Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

[RobertEH]

Yeah - I tried to set myself up with the right truck and hitch for the job so I hope to never be in one of those videos!

I would assume 1 and 2 should be done at the same time...

 

[jjeff]

When in doubt put more weight up front in your camper. Experienced the death wobble as an older kid hauling leftover pavers in a tandem axle dump trailer pulling it with a f350 service truck. Young and lazy using a wheel barrow loaded up the back 1/3 of dump trailer. Fortunately I didn't panic (almost had to change my skivvies though) stopped on side of a 55mph highway and moved tons of those pavers forward problem solved. Ever since, from this experience, intentionally load trailers tongue heavy within reason.

 

[California]

?

Small camp trailer with high walls, weight 2k, no trailer brakes. 3500 lb AMC Eagle Wagon pulling it. Throttle seemed the only way to make it follow me after that gust tossed it enough to wag the back of the Eagle.

I assume braking would have jackknifed it.

Also just thinking about it, I don't see how an inertia brake activator at the hitch like they use in Europe would be effective in this situation.

Added: link to photos.

 

[kevin37b]

It is obvious what is wrong here . NEGATIVE tounge weight .Kevin .

 

[jjeff]

Small camp trailer with high walls, weight 2k, no trailer brakes. 3500 lb AMC Eagle Wagon pulling it. Throttle seemed the only way to make it follow me after that gust tossed it enough to wag the back of the Eagle.

I assume braking would have jackknifed it.

Also just thinking about it, I don't see how an inertia brake activator at the hitch like they use in Europe would be effective in this situation.

What I call surge brakes?

 

[California]

What I call surge brakes?

Yes. I don't know much about them, so didn't know the proper name.

 

[Grumpycat]

Small camp trailer with high walls, weight 2k, no trailer brakes. 3500 lb AMC Eagle Wagon pulling it. Throttle seemed the only way to make it follow me after that gust tossed it enough to wag the back of the Eagle.

I assume braking would have jackknifed it.

Also just thinking about it, I don't see how an inertia brake activator at the hitch like they use in Europe would be effective in this situation.

Added: link to photos.

Braking a wagging/oscillating trailer with the tow vehicle increases probability of jack knifing.

Application of trailer brakes but not tow vehicle brakes can dampen the oscillation and allow one to safely stop. This is possible with the electrically controlled brakes and tow vehicle trailer brake controller commonly used in the USA. One is supposed to set the gain on the TBC by finding the point trailer wheels lock at 25 MPH. This differs for every trailer and every load.

Surge brakes (you'll find these on U-Haul trailers) apply when the trailer tongue is under compression from the tow vehicle slowing.

 

[jjeff]

You'll see surge brakes on quite a few bigger boat trailers require a 5 pin 4 flat with an extra pin so you can back them without manually disengaging them. If you don't they will lock up in reverse lol.

 

[seville009]

 

[California]

That reminds me of what I saws last week. Two unmounted tires rolling along in the fast lane of an urban expressway. Then cars dodging them as the tires slowed and went in random directions. One nearly hit a pedestrian waiting to cross at the light.

A block ahead, I came upon a Penske rental box truck, its rear wide open, with the driver just emerging from the cab ....


And I have two nice tiedown chains, found at a stoplight where someone must have accelerated hard. When I first saw them i put them on the curb. When I returned that way a half hour later they were still there. So I brought them home.

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^
My best chain is one that I picked up out of the ditch. It was coiled up like a snake, which must have happened as it came off the truck, then all landed in the same spot.

I never did find my trailer license plate, which I thought had fallen off in the general area.

 

[jjeff]

Used to find all kinds of stuff along the interstate some days I'd have more stuff in the cab of the truck I was taking home with me than garbage put in the stake body lol.

 

[Jstpssng]

Used to find all kinds of stuff along the interstate some days I'd have more stuff in the cab of the truck I was taking home with me than garbage put in the stake body lol.

I've picked a lot of tools up off the road over the years. Probably about as many as I've lost in the road over the years.

 

[Southernspeed]

Yeah - I tried to set myself up with the right truck and hitch for the job so I hope to never be in one of those videos!

I would assume 1 and 2 should be done at the same time...

I apply the trailer brakes but stay on the gas, then as it straightens up get off the gas and let the trailer brakes slow me down until all is well. With an unbraked trailer, just punch it. Accelerate hard and hope it stays straight when you get off the gas.

 

[two_bit_score]

I've picked a lot of tools up off the road over the years. Probably about as many as I've lost in the road over the years.

At least you broke even. Pretty sure I have lost more than I found.

 

[Peter 315]

Do brake lights come on if you only apply the trailer brakes?

Yes on my 16 Ford with factory brake controller they come on.....

 

[notaz3]

On my 16 Ford, there wasn’t a towing option at all, much less a brake controller. Mine didn’t even come with a steel bed, although a lot of fellows converted if they didn’t re-seal the wood with boiled linseed oil before every winter.
View attachment 810818
Sorry, I made all that crap up. I just popped over here from the ‘Groan’ thread and read your post. I suppose I was feeling ‘funny’.


*edit: I did go check my 2007 F250 to see if the brake lights came on when the factory tow brake was manually activated. They did come on.

I'll trade you my 08 F250 for that.

 

[notaz3]

Although the 6.0 has its problems and is expensive to fix, I’ve been told the 6.4 is an unrepairable engine. The diesel shop that works on mine said the new 6.7 is the best PSD yet. The statement was; “ More power, best reliability and better fuel economy”.

130,000+ miles, and never had any problem other than a leaking radiator hose, and needed to replace tie rods.

Oil change every 5,000 miles, and no aftermarket tune.

 

[goeduck]

On the accelerate or trailer brake in an unstable towing situation debate, my hope would be they would trailer brake. Otherwise, they'd just be going faster with an unstable configuration.

 

[aczlan]

On the accelerate or trailer brake in an unstable towing situation debate, my hope would be they would trailer brake. Otherwise, they'd just be going faster with an unstable configuration.

Need to pull the trailer straight, applying the trailer brakes manually does that, as does accelerating.
I would give it gas and manually hit the trailer brakes until it straightened out, then let off of the gas and slow down.
Slowing the tow vehicle down without reducing the oscillations first will make the situation worse.


Aaron Z