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John H... · 03-28-2012, 06:53 PM

Actually, I'll admit that I did it and didn't know it until the next stop about 200 miles later. Nothing hurt except my ego.

slickest1 · 03-28-2012, 06:57 PM

Never remove wheel chocks before hooking up a fiver! Don't ask how I know that. Luckily no damage because back wheel of trailer dropped into a hole and stopped before trailer dropped off hitch. That time I was luckier than smart, errrr the dog I mean.

RinkersRanch · 03-28-2012, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jth camper

I stopped for a single night stay at a "not such a nice campground" so I removed the ignition key from my Jeep Wrangler before going to sleep, I did't unhook anything just shut it down for the night. The next morning I get in the drivers seat and start driving, but now the coach will not drive straight down the road. It is pulling hard to the left. I stop look underneath the coach, check out all the suspension parts and see no problems. I start driving still the coach alignment is pulling to the left. I go a couple miles on the interstate and can't keep the coach straight. I get off the interstate and as I negotiate a left turn and that is when I saw my problem. I for got unlock the steering of the Jeep and the wheels would not trac straight behind the coach pushing the back of the coach to the right causing the front to go to the left.

Ugh, I was not going to own up to the fact I did almost the exact same thing.

But, . . I put the key in the Jeep, before I pulled out from the house, but I forgot to turn it. Jeep steering locked at the first turn. Mine was so far off straight I didn't make it another block and had to stop. I had the coach steering wheel over a half turn from normal straight ahead position. Did just like you and checked the front of the coach but finding nothing I moved on to the back and as I got to the back I saw the key in the Jeep and remembered I forgot to turn it.

I took care of that possibility a couple of days ago and disabled the Jeep steering lock.

Only took about 20 minutes. Now I don't have to leave the key in the ignition anymore.

RinkersRanch · 03-28-2012, 07:25 PM

I just remembered a very important oops. In the spring of 2010, the day I brought our 'new to us' Pace Arrow home. Once I arrived home, I remember getting out and seeing the main slide had moved out about 2 inches from the closed position. I only had about a 45 min drive home and I know it was closed tight before I left the dealer. Well that is when I found out about this really neat website called irv2, and the great folks there told me about the slide motor brake. Yep, it was in the released position. If there ever was a good oops this was it. I found out a lot of good things from that oops.

Dadeaux · 03-28-2012, 07:44 PM

I did something equal but a little different. Arriving home about 10:00 PM one night I took my car off the dolly and left it idling, supposedly until I stored the MH, to recharge the battery. The next morning when walking the puppy I walked by the car sitting there still idling but the battery was charged.

randyranger · 03-28-2012, 08:18 PM

Another opps on the slide. Just this Sunday we came home from camping and was opening the slide on the 5ver to make it easier to unpack a few things. First off the slid wouldn't move because it wasn't dead level, realy finiky this one. Once I got that sorted out and was puting out the slide, it was almost open and then i heared the craking noise. Someone left the remote for the TV out and it fell along the wall of the slide where i could not see it. once the slide was almost out the remote became jamed between the wall of the trailer and the molding on the edge of the slide. The craking noise i heard was the molding being pulled off the end of the slide. Thankfully i was able to tap the moulding back in place with a rubber malet and no remotes where hurt in the making of this story.

RoyM · 03-28-2012, 08:42 PM

We had a good one and it did involve our mutt. Very first trip with our fiver, we pulled in for fuel and a take out breakfast. I finished filling and pulled away from the pumps while waiting for DW to return with bagels and coffee. Without thinking, I got out and closed the door. I realized my error about a micro millisecond too late, dumb dawg had jumped on the door switch. Keys in the ignition and her purse on the seat.
What to do? I managed to pop the cab rear slider open, boy those things are REALLY secure, and she asked a tall skinny kid for assistance. He wriggled through the opening and retrieved the keys with helpful mutt licking his face.

I was very careful with the keys after that.

