Please makesure the hitch is on the ball.

[two_bit_score]

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

A woman died after her truck was pushed off the road by the trailer she was towing Tuesday morning, causing the vehicle to collide with a tree, according to a report filed by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Tracy Lynn Dailey, 37, of Bronson, was northbound on FM 226 1.4 miles south of Woden at about 10:15 a.m. when the trailer she was pulling came off the towing ball of the truck and pushed against the bumper, according to DPS Trooper Keith Jones.

"The horse trailer tongue was locked and the pin was through it, but it was never on the ball," Jones, who investigated the wreck, said. "It was sitting on top of the ball, and safety chains were hooked. The breakaway device was hooked up, but the tongue eventually slipped off the ball, and as she was pulling it down the road, the trailer was pushing her."

On the scene, the truck had to be pulled away from a tree about 10 feet off the roadway where it had come to a halt and had lodged against the driver side door. Nacogdoches Fire Department responded to the scene with the Jaws of Life that were used to pry off the door that had become mangled by the impact.

Dailey was trapped in the vehicle for almost half an hour while crews worked to free her from the cab of the truck.

Dailey was taken to Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead by Dr. Eulogio Ouano Bonsukan at 11:39 a.m., according to the reports.

The report stated that her seatbelt was worn at the time of the accident.

 

[BruceWard]

That is terrible. I had an unloaded equipment trailer jump off the ball after going over a bump a few months ago. I beleive that I had not seated it properly. The tongue of the trailer went under the rear bumper of my truck. The only damage was that I needed to rewire the 7 pin electrical connector.

 

[two_bit_score]

That is terrible. I had an unloaded equipment trailer jump off the ball after going over a bump a few months ago. I beleive that I had not seated it properly. The tongue of the trailer went under the rear bumper of my truck. The only damage was that I needed to rewire the 7 pin electrical connector.

You are right, Bruce, it's terrible. I posted it because it's something that happened to someone I know too. Just lucky they were only pulling a small utility trailer. But, they drove from Austin to San Antonio on I-35 in 70-80mph traffic with the hitch on top of the ball and it never came off. Luckily I found it when they got to San Antonio and before we loaded the trailer.

It's easier to do than one might think.

 

[ultrarunner]

When I was 17 I agreed to transport a horse to the UC Davis Medical Center with my truck... the owner of the horse had the trailer.

I thought he had secured the trailer and didn't do my own check...

I pulled on highway 80 and about a minute later a trucker pulled along side and got my attention... He was say pull over, pull over.

I did and found the trailer was sitting unlatched on the ball and the safety chains were dragging... I turned white as a sheet just thinking what could have happened.

Ever since I check my trailer connection each time before I get and drive off...

Last year there was a story about local kids that would unhook trailers for "Fun"

 

[JB4310]

Um am I missing something here? just cause the trailer came off the ball why would that push the truck off the road?

It says all the chains were hooked up so I'm assuming wire jack also. brakes would still work unless it had surge brakes but then it says it was pushing against the bumper, so surge brakes would still work?

Must of been a heavy trailer that started tracking off to the side and PULLED the rear of the truck sideways enough to cause her to loose control, of course this is speculation but for that to happen the chains would of had to be to long. Chains are supposed to be able to support the tongue of the trailer preventing it from even touching the ground, not always possible I know. I just don't think "the trailer was pushing her" sounds right.

I drove about 5 miles with my equipment trailer all chained and wired but forgot to close the pintle, ring just rode on the open hook all the way! That was a wake up call, now as soon as I drop the ring on the hook I close and lock it, even before lifting the jack all the way up, and before fooling around with chains or wires.

 

[lungdoc]

We had a scary experience a few years ago - taking a pontoon boat in for trade in, going on a bumpy road. The trailer came off ball - wasn't tightened enough. Swayed viciously then snapped chains and harpooned the back of the truck, fortunately it sliced through rear paneling and poked into rear left tire which shredded but jammed the tongue allowing us to brake to a nice controlled stop and fix at side of road. Could easily have gone VERY wrong as a 28' pontoon boat. I learned the useful fact that the nut for the neck of the trailer latch adjustment is the same as many tire wheel nuts so tire iron worked to tighten. SInce then I always check it's a snug latch especially on bumpy rides.

