Don't Trust Your Trailer

[C35]

I had a very startling lesson yesterday about trailer safety.

I rented a trencher to do a project at my home. The place I got it has been around for about 50 years and rents mostly to professionals and tradesmen and the guy hooking me up appeared to be very competent and well experienced. Despite that, I watched him do the connection.

To make a long story short, after unloading the trencher I set out to pick up some bagged concrete. About a mile down the road, I felt a tug and then in my rearview mirror, saw the trailer careening across the oncoming lane, over a ditch and into a stand of pine trees.

The trailer was equipped with two 3/8" safety chains with hooks and a 1/4" chain to actuate the breakaway safety on the surge brakes. The hook on the end of the breakaway was pulled off yet the lever was still in the down position, not engaged. Apparently as the trailer bounced around the slip hooks came loose of the safety chains. After retrieving the trailer and reconnecting, I hooked the chains. Then I gave one a quick whip up and down and the hook popped right off. So much for safety chains.

Apparently the coupler's locking pawl had worn and it simply popped loose, releasing the coupler.

Here's what I learned-

I'll never connect safety chains with hooks. And in thinking about it, most of the places these chains hook onto aren't capable of holding a runaway trailer, so a chain is going around a main tube. I'm going to replace my hooks with screw-closure rings.

I will never, ever tow a trailer with surge brakes. After watching the actuator lever fail to move tells me it's a very flawed system. It seems that the pull was just at the wrong angle. Electric brakes wouldn't have allowed that to happen.

Standing on the side of the road, surveying the trailer stuck into the stand of pines across from a corn field made me wonder what would have happened had it popped loose less than a minute earlier when I turned off of a busy state route. It would have most certainly gone head-first into oncoming traffic. Thinking about a ten thousand pound boat in place of a small flatbed trailer makes me very hesitant to hook it up again.

If you trust your trailer's safety features, you should think again.

[Ratickle]

Scary Stuff there.....

[rschap1]

VERY scary
Glad that it wasn't worse for you or anyone else
Last summer a POS (homemade I think) POS POS rust bucket of a $hi++y trailer broke loose of the crappy van towing it and crossed the road into a woman in her Explorer. Fatal accident not too far from my home.
When the newscast showed the van and trailer IT SHOULD have never been on the road. I felt very sorry for the victim and hoped the book would get thrown at that knot head towing his $hi+ down the road. It was sad to see and wondered how easy it would be for ANYONE to have been killed that way.
VERY true what you say about most "safety" set ups being very deceptive and stretching the terminology to the max. Manufacturers seem to use as little as possible and still meet legal requirements. Can never be too careful!

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/10/woman_killed_after_homemade_tr.html


COURTLAND TOWNSHIP -- A woman is dead after a homemade trailer hauled behind a van came unhinged on 10 Mile Road NE and flew through the windshield of an oncoming SUV.
The crash occurred just before 9:30 a.m. as the van was traveling east on 10 Mile Road near Brower Lake Road. Police said the trailer-hauling mechanism fell apart and the makeshift trailer flew over the top of a vehicle following and into the windshield of the westbound Mercury SUV, instantly killing the female driver, believed to be in her 40s, according to Kent County Sheriff's Deputy Steve Dabkowski.

A female passenger in the SUV was sent to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital with minor injuries, according to police. The van driver was not injured.

Police have not identified those involved and 10 Mile Road remained close for more than three hours after the crash.

[Ratickle]

Damn......

[scottc]

As much money that is spent on your boat and nothing spent on the trailer. I see this all the time. Ask yourself "when was the last time I checked the brakes, lights, tires?" Most trailer with electric brakes have a backup battery. Most of them never get charged unless it is wired into the system. With that battery dead, the breakaway system will NOT work. On hydrolic brakes systems, when was the last time the fluid was checked? No fluid = no brakes. I am in the trailer repair and inspection buisness and see this first hand all the time. Check your trailer at least once a year, more often if used more.

[MOBILEMERCMAN]

Thankfully no one was hurt.

Was there a lesson to be learned about how to load weight on a trailer?

Many problems I have witnessed were created by improper loading. Usually lack of tongue weight.

[Revd Up]

Thanks,
I will be changing my hooks to screw closure links as well.

[C35]

Thankfully no one was hurt.

Was there a lesson to be learned about how to load weight on a trailer?

Many problems I have witnessed were created by improper loading. Usually lack of tongue weight.

In this case the trailer was empty. That was the first thought I had when I glanced back and saw the trailer whipping around. In fact, I think loading may have had something to do with it. Just an hour earlier I towed a 4000 pound trencher on the trailer. Tongue weight was probably how I got the machine to it's destination.

[C35]

Thanks,
I will be changing my hooks to screw closure links as well.

When the guy at the rental yard came out he couldn't believe it at all. I grabbed the hooked chain and whipped it once. The hook immediately popped off. He didn't ask any other questions. by the way, I tied the chains in a knot before hooking them for the ride back.