Davdeb1 · 03-28-2012, 09:45 PM

Not hooked up but one time, wife came home parked the car, and jumped in mine because we were going to dinner. We got back about 4 hours later, it was dark and her car lights were on, guess what she did cause she was so anxious to get to dinner. LOL

Ramblin · 03-29-2012, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoyM

We had a good one and it did involve our mutt. Very first trip with our fiver, we pulled in for fuel and a take out breakfast. I finished filling and pulled away from the pumps while waiting for DW to return with bagels and coffee. Without thinking, I got out and closed the door. I realized my error about a micro millisecond too late, dumb dawg had jumped on the door switch. Keys in the ignition and her purse on the seat.
What to do? I managed to pop the cab rear slider open, boy those things are REALLY secure, and she asked a tall skinny kid for assistance. He wriggled through the opening and retrieved the keys with helpful mutt licking his face.

I was very careful with the keys after that.

Had a similar thing happen while pulling our horse trailer. We had a little french bulldog at the time, 'Jaques'. We got out to pump fuel, get snacks, etc, and Jaques pressed the door lock button and locked us out. My wife enlisted the help of another couple and their little Shih Tzu, who held their dog up to the window, and caused our little guy to jump up and down excitedly on the buttons till he unlocked the doors.

Took about 5 minutes or so. A small crowd had gathered who cheered when the doors unlocked.

We then had to let them go for a walk in the grass together, because it seemed like the right thing to do.

It was that day that I realized the importance of a having Hide-A-Key.

bibarnes · 03-29-2012, 08:35 AM

I haven't towed anything but a trailer. Did pull ot from a campground in Alabama on the way to Mexico and left one dog behind. Realized it 30 minutes down the road when i stopped for gas. We had 4 dogs with us. Did find the dog in the nice hot Alabama August sun after about 1 hour of calling and searching. Made sure of a head count from then on.

P. This forum is great I have learnd a lot from it.

mbrooking · 03-29-2012, 08:53 AM

I've worried about that happening... You can't hear the Honda with the RV engine running. I now leave the CRV driver door open while waiting for the required 3 minutes...

Open Roaders · 03-29-2012, 11:58 AM

Just last week returning home from Az about 2 hours from home we stopped for supper. It was just going dark so we checked the toads lights. Brake and turn signals were working but the rear marker lights weren't.

Checked the cable connections and determined it must be a loose wire in the coach receptacle. There was snow on the ground and didn't much fancy messing about under the coach and as we didn't have far to go we thought we would just turn on the toads lights.

All went well for about 10 mins until the toads lights went off, we had the back up camera on so we could see the headlights went off.
Went back to the toad and put the lights back on. 10 min later they went off again. We figured the Jeep must have a sensor that switches off the lights if you leave them on and the engine is not running.

So we just ran the engine and left the lights on for the rest if the journey home, about 2 hours. We weren't sure if the MH would still operate the brake lights but it all seemed to work.

No damage apart from $$$ fuel usage. That got us out of tricky situation where we would have had to stay on road somewhere over night in below freezing temps and wait for daylight.

Ceratto's Grotto · 03-29-2012, 01:20 PM

I once pulled the Mini Cooper a few yards down our gravel driveway with it in gear. I always leave the rear camera mic on for a while when starting out just in case I can hear something odd back there. I did!

Ran into a motor home that was pulling a smart car. Seems 'somehow' the car slipped into gear and they towed it that way for a long. It destroyed both his trans and engine they said. The car was so light that the big motor home (40'+) driver said he didn't feel a thing.

wa8yxm · 03-29-2012, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slickest1

Never remove wheel chocks before hooking up a fiver! Don't ask how I know that. Luckily no damage because back wheel of trailer dropped into a hole and stopped before trailer dropped off hitch. That time I was luckier than smart, errrr the dog I mean.

Good advice, and some friends of ours discovered it's also a good idea to position the wheel chocks before unhooking your Travel Trailer.....

(As we chased it down the hill toward the lake.. Thankfully the jack dug in when it hit the grass and stopped it from reaching the lake in time)

Also, hint, when that happens, there is this little light weight aircraft steel cable, GRAB IT and pull to stop the trailer.. If the battery is good that is.