re your guys in West Chester.

So if it wasn’t there, it must have been in the road between the scrap yard and the inspection station. I started to repeat my drive. Intersection one – nothing. Intersection two – nothing. Intersection three – there it is. My keys and lock were lying in the middle of West Chester’s second busiest road. When it was clear I ran over and picked up what was left. The lock wasn’t busted, but all the keys were.

Oh well. Guess I need a new lock. Small price to pay to get my trailer in the first day for inspection.

Get back to work and worry all afternoon.

Finally about 4pm I gave in and called the garage.

“Uh yeah. Just looked at it. It needs three reflector lights in the back between the tail-lights. You can try and submit the papers, but the state won’t pass it that way. Or you can take it home, put on some reflectors and bring it back tomorrow.”

The reflectors were my fault. I had seen some documentation that said if the trailer was over 80″ you needed reflectors in addition to the tail-lights in the back. The quick math I did in my head said it wasn’t over 80″ and I’d be fine. Well I’m not so good at math. The bed alone is 96″. Add the tongue and you’re waaaay over 80″.

I asked the guy if I hit Pepboys on the way over and bought some stick-on reflectors would that work? He said,

“Yes. That would work fine.”

And that’s what I did. I slapped the three reflectors on and he took the picture. I’ll have to go back in the morning to get the paper work, but it was done and passed in his book. I hitched it up and headed home.

Not half-way home while sitting at a stop sign trying to pull out onto a main thoroughfare, I got rear-ended. I kid you not. The truck behind the truck that was behind me started a chain reaction and pushed the truck behind me into my trailer. The reflectors I just slapped on were all cracked and mashed.

ARE YOU FKN KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!

The guy in the truck behind me, didn’t speak much English. All he could do was smile and say he was sorry. The kid in the truck behind him (the one that caused the accident), just didn’t seem to care at all.

Physically it just wasn’t worth it. So the $4 reflectors needed replacing already, but mentally I was livid. I almost felt bad for the guy that couldn’t speak English for all the cursing and screaming I was doing. Eventually I got in my car and drove off.

So that’s it. That’s the trailer saga for today. Tomorrow I’ll get the paperwork and get it sent off to the capital. Then it’s just a waiting game.

I swear life would be easier if I just sat on my ass and watched TV.

– b