[MOBILEMERCMAN]

Twisting the chains to adjust the slack helps to hold them on by keeping tension on them.

My trailer has the snap lock hooks and I twist them to the perfect length.

[Ratickle]

In this case the trailer was empty. That was the first thought I had when I glanced back and saw the trailer whipping around. In fact, I think loading may have had something to do with it. Just an hour earlier I towed a 4000 pound trencher on the trailer. Tongue weight was probably how I got the machine to it's destination.

That could very well be true. A trailer, when being towed, should have between 10% and 15% of the total gross weight on the tongue. Less than 10% and the danger of whipping becomes very real.

Depending on how that trencher was on there, and how the trailer was set up, full could be fine. Empty could be waiting for an issue.

[rschap1]

How timely this was...
As I head home on the highway last night I about $hi+ myself.
a POS Econoline van dragging a good sized hi-low/fork lift on a real WRECK of a trailer.
4 odd tires , no fenders, crooked, lopsided, WRECK of a trailer.
As I raced to get ahead of the accident waiting to happen I saw how close this thing was to falling apart under the fork lift at 75+ mph. Half the wooden floor of the stressed car hauler already rotted away, wheels each tweaked and twisted in their own direction. Bent axles, wore mismatched tires...I just got away as quick as I could. Feel soory for the poor SOB that decides to tailgate that trailer.
I know everytime I tow anything someone tries to tuck the nose of their compact car under the @$$ of my trailer. Guess some folks dream of insurance $$$$

[BDC1013]

Twisting the chains to adjust the slack helps to hold them on by keeping tension on them.

My trailer has the snap lock hooks and I twist them to the perfect length.

i have just regular hooks... ill remember this. My trailer needs some serious work.

[Ratickle]

I had to go get a few yards of gravel. Checked everything on the trailer first. I think I will add new chains for the next time......

[Big Time]

When I bought my boat the trailer was in not so great shape (including the breaks). It was the first major "job" I did when I got the boat back home. I also never trailer without locking the hitch in one way or another. I was always paranoid that the locking mechanism would fail without it.

[Donskihp]

I had an old boat and trailer come apart on me ( ball only) the chains held. The boat was about 4500 lbs. It was not a pleasant experance, and I was able to stop with the trailer tounge under my truck bumper. I never go any where now without using a pin or clip on the ball ketch.

[sbracing]

As much money that is spent on your boat and nothing spent on the trailer. I see this all the time. Ask yourself "when was the last time I checked the brakes, lights, tires?" Most trailer with electric brakes have a backup battery. Most of them never get charged unless it is wired into the system. With that battery dead, the breakaway system will NOT work. On hydrolic brakes systems, when was the last time the fluid was checked? No fluid = no brakes. I am in the trailer repair and inspection buisness and see this first hand all the time. Check your trailer at least once a year, more often if used more.

We are in the trailer manufacturing business as well as inspection & repair in PA. Fortunately, PA is one of the states that has mandatory trailer inspections for trailers over 3000 lbs. GVW. I don't know how many times a customer has told me there is nothing wrong with their trailer when they drop it off, only to find breakaway systems inoperable, brakes not working etc... My advice, get someone who knows trailers (if you don't) to thoroughly inspect your trailer at the beginning of each season.

If you hook the safety chains as legally required, they can't fall off. Loop the hook from front to back through the hitch loop.

Rich

[pauljones]

That was a scary experienced. Almost got into that last month, good thing I double checked everything.
___________________________________________________________________________ _______
Tow Truck St. Louis (http://www.stlouiscitytowing.com/)

[fund razor]

So Paul, do you remember our conversation about the tow truck new members?

[Bobcat]

I have not yet begun to tow.

[Bgchuby01]

As you all know I tow boats almost every day, You would be surprised as to how many of these trailers hauling big very expensive boats have their brakes inop. From my end I just have to deal with it and drive with a lot of caution. If I tell the customer that I can't haul his boat because the brakes don't work some will say don't worry Ill give it to someone else. Others will say Ill get it fixed once it gets to where it is going. Other than brakes most trailers are in pretty good shape most of the time. The other problem is trailers that sit with new tires for years and the customer says the tread is bran new yet the sidewalls have cracks from the heat and just roll 10 miles and they will come apart. Lately most owners realize this and will have me throw on all new tires. Remember changing out 6 tires at a tire shop is cheaper than road service for one tire.

[fund razor]

I have surge. :( But I want to convert to EOH.
(You towed mine from Miami to Delaware once almost ten years ago.)

Tires I replaced about four years ago. Probably will go one more year before I do 6 new ones.
I did add a spare rim/tire to the rig and a toolbox with all emergency stuff, straps, chains, jacks.

[Henry]

I will never under any circumstance tow a trailer with flood brakes, subsequent to viewing the actuator switch neglect to move discloses to me it's an extremely imperfect framework


















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