 

[two_bit_score]

I gotta tell a story on my Dad here. We're just really glad he never had consequences like the lady mentioned in the story.

He took a bull to the slae one day and drove about 40 miles to the sale with a big, heavy bull in a small trailer. Unloaded the bull and when he got ready to pull out of the loading area the bulldog hitch just basically fell apart. My brother had to drive over with another one and weld it on. Had that hitch fell apart on the road before he got to the slae barn I hate to think about it.

 

[JoelD]

This is an excellent post and something that happens all the time.

Me:

Towing my 14 foot utility trailer, tongue on ball, tongue latch up instead of down. Pure luck it did not jump the ball.

Towing my 18 foot tri-axle with 6K backhoe, forgot to latch pintle, again, dumb luck it did not jump out of the pintle.

Towing my 14 foot utility at town fair, loaded with people behind my tractor, no chains, again tongue not latched down, again dumb luck it did not jump the ball while loading or unloading passengers.

Would be great if someone could rig up a warning buzzer or the like.

Joel

 

[The Haymaker]

Gets hard on tailgates too!

 

[chopped]

In my opinion the pintle is easier to be sure its locked.

 

[JoelD]

Gets hard on tailgates too!

Agreed, I kick the crud out of my my bumper hooking up as it is.
Joel

 

[eastexan]

This is a great safety subject that everyone that pulls trailers needs to take to heart.

There are a lot of good guys that would give the shirt off their back to someone in need, but are lackadaisical about safety when it comes to pulling trailers.

I've driven many miles on my job over the years (retired now) and have seen a lot of incidents with trailers, here in Texas. This was especially true years ago, but seem to be doing a little better now-a-days.

About 25 years ago I seen a 16' tandem trailer come off a pickup that was in front of me on a twisty, hilly, and busy 2 lane highway. There was oncoming traffic, but fortunately the trailer careened toward the shoulder and went down an embankment and hit some trees. It could just as easily have went into the oncoming traffic, which could have killed a mother with her kids.

I've seen trailers that didn't have their lights hooked up, or not have lights at all.
One of these was at night in a curve on a little FM highway and the load was blocking the pickups tail lights from being seen. Fortunately, it wasn't raining or foggy, and I seen it in time.

I've borrowed trailers from friends that the safety chains were broken or missing. I would have to go to the hardware store and buy parts to fix it. And usually, I would have to find a pin to lock it with.

Also, something very commonplace is using 1 7/8" hitch balls with 2" hitches.

No doubt, these are all good people that care about each other. But sometimes people need reminders.

 

[JB4310]

Also, something very commonplace is using 1 7/8" hitch balls with 2" hitches.

Yeah, I can see how this could be a problem not easily recognized, "if it drops on must be good"
Though on one of my couplers I think it says 1 7/8" OR 2"

.

 

[hitekcountry]

I have two trailers, a utility trailer that takes a 2" ball and a dump trailer that takes a 2 5/16" ball. I know of at least one time that I towed the dump trailer with the 2" ball. That's one trailer (with or without a load) I wouldn't want to come unhitched.

How likely is a 2 5/16" hitch to come loose off a 2" ball?

 

[vettemanwight]

I was towing our 4 ton equipment traler from work to my house its 24 mi , I was going up a steep hill about 3 mi from my house when the trailer came off the ball. WellI didnt know what to do I was going up a steep hill I Had had bypass surgery 3 months before and I was all alone. I stopped the truck got out swung the jack down and slowly let truck roll backwards .... with me in cab and my foot on brake . When the jack swung down it locked in place I cranked it down backed truck up and rehooked trailer up. I didnt seat trailer hitch on the ball . it was locked but not seated. Now when we hook the trailers up I stress to my employees to ALWAYS double check it !!!!!!!!! Even if you are sure it was connected properly... DOUBLE check it !!!!!!!!!

 

[deepNdirt]

Um am I missing something here? just cause the trailer came off the ball why would that push the truck off the road?

