Question about towing bad experiences!

Pmedic4 · 06-02-2014, 11:03 AM

Just reading several posts about 'hitch failures', 'power to break-away switch', and 'others', and was just wondering if anyone has had or know of someone who their RV come free:
1. What speed were you going?
2. When did you notice?
3. What failed?
4. Did the break-away switch work?
5. How did the RV react? Did it stop in a straight line? Skid sideways? Roll and crash / Crash and roll??

Have a hard time believing this would happen at full highway speed, with most happening when your just starting out, but then again, it is possible.

Not trying to pick on anyone, just hoping someones experiences might prevent a catastrophe for others. Personally, as a firefighter/EMT, the one situation I was aware of was a car being towed by a Tow-truck, came loose, went across the median on the interstate and struck another car -with fatalities. Not one of my favorite stories, but also no break-away switch to stop it.

Hoojs12840 · 06-02-2014, 01:11 PM

Mine happened while I was hooking up. Keep in mind I was inspecting and checking the hitch, so I noticed prior to anything tragic happening. If you check your hookup every time, it would be almost impossible to lose a trailer.

It would take a catastrophic failure of steel if you checked it properly before you started moving. These systems and designs have been around for decades for a reason.

If you are not familiar, or do not hitch very often, develop a checklist. After years of driving commercially I have very solid habit's that help.

Jason

Ken / Claudia · 06-02-2014, 01:45 PM

This is aliitle different than your questions but, makes a point. Co-worker says he will get the 24 ft boat hitched and ready. The trip to the river is about 25 miles each way to the launch. After the patrol, I guide him back into the parking spot and unhitch the trailer. I notice that he left the 2 inch ball on the hitch, that trailer uses a 2 5/16 ball. It stayed on during the launching and recovery, bounceing up/down on the freeway, that boat/trailer is 8,000lbs. I think we were just lucky.

gearhead · 06-02-2014, 02:08 PM

My story is kinda like being around an accidental gun shot. You never forget it.
Many years ago I rented a 2 axle U-Haul trailer. The young man at the rental place told me to get in my truck while he hooks up he trailer and I can turn lights and indicators on while he watches. He puts it on the hitch ball and we check the lights. All is well. After many miles of towing at 60mph on 2 lane roads it jumps off the ball. The breakaway brakes worked. The unloaded trailer bounced all over the highway behind me. The adjustment knob on the hitch was very loose and apparently never snugged down. Never trust anyone! Check it yourself.

gearhead · 06-02-2014, 02:11 PM

More...my wife's dumb butt brother in law towed a heavy 2 axle trailer with 2 5/16" hitch from Detroit to Houston on a 2 inch ball. Discovered it when he got home. .

poncho62 · 06-02-2014, 02:30 PM

I have driven a few hundred feet with the ball hitch open.....I make a habit of hooking up, driving 1/2 a block or so and stopping to check everything......Good thing I checked. Have a 5th wheel now and do the same thing.....best to check everything twice

BulletOwner1 · 06-02-2014, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gearhead

...my wife's dumb butt brother in law. .

Wouldn't that be your brother?????

While hooking up the boat I slipped in the stinger, backed up and hooked up, pulled ahead. As soon as I went forward I heard a bang and jerk on the PU

, hit the brakes, and immediately heard another bang with jerk

! Didn't put the pin in the stinger, pulled out the stinger, hit the end of the safety chains, pulled the boat back towards the truck, and put a nice dent in the tailgate from the winch tower

!

gearhead · 06-02-2014, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BulletOwner1

Wouldn't that be your brother?????

While hooking up the boat I slipped in the stinger, backed up and hooked up, pulled ahead. As soon as I went forward I heard a bang and jerk on the PU

, hit the brakes, and immediately heard another bang with jerk

! Didn't put the pin in the stinger, pulled out the stinger, hit the end of the safety chains, pulled the boat back towards the truck, and put a nice dent in the tailgate from the winch tower

!

That would be my wife's sister's husband.
What's the stinger?

Stublejumper · 06-02-2014, 06:39 PM

X2 on the stinger

TandE · 06-02-2014, 07:29 PM

I'm sure the stinger is the portion that goes into the reciever on the truck. Most time people call it a shank.

Travis

HappyCamperMN · 06-02-2014, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TandE

I'm sure the stinger is the portion that goes into the reciever on the truck. Most time people call it a shank.

Travis

AKA - draw bar

BulletOwner1 · 06-02-2014, 08:26 PM

Yep, that's it. Sorry for the lack of detail.

gcracker · 06-03-2014, 06:23 AM

Had a very scary instance with a gooseneck horse trailer many years ago.

Hooked up the truck and trailer the night before we were leaving in the dark while being tired to save time the next day. Next day got home from work, loaded the 2 horses in the trailer and drove 2.5 hours to a trail ride campout. When we got to the campsite I noticed the hitch was sitting on top of the ball instead of down around it! I immediately had to sit down and re-evaluate Time Saving vs. Safety when prepping for a trip.

