Trailer came off the hitch

[Robert Green]

1) Yes. 2) Maybe never, maybe to save a kid who fell through broken ice. 3) Yes. I'll point out that they all had guns but I can assure you that many of them had never fired them in the line of duty. That's more rare than most people think. Should they stop carrying guns? That's where the "need" logic leads.

No one had ropes at the Air Florida crash except the rescue choppers. Park police, State police, Pentagon Protective Services, etc. Not one stinkin' rope among them. Even a dinky, not very strong poly rope should be in the kit of anyone who is likely to be a first responder. No citizen should have to risk his bloody life because not one of the dozens of cops around had a damn rope in the spacious trunks of their huge Crown Vics.

-- Bobby G.

[clare]

I generally have at least 25 feet of 3/8" nylon tope in my car at all times. Never know when I'll need to tie on a "find" to get it home.

[Steve B]

wrote

I carry one to bring home treasure. I guess one COULD use it for rescue.........

And I'll stop and block traffic to fetch a chain or a nice hank of rope on the freeway, too.

Steve

[Robert Green]

Good idea. It doesn't take up very much trunk space and can usually be tucked away without ever getting in the way. I wonder if the local police mandated a rope be carried after the Air Florida crash?. They were roundly criticized for standing around on the riverbank doing nothing. Sadly I'd bet that if the same thing happened, it would play out in the same way.

-- Bobby G.

[Ned Flanders]

I carry a 100ft rope (probably around 400lb test) and a level 1 first aid kit. It drives my wife nuts, but it may come in hand one day.

[Nate Nagel]

Even so, it can still come off... had an empty trailer come off on me once while making a right turn onto a busy street. Dumbass me let the truck rental place guy put it on rather than doing it myself, because I figured he'd done it plenty more times. Guess he didn't tighten it down enough. Oddly, after I attached it myself I drove it hundreds of miles before turning it back in without it coming off once. If you want something done right, sometimes...

nate

[gpsman]

The last time you told that story- "It fell off as I turned out of the parking lot :("

-----

- gpsman

[Ned Flanders]

Another thing I do is crisscross my safety chains (ensuring there is just enough slack for tight turns) so that if the tongue of the trailer detaches from the hitch it will be cradled in the chain and not drag on or catch on the ground. I can't tell you how many time I have seen people connect their chains in line with the tongue and hitch. If their trailer detached it would probably catch on the ground and snap the chains.

[George]

Just Crown vics? Lots of cops around here drive around in fluffed up trucks carrying nothing but themselves. About 5 years ago the Feds were still throwing boxes of money on the front step of every police department for "anti-terrorism". My buddy is the chief of a medium size city and he said he could basically do what he wanted with the money. Many chiefs bought fluffed up trucks (if you ever watch any of the crime shows if 7 officers respond there are 7 single occupant big black fluffed trucks racing to the crime scene). He doesn't go for silly stuff so in at least his department no one drives a fluffed up truck.

[George]

Got it, in your heybub the goof story the inmates are never supervised and of course their work is never verified..

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Maybe a case of not knowing how to hitch(what is the weight of trailer? What is tongue weight?) or poor equipment maintenance.

[Nate Nagel]

-----

yes, both are true statements. I turned out of the parking lot onto a busy main street.

What a pathetic, bland existence you must have.

nate

[Nate Nagel]

that is absolutely a good idea, and I thought that that was SOP for attaching them. I know I've seen that recommendation on some official instructions somewhere, but I've been doing it that way as long as I can remember. I know my grandfather did it that way when towing a boat trailer. Once it was explained to me the way you did above, it didn't make sense to do it any other way.

nate

[clare]

PLUS the fact that the hitch ends up "in the cradle" if it jumps off the ball.

I've had it happen ONCE, back in my early days of trailer towing, and the crossed chains saved the day.

[gpsman]

Sure.

