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[Kristian Johnsen]

Jamin Lynch wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 03:18

That's why I ALWAYS make a walk around before I drive off. Even when I'm not pulling a trailer. Check the tires, make sure the doors are closed good, make sure nothing is going to shift, check the hitch, check the lights, and so on. Even if somebody messed with it, I will catch any problems BEFORE I leave.

Always gauge the oil, too?

Seriously, though, that's impressive.  With my busy schedule and number of short runs in a typical work day I'd be doing little else on some days.  I will, for obvious reasons, be checking the tounge release of my trailer more often from now on, so I do think you do have a point, although not very practical for most people out in the real world.

[Kristian Johnsen]

Adam.

I'm in complete agreement with your general point on the issue.

[Kristian Johnsen]

Thank you all who shared info and photos of how trailers and towing is done out there.  It's a big world and getting some fresh ideas is always a good thing!

[Mark Phillips]

Hello Kristian, I am glad that you were not injured and that your trailer and gear was not damaged. The outcome could have been so much worse. Your post made me rethink a few things, thank you for sharing.

[Milt Hathaway]

Jonathan Kok wrote on Thu, 30 December 2010 15:57

The inertia ones are nice, as the trailer then only requires a 4-pin electrical connection, but there's no way to control the bias on them, which needs to be adjusted to account for the variable weight of the trailer.

Inertia brakes (aka: hydraulic surge brakes) automatically adjust themselves to the load. A heavier load presses harder on the mechanism during braking (and vice versa.) Other than the usual brake system maintenance they are relatively foolproof.

[Jamin Lynch]

Kristian Johnsen wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 01:06

Jamin Lynch wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 03:18 That's why I ALWAYS make a walk around before I drive off. Even when I'm not pulling a trailer. Check the tires, make sure the doors are closed good, make sure nothing is going to shift, check the hitch, check the lights, and so on. Even if somebody messed with it, I will catch any problems BEFORE I leave. Always gauge the oil, too? Seriously, though, that's impressive.  With my busy schedule and number of short runs in a typical work day I'd be doing little else on some days.  I will, for obvious reasons, be checking the tounge release of my trailer more often from now on, so I do think you do have a point, although not very practical for most people out in the real world.

That's BS!! Nobody could possibly be so busy that you can't take a few sconds to make a walk around. How much time did it take out of your busy day to rescue your trailer? A quick check would have saved you a lot of time and maybe prevented a tragedy.

There are NO short cuts for safety.

[Kristian Johnsen]

Jamin Lynch wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 15:26

Kristian Johnsen wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 01:06 Jamin Lynch wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 03:18 That's why I ALWAYS make a walk around before I drive off. Even when I'm not pulling a trailer. Check the tires, make sure the doors are closed good, make sure nothing is going to shift, check the hitch, check the lights, and so on. Even if somebody messed with it, I will catch any problems BEFORE I leave. Always gauge the oil, too? Seriously, though, that's impressive.  With my busy schedule and number of short runs in a typical work day I'd be doing little else on some days.  I will, for obvious reasons, be checking the tounge release of my trailer more often from now on, so I do think you do have a point, although not very practical for most people out in the real world. Yes, if I'm about to go on a long trip, I check the oil too. I find it hard to believe anyone could be so busy that you can't take a few sconds to make a walk around. How much time did it take out of your busy day to rescue your trailer? There are NO short cuts for safety.

Jamin.

You can blow your safety-contious horn all you want but I think you're pleading a tough case that it's somehow my fault that someone snuck up an pulled the release handle on my trailer when I had an approved trailer lock installed, and the sabotage happened in such a way that the problem was not visible.

Further, once disaster struck 2 kilometers down the road, my installed safety wire did it's job.

Thank you for your insights.  I commend you for finding the time to perform your safety routine for every short drive and I will strive to find the time to do the same.

[Kristian Johnsen]

Mark Phillips wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 13:44

Hello Kristian, I am glad that you were not injured and that your trailer and gear was not damaged. The outcome could have been so much worse. Your post made me rethink a few things, thank you for sharing.