{tpc} · 06-03-2014, 09:40 AM

The only thing I forgot to do so far was put the d-ring in once while towing back from the storage place which is about 7 miles down the road. I realized it after getting ready to back it in the driveway. Nothing happened thankfully and it never opened back up, but I am sure it could have.

Not really a bad experience, but during our last tow (first long tow, about 300 miles or so), I was experiencing quite a bit of sway, much more than I expected. Fooled around with the anti-sway a bit, but it didn't seem to help all that much. It was only after I got off the highway and stopped at a mcdonalds, did it hit me that I was towing with 2 more people in the truck and more gear, but I still had the WD bars set up to an empty truck with 1 or 2 people in it. Tightened them up a link, and it was a night and day difference. I think what was happening is the front end was lighter making the sway more pronounced as I was steering.

Got home sunday. Monday traded in car for a bigger truck.

vampress_me · 06-03-2014, 11:45 AM

Ours was many years ago. Have a heavy bumper pull horse trailer. Hubby and I were hooking it up together at a friends to head over to their other place to grab our horses which was 2 miles away on bumpy gravel roads. Got to other place to realize neither one of us had closed and latched the hitch around the ball. Chains were hooked up, breakaway was hooked up, just not the hitch. We both about died when we saw that AFTER loading the horses in. Lesson learned - never trust someone else when hooking up even if it is your hubby/ wife, and always do a thorough walk-around inspection no matter how far you are going. Lesson has been followed for 20 years with no problems (now I'm going to knock on wood!).

Pmedic4 · 06-03-2014, 12:32 PM

Well, even a Dualie isn't big enough for some RVs!

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So Cal CPA · 06-03-2014, 02:25 PM

While towing home through Los Angeles on the 405 I had one of the wheels on the trailer completly fall off and go bouncing down the freeway. We watched as it hit the center median and thank god it did not bounce over and into oncoming traffic. No reports of accident or injury that I am aware of.

When I say fall off I mean the wheel was still attached to the drum via the lug nuts and bolts.

This was not our fault in that the boat and trailer were brand new from a dealer in Orange County. Sat on the 405 for 4 hours until the dealer could send a maintenance crew with a new wheel and hub that fit. Made the guy go around and jack up all tires and check the wheel bearings, lock nuts, and of course lug nuts. Got home safe.

{tpc} · 06-04-2014, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pmedic4

Well, even a Dualie isn't big enough for some RVs!

[URL="

__________________
2022 Ford F150 3.5 Ecoboost SCrew 4x4 MaxTow
2020 Salem Hemisphere Hyper-Lyte 25RBHL

06-04-2014, 06:45 AM

#19

{tpc}

Senior Member

Join Date: Apr 2014

Location: Berkley

Posts: 751

Quote:

Originally Posted by So Cal CPA

While towing home through Los Angeles on the 405 I had one of the wheels on the trailer completly fall off and go bouncing down the freeway. We watched as it hit the center median and thank god it did not bounce over and into oncoming traffic. No reports of accident or injury that I am aware of.

When I say fall off I mean the wheel was still attached to the drum via the lug nuts and bolts.

This was not our fault in that the boat and trailer were brand new from a dealer in Orange County. Sat on the 405 for 4 hours until the dealer could send a maintenance crew with a new wheel and hub that fit. Made the guy go around and jack up all tires and check the wheel bearings, lock nuts, and of course lug nuts. Got home safe.

To add to this I had a similar situation happen near me. Wasn't with a trailer but it adds to properly torquing down everything.

I was taking my kids to the apple orchard, driving down a 2 lane road (one lane either direction). Wrong place wrong time I guess but approachign me in the left lane is an older camaro beat to hell. As it got within maybe 10 car lengths? or so, I watched the rear drivers side tire (the side nearest me), fly off the car and bounce over me. That wasn't the worst though. The ligs sheared off and one hit my windshield face level on the drivers side, so right in my face.

That was some crazy stuff. I saw it all happening but nothing I could do it happened so fast and we were going 50 mph down the road. Kids didn't know what happened until I pulled over and went back to the other guy for insurance...which he didn't have. I probably should have had a mouthful of lugnut but apparently windshield glass it fairly strong stuff.

I think the kid said he used a air ratchet to torque down the lugs...didn't understand why it happened....luckily noone was hurt and the cheap sob wouldn't even help with my deductible!

__________________
2022 Ford F150 3.5 Ecoboost SCrew 4x4 MaxTow
2020 Salem Hemisphere Hyper-Lyte 25RBHL

06-04-2014, 07:12 AM

#20

Old Bear

Junior Member

Join Date: Mar 2014

Location: Tennessee

Posts: 28

Quote:

Originally Posted by {tpc}

... I think the kid said he used a air ratchet to torque down the lugs...didn't understand why it happened....luckily noone was hurt and the cheap sob wouldn't even help with my deductible!

No insurance required in that state? Various states I have lived in, he would have at least been cited by the police. In a couple of states, he would have been arrested, the car would have been impounded and the license tag lost. And then I would have him in civil court at a minimum. Yea, I can be a jerk when it comes to dealing with stupid people.

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