It says all the chains were hooked up so I'm assuming wire jack also. brakes would still work unless it had surge brakes but then it says it was pushing against the bumper, so surge brakes would still work?

There are a couple of different typs of trailer braking systems, some have the actuator built into the trailers tongue ( Carlisle type Brakes system)
when the actuator has pressure apply from the weight of the trailer pushing against the tow vehicle, in other words when the brakes are applied on the tow vehicle the weight of the trailer pushes against the hitch and then activates the brakes, if the trailer tongue were siply hanging by the chains then there would be no brakes,.... I never like this kind of setup but they are known to be the best trailer brake system on the market, I always have used the standard electric brake through the wiring of my tow vehicles and actually set them upwith a under dash brake actuator and can match up the braking with the tow vehicle or apply the brake by hand as well, .........

My story is I drove about 50miles with the latch not locked down back the trailer up a drive chock the wheels and went to unhitch the trailer only to find that I never had push the latch down, this was a scary thought, I then got me a pin and always double check, I was lucky the weight of the trailer was heavier over the front,..................................
another story,.... I met up with a friend had his boat at the lake boat ramp to take it out do some fishing, when we were through we loaded the boat back onto the trailer and all went fine, but you know how when you load a boat or even unload it if the latch is not down that tongue is coming off but it didn't. as I was following him I notice something went wrong sudenly as he was going down a slow hill the trailer came off the ball and went into a tree just off the roadside, he didnt know what happen or why it came off but I do know he was lucky the trees were there to stop him, it was atleast 100ft down an embankment before he would have stopped,
actually I think he had must of caught the latch with his shoe while he was walking on the tongue and didn't realize this, Only thing I could think of....

 

[JB4310]

There are a couple of different typs of trailer braking systems, some have the actuator built into the trailers tongue ( Carlisle type Brakes system)
when the actuator has pressure apply from the weight of the trailer pushing against the tow vehicle, in other words when the brakes are applied on the tow vehicle the weight of the trailer pushes against the hitch and then activates the brakes, if the trailer tongue were siply hanging by the chains then there would be no brakes,.... I never like this kind of setup but they are known to be the best trailer brake system on the market, I always have used the standard electric brake through the wiring of my tow vehicles and actually set them upwith a under dash brake actuator and can match up the braking with the tow vehicle or apply the brake by hand as well, .........

Yup I know about the types of trailer brakes, if they were electric and the trailer was still chained up then the break away system would not of deployed.

I'm just trying to analyze the exact chain of events that could of led to the tow vehicle and trailer going off the road. with a snippet of a news storey I guess that's not possible.

So I'm just thinking of what MIGHT of happened, if your going down the road and trailer comes off hitch that alone should not lead to such an accident.
If the trailer tongue was grinding on the ground or all over the back bumper it would be pretty unnerving and there MAY of been some panic involved, it might of been too large a trailer for the tow vehicle, speed probably had some role in it...


.

 

[Willl]

Have you guys thought about some kind of check list before you climb in the cab ?

 

[Redneck in training]

This story happened long time ago. 1963 or 64. I was about 15 or 16 at the time. My father designed and built boat racing engines and somebody who built boats was racing his engines every weekend. I often tagged along. One time we were returning home from distant location in big hurry (The driver had to attend a wedding). While already on the road and driving like nuts one guy in the car said, "I don't remember if the safety pin is in the hitch" (It was before the ball hitches were invented I suppose). My father said so stop and check. Well we didn't stop. Shortly after the trailer with the boat came off at about 90 mph. The tong hit a pothole catapulting it in air doing somersaults just above a head of a motorcyclist in opposite direction. When it crashed upside down the boat was just pile of wood splinters, the flywheel was broken off the engine, the bottom part of the prop drive was smashed looking like a mushroom etc. Fortunately nobody got hurt.

 

[deepNdirt]

yup! have been for some time now latch & pin in place +tires+tail lights+chains+ cargo tied down, on my enclosed trailer I have to be sure my ladders are all secured on top the best hitch coupler I have found was one that was on my 18ft lowboy car hauler, this kind covers almost the complete ball, not simply setting on top of the ball with a tab lever holding it down, once this coupler is clamshelled over the boll and locked into place, its not comming off,