Major Towing Mishaps

[scbwr]

The number one problem IMHO is that people are just prone to rationalize what they want to do! Hence, someone wants that bigger trailer, but they don't really have the truck to pull it, but they will quickly rationalize that it's doable, and there will always be some posters on the forums that tell them they'll be OK. Meanwhile, so many RV dealers also tell them "sure, your vehicle can handle that trailer without a problem". So, the purchase is made and the disaster scenario is set in motion.

Sadly, there isn't much that can be done. At least without major changes in the law in most states. As long as anyone can walk in and register a trailer (pull behind or 5th wheel) without having to show proof of having an adequate tow vehicle, the problem will continue. And even with laws enacted, folks manage to find their way around them. So, we can't prevent folks from being a danger to themselves and others.

All we can do is be alert when we're driving and stay away from rigs that look questionable. More than once, I've slowed down and made sure that I had plenty of room to stop or avoid a dangerous situation. But, it's still tragic that all too often, the innocent are injured, killed or have their property damaged/destroyed by other folks' foolhardiness!

[Chief Alen]

Can't believe i am even writing this...

Maybe a mandatory 1-3 day class on towing.

[CowboyFrank]

Originally Posted by katielee

Admin: I wanted to post a link like I have in the past. I did not want folks to automatically waste the time to download the video. Can it be edited?

Sorry folks.

If you have a YouTube account, (may work without an account but not sure) check the settings under the gear to see if it is set for Auto Play. If that is off, then the video should not start automatically. This is a function of the viewer not the poster. However it is possible to post an embedded video and have it start automatically, but not the case on this video.

[CowboyFrank]

If you search YouTube for Trailer Accidents or RV Accidents you will find hundreds if not thousands of them.
Most show either poor judgement or inexperience of the driver.

[Electrojake]

Originally Posted by katielee

Perhaps this should be posted in the the travel trailer forum, but after seeing the actions of one Class C in the video, maybe more folks would appreciate this.

It so reiterates the advice of so many people here about towing weights, stabilizer bars, safe driving, overloading, effects of wind, you name it.

Felt bad for the guy at 8:30, being a non-RVer he should have known better.

And in defense of the typical crashing RV driver... I see plenty of 18 wheeler wrecks on my travels up and down the I-95 corridor (and they are 'professionals'), No?

Nice video. Thanks for posting that.
It reminds me to not be in such a hurry when I'm in the rig, barreling down the interstate, overloaded, angry at the world, and in a big hurry to go nowhere.
-Ej-

[grampachet]

The only fifth wheel mishap was driving under low overhead.

[Captn John]

I'm pulling 14,000# at 63 MH. Any fool passes me pulling a TT with a SUV or tiny truck and I'm at 55 MPH until he is out of sight. I'll do the same even if a 5er being pulled by a dually, if that fool is doing 80. We cannot fix stupid. I don't want to see them hurt anyone. I'll say a prayer for their kids if they roll but just hope traffic keeps moving as there will be several ahead of me to offer assistance.

[StageCoachDr]

Watched the video. One thing I noticed, the filming car/truck didn't appear to show down when it was obvious the RV was going to flip.

[Mitimet]

After a white knuckle tow with my trailer I immediately went out and bought an anti sway and weight distribution system. I had seen them on other trailers but didn't know what they were or were used for. Turns out my rebuilt steering gear box had also gone bad, that combination made things really scary.

[m.elliott63]

Originally Posted by charliez

Only a small percentage of people will ever tow a trailer. Besides that, you can't keep making rules to make people act right. Is the stop at the red light rule working? Not in our town. It's horrible here. I never go right as the light turns green. If you do here, you can almost bet your going to get hit. Knowing to stop and stay stopped at a red light is in the requirements for a license.

You can't fix or pass laws to fix stupid!

[biker art]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

Not necessarily; the appropriate action to take when the trailer begins to sway is: maintain throttle position while applying the trailer brakes until you have the sway under control. Then reduce speed, many drivers immediately let off the throttle, making sway worse; as the video shows.
What happens is, maintaining throttle position while applying the trailer brakes enacts forces to pull both tow vehicle and trailer apart -ie pull them into a straight line.
The root cause of sway is excessive speed. At the beginning of the video, the driver of the Honda was passing to fast, when he entered the bow wave of the semi the sudden gust blew the trailer sideways and because of the speed there was no reaction time for the Honda driver to apply the trailer brakes before losing control.


That's just my opinion, based on over 50 years of towing trailers of various lengths, types and weights.

Agree with you. I've been in such a situation years ago and being a young man with common sense I had a trailer swaying back and forth with a 6" drop off on my right due to construction. What to do? I let off the gas and used the trailer brakes to slow down and straighten out the two vehicles. No time to panic. Another thing, the position of the axel in relation to the trailer caused many of those accidents. There is no good reason to position the axel in the middle of the trailer just to lighten up the tongue weight.

[Selkirkslim]

Originally Posted by Joe11

So many with not enough tow vehicle and driving too fast. That’s what I envision when I read posts like “I just bought a fifth wheel with a #20,000 GVWR. Do I really need a one ton truck? My friend tows his with a half ton”.

While I am no professional on any of this two things occur to me.
1) Slow your rear down!!! If the limit is 60, do 55!!!. Once the tail swing starts? you're just about done.
2) If the tow vehicle is under rated GVWR wise , you can just about count on becoming a statistic.

Get a truck that can handle it. The SUV's are NOT made to tow trailers of any weight.

This is not rocket science.

It just slays me when I watch videos like these. Every one of those lacked sway bars .

[Linda Bohr]

Thank you for the video. I learned one thing very clearly: I don't want a travel trailer. I can't afford a Class A at the moment so I was thinking of getting a small TT. No thank you. I will wait a bit longer and learn how to drive a Class A safely before I take it on the road. I saw a lot of bad driving and towing mistakes. Some of those accidents could have been prevented but I have been disabused of the notion of a TT. My husband thanks you.

[Bob_C]

Originally Posted by Linda Bohr

Thank you for the video. I learned one thing very clearly: I don't want a travel trailer. I can't afford a Class A at the moment so I was thinking of getting a small TT. No thank you. I will wait a bit longer and learn how to drive a Class A safely before I take it on the road. I saw a lot of bad driving and towing mistakes. Some of those accidents could have been prevented but I have been disabused of the notion of a TT. My husband thanks you.

With the proper hitch setup, none of those would of happened, other than those that cut people off....