Trailer Loading Accident

[dgl24087]

From the Roanoke Times, Roanoke, VA.

Shawsville man dies after being pinned by a trailer

A Virginia Beach man was found dead at a Shawsville home Wednesday afternoon after an accident involving a trailer.
Joe Daniel Joyce of Virginia Beach was loading a tractor onto a trailer in the driveway of 1896 Willis Hollow Road in Shawsville when the truck started to roll, according to a news release from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.
Joyce attempted to stop the truck, and the trailer jackknifed. He was pinned between the truck and trailer.
The sheriff's office received a 911 call at 4:04 p.m. Joyce died at the scene, according to the release.

 

[groundcover]

All for want of a wheel chock,what a shame. Been there,done that, but got away with it but what a ride! He probably got away with it a hundred times and this one got him.

 

[Rara Avis]

From the Roanoke Times, Roanoke, VA.

Shawsville man dies after being pinned by a trailer

A Virginia Beach man was found dead at a Shawsville home Wednesday afternoon after an accident involving a trailer.
Joe Daniel Joyce of Virginia Beach was loading a tractor onto a trailer in the driveway of 1896 Willis Hollow Road in Shawsville when the truck started to roll, according to a news release from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.
Joyce attempted to stop the truck, and the trailer jackknifed. He was pinned between the truck and trailer.
The sheriff's office received a 911 call at 4:04 p.m. Joyce died at the scene, according to the release.

He is trying to push

 

[Renze]

A lot of these accidents, i think, are because the parking brake only works on the truck rear axle, which is being lifted off the ground when trying to load a fixed deck trailer on a slope.

There are three simple solutions to this:
A. trailer parking brakes (using a manual electric switch ?? air brakes makes it easier)
B. use folding or telescoping (jack)stands on the back of the trailer when (un)loading.
C. use tiltbeds instead


I buillt a tilt bed for my brother 3 years ago. He is so used to loading a 3 ton farm tractor on it, behind his Ford Mondeo, that he tried the same thing with his other fixed bed equipment trailer: The Mondeo wagon, loaded with plumbing tools and fittings, about 3 to 400kg, was lifted 40cm off the ground when the tractor rode the ramps, putting the rear of the trailer to the ground.

 

[Skyco]

Those who frequent Bob Is The Oil Guy forum may remember a very well known member there who somehow got caught up in his trailer on a steep drive. IIRC the trailer came loose and drug him down the drive under it killing him...I'm sure that wasn't pretty

 

[LBrown59]

A lot of these accidents, i think, are because the parking brake only works on the truck rear axle, which is being lifted off the ground when trying to load a fixed deck trailer on a slope.

There are three simple solutions to this:
1*. trailer parking brakes (using a manual electric switch ?? air brakes makes it easier)
2*. use folding or telescoping (jack)stands on the back of the trailer when (un)loading.
3*. use tiltbeds instead

4*Don't load on a slope incline or hill .

 

[Diamondpilot]

I always put my trucks in 4 wheel drive. This way when you go in park you are now locking both the rear and front axle. That is in addition to the parking break.

Chris

 

[radman1]

Renze

I think you have it right. The trailer lifted the rear of the truck up. I had a 30' GN on my pickup. Was loading a 14,000 lb (6300 kg) Genie manlift. Didn't put down the rear jackstands and lifted the truck rear end up in the air and was only partially loaded and didn't have the full weight on the ramps. Fortunately, I was on flat ground. It surprised me that a long, heavy trailer with tires relatively to the rear and being a GN, that could happen. After that I put it in 4 WD, used the stands and used wheel chocks.

For this guy to get pinned in the accident, I assume the truck/trailer was rolling backwards. Unfortunately, trying to stop a rolling vehicle is foolish, especially with a loaded trailer.

I never thought about a tilt bed as not rolling, but you are correct. I have a tilt bed but never looked at it that way.

 

[Dargo]

A lot of these accidents, i think, are because the parking brake only works on the truck rear axle, which is being lifted off the ground when trying to load a fixed deck trailer on a slope.

I think you are most likely right. I got away with a bonehead move with my very first tractor, a brand new 850 John Deere. At the time my driveway was only about 60 feet long and went up a bit of a hill to my home. For some reason I decided to load my tractor on my trailer when it was sitting in my driveway. I just had a 7k car trailer with slide out ramps and no stands under the rear of the trailer. about the time the rear wheels of the tractor got up on the trailer everything started slowly sliding down the driveway.

I was in a complete panic because not only did it catch me by surprise, but the trailer was heading off the side of the driveway towards a ditch that was about 3' deep. I couldn't decide quick enough if I wanted to go forward as fast as I could to put more weight on the rear of the truck or try to back off the trailer as fast as I could. Instead I did something that probably saved me. I didn't have my seatbelt on, so I grabbed it and put it on as fast as I could. About the time the belt clicked the back of the trailer went off into the ditch and I saw sky. The tractor flipped over backwards, bending the ROPS about a foot forwards, and then rolled over on it's side in the ditch - with me attached.

Other than smacking my head on the ground pretty hard I wasn't injured. My wife saw it happen from inside the house and thought she'd just witnessed her husband die. In retrospect, I now know how foolish that was and how lucky it turned out for me.

 

[Renze]

I always put my trucks in 4 wheel drive. This way when you go in park you are now locking both the rear and front axle. That is in addition to the parking break.

We rent a 10t dump trailer from a contractor to haul muck to the headland of our field at 1.5km distance, about every december/january when the muck silo is full. It also saves me from multiple trips with the 3t spreader through a bumpy sand road in spring time.

When braking that trailer on snow or ice, i allways engage the 4wd on my tractor, as well as when dumping in the field because the tipped back dumpbody lifts weight of the rear axle, and the flowing mass of muck pushes the trailer forward. But i hadnt thought of it in this situation... In my part of Holland we dont have hills anyways, and not much people have 4wd's to pull trailers.