Thank you for your well-wishes.  This was an eye-opener for me, also - hence the wish to post about it.

[Jamin Lynch]

Kristian Johnsen wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 08:46

Jamin Lynch wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 15:26 Kristian Johnsen wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 01:06 Jamin Lynch wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 03:18 That's why I ALWAYS make a walk around before I drive off. Even when I'm not pulling a trailer. Check the tires, make sure the doors are closed good, make sure nothing is going to shift, check the hitch, check the lights, and so on. Even if somebody messed with it, I will catch any problems BEFORE I leave. Always gauge the oil, too? Seriously, though, that's impressive.  With my busy schedule and number of short runs in a typical work day I'd be doing little else on some days.  I will, for obvious reasons, be checking the tounge release of my trailer more often from now on, so I do think you do have a point, although not very practical for most people out in the real world. Yes, if I'm about to go on a long trip, I check the oil too. I find it hard to believe anyone could be so busy that you can't take a few sconds to make a walk around. How much time did it take out of your busy day to rescue your trailer? There are NO short cuts for safety. Jamin. You can blow your safety-contious horn all you want but I think you're pleading a tough case that it's somehow my fault that someone snuck up an pulled the release handle on my trailer when I had an approved trailer lock installed, and the sabotage happened in such a way that the problem was not visible. Further, once disaster struck 2 kilometers down the road, my installed safety wire did it's job. Thank you for your insights.  I commend you for finding the time to perform your safety routine for every short drive and I will strive to find the time to do the same.

Nowhere did I imply it was your fault.  

A 2 second safety check would have prevented your "disaster" from happening in the first place. SURELY we can all spare a couple of seconds out of our busy day.

And Yes, you were very lucky nobody got hurt.

[Kristian Johnsen]

Jamin Lynch wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 16:04

Kristian Johnsen wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 08:46 Jamin Lynch wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 15:26 Kristian Johnsen wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 01:06 Jamin Lynch wrote on Fri, 31 December 2010 03:18 That's why I ALWAYS make a walk around before I drive off. Even when I'm not pulling a trailer. Check the tires, make sure the doors are closed good, make sure nothing is going to shift, check the hitch, check the lights, and so on. Even if somebody messed with it, I will catch any problems BEFORE I leave. Always gauge the oil, too? Seriously, though, that's impressive.  With my busy schedule and number of short runs in a typical work day I'd be doing little else on some days.  I will, for obvious reasons, be checking the tounge release of my trailer more often from now on, so I do think you do have a point, although not very practical for most people out in the real world. Yes, if I'm about to go on a long trip, I check the oil too. I find it hard to believe anyone could be so busy that you can't take a few sconds to make a walk around. How much time did it take out of your busy day to rescue your trailer? There are NO short cuts for safety. Jamin. You can blow your safety-contious horn all you want but I think you're pleading a tough case that it's somehow my fault that someone snuck up an pulled the release handle on my trailer when I had an approved trailer lock installed, and the sabotage happened in such a way that the problem was not visible. Further, once disaster struck 2 kilometers down the road, my installed safety wire did it's job. Thank you for your insights.  I commend you for finding the time to perform your safety routine for every short drive and I will strive to find the time to do the same. Nowhere did I imply it was your fault.   A 2 second safety check would have prevented your "disaster" from happening in the first place. SURELY we can all spare a couple of seconds out of our busy day. And Yes, you were very lucky nobody got hurt.

I don't see how.  The trailer was still attached well enough that it could be towed as the tounge was trapped inside the yellow "box" in the photos.  It took 2 km of driving and a really sharp turn to finally deform the "box" enough to let the tounge pop fully off the hitch.

I actually stepped across the tounge to get into the van and saw nothing wrong.  It's not like I don't check to see if my doors are closed before driving off, but asking someone to test-remove the trailer by cranking the nose wheel down to check for complete attachment of the tounge to the hitch before every drive is asking a bit much of the average driver.




Edit:  moved qoutation marks from "the" to "box".