Ya think...? -----

- gpsman

[N8N]

hey, it's twoo, it's twoo. I also reconnected the trailer in the left turn lane of said street (I want to say it was Lorain Ave., but memory of events occurring 10+ years ago isn't the greatest) at the next intersecton, while giving my girlfriend on-the-fly lessons in backing up a moving truck and following hand signals (because I figured that since she had never before *either* driven a moving truck or hitched up a trailer, that manhandling the tongue of the trailer was probably the job that I was better suited for) not that it's pertinent to the point that I was making, namely "it doesn't matter how many times someone's done something, if you're driving the rig, check it yourself anyway." (clear message - I trusted someone else to do something right, didn't check it, and got put in a bad situation that could have been much much worse than it was because that one time I didn't double check.) As an aside, and in support of a point that another poster made in this thread, the safety chains *were* crossed and not too long, which was fortunate. The tongue settled onto the safety chains and didn't dig into the road, nothing broke, etc.

Now what if I'd posted the name of the company from whom I rented the truck, or some other detail, and misremembered it? I can see you doing a little happy dance in your dank, messy basement slash usenet reading area because you finally "caught" me in a "lie." I guess with an existence as evidently miserable as yours you need to get your joyous moments however you can, although that is pretty sad.

when you apparently have enough free time to try to "fact check" posts to Usenet to try to catch people you don't like contradicting themselves merely because you've taken a dislike to them... yeah. You *must* have a pretty pathetic, bland existence. And you're creepy. And not real bright, if you think that somehow "as I turned right out of the parking lot" and "as I turned onto a busy street" are somehow contradictory.

nate

[N8N]

you know, I've thought about this a bit, and I have another theory for you...

If you just dropped the hitch on the ball and tightened it down, the trailer might have been pushing forward slightly on the ball and therefore you didn't really have it tight. Since you'd loaded it slightly tail heavy the hitch was trying to pull up on the ball. if it was too loose and you backed up. if everything flexed just right (truck flat, trailer downhill maybe?) so that the movable piece of the hitch was above rather than below the center of the ball, the act of backing up could force the hitch off the ball. I could see this being exacerbated if the trailer had surge brakes.

Two things, then:

1) I like to pull forward slightly and then recheck the hitch to make sure that it is in fact well and truly tight before driving off. That way if there is any pressure on the hitch/ball interface it's on the front part of the hitch/ball not the rear where the moveable bit is. If the only place to hitch up is facing downhill, I'd stop on a flat or uphill and recheck it as soon as possible. 2) never, ever, ever load a trailer tail-heavy if there is any way around it. There's a good reason for the recommendation to load it front-heavy. (I know, that part has already been covered.)

nate

[dpb]

On 7/5/2011 1:03 PM, N8N wrote: ...

...

I'm wondering if he didn't just put a 2" hitch on a 1-7/8" ball...

Add the rear-heavy load and it's magic to think it's on but it isn't...

--

[Steve B]

"N8N" wrote

2) never, ever, ever load a trailer tail-heavy if there is any way around it. There's a good reason for the recommendation to load it front-heavy. (I know, that part has already been covered.)

nate

never, ever, ever load a trailer tail-heavy if there is any way around it. (?)

Huh?

But I do understand it. I once wanted to move a rock that was about 400#. I backed up to it with my ATV trailer, disconnected it, then stood up the ATV trailer. I strapped the rock to the tail of the trailer. I then used a come-along to bring the tongue down to the hitch. I did not move it far, but it did work.

So, I guess the never, ever, ever rule doesn't always apply.

If never doesn't mean never, what's never for?

Point is that you can bend the rules, it's just whether or not you get caught. Tail heavy trailers can be managed by a stout tow vehicle, or going low speeds. Any way you go, though, they are a recipe for trouble. Maybe even disaster. Or at least reason to exercise extreme caution.

Steve

Heart surgery pending?

Heart Surgery Survival Guide

[Nate Nagel]

That's what I meant. For high speed towing on the highway, everything has to be 100% right and by-the-book. If you're going a block or two and it's impossible to load it weighted on the hitch, I guess you'll probably be OK, but KNOW that what you're doing is wrong and keep that in mind at all times (no high speeds, make double-damn-sure that the hitch is securely locked to the ball, don't pull into any mud or wet grass, etc. etc. etc.)

nate