Towed Car Comes Loose

[2gypsies]

I just saw this blog of their towed car coming loose and a big plus for having an auxiliary braking system. Check your towing gear constantly folks.

 

http://wheelingit.us/2016/10/28/our-first-rv-accident-tow-comes-loose-in-nc/

[Al F]

Great info. Thanks for posting.

[docj]

The same sort of thing happened to us in Grants Pass OR a few years ago. Fortunately, we were on city streets and a Sheriff saw that one "arm" of the tow bar had become detached from the toad as we made a turn. He used his lights to get us to stop and, as a result, our damage was much less than was reported here.

 

In our case, we were using locking Blue Ox hitch pins rather than Cotter pins inserted through a hole in the hitch pin. But the older style of locking Blue Ox pin used a spring-loaded latch which most likely didn't properly catch. The newer version, which we now have, uses a cylindrical lock and a much more secure latching concept.

 

I know that some people are opposed to using locking hitch pins because they increase the time it takes to unhook the toad in an emergency. OTOH with a live key in the toad's ignition they do reduce the chance that someone will unhook the toad either for purely for mischief or to steal it.

[Dutch_12078]

I noticed some years back that the connecting pins in our ReadyBrute towbar always moved to the same side while underway, resulting in the pin retainer clip wearing if it was on the side that moved it up against the "knuckle". To eliminate the wear, I marked the tow bar knuckles so that I always insert the pins in the direction that causes them to work towards the handle and away from the clip. In many thousands of towing miles since, the clips have shown no signs of wear at all, and watching them from our lower rear camera leads me to believe that even if the clips were removed, the pins would still stay in place. I have no intentions of testing that theory though...

[Kirk W]

The best way to prepare for this is to adjust the cable for the breakaway switch length so that the extra distance between the vehicles with only one arm in place of two, will pull the switch and set the auxiliary brake. The same as making the cable shorter than the safety chains on a travel trailer. On our motorhome/CR-V having one arm pulled straight away increased the distance from the motorhome hitch by about a foot.

[docj]

The best way to prepare for this is to adjust the cable for the breakaway switch length so that the extra distance between the vehicles with only one arm in place of two, will pull the switch and set the auxiliary brake.

 

I'm not sure this is a good approach. If you fail to notice in your camera that something has happened, you will end up dragging your toad with its brake on.

[Kirk W]

 

I'm not sure this is a good approach. If you fail to notice in your camera that something has happened, you will end up dragging your toad with its brake on.

I believe that most people driving a motorhome would notice if the brake on the car being towed were to suddenly lock it's brakes. In my opinion that should be pretty obvious to an alert driver and much preferable to stopping the towed car by having it slam into the rear of the motorhome, damaging both vehicles.

 

There was one occasion when we were towing and something caught the cable to our breakaway and pulled the switch as we were turning a corner. It was very apparent to me that something was dramatically changed when that happened and I stopped very quickly. I expect that at highway speeds the change would be far more noticeable.

[Darryl&Rita]

I believe that most people driving a motorhome would notice if the brake on the car being towed were to suddenly lock it's brakes. In my opinion that should be pretty obvious to an alert driver and much preferable to stopping the towed car by having it slam into the rear of the motorhome, damaging both vehicles.

 

There was one occasion when we were towing and something caught the cable to our breakaway and pulled the switch as we were turning a corner. It was very apparent to me that something was dramatically changed when that happened and I stopped very quickly. I expect that at highway speeds the change would be far more noticeable.

 

Don't bet on it. As the video title says:

[Ray,IN]

Worst part about that video; the man videoing plus talking on phone while driving.

[Southern Dad]

You have to admit, the Fleetwood Southwind driver still pulling off with it in park was pretty stupid.

[Al F]

You have to admit, the Fleetwood Southwind driver still pulling off with it in park was pretty stupid.

Ah, NO. I would not say that the driver was stupid. I would say or write about the driver making a serious mistake, but I wouldn't criticize the driver by calling him/her stupid.

 

On the other hand, if I would make such a mistake, I would certainly say to myself, what a stupid idiot I was to make that mistake. But not call someone else stupid.