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Old 07-01-2019, 06:05 AM   #71
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Checklist

This is exactly why I use a written checklist before my rig moves. I tow a 5th wheel so I don’t have this particular problem, but there are many things that can be forgotten. As Park Hosts, we see people leaving the campground with entry steps down, TV antennas still cranked up, tires visibly low & other problems. We’ve also seen a couple of 5th wheels fall on the truck bed rails because the hitch coupling wasn’t checked before moving. I’ve never messed anything up when using my checklist. It only takes a couple of minutes & you should be looking at all of this stuff anyway. I keep my list o my iPhone so it’s always with me.
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Old 07-01-2019, 06:40 AM   #72
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BCam View Post
It's been awhile since I hooked up the toad so I took it for a short test drive today before we leave on Sunday for five days in Bodega Bay, CA.

All looked good until I heard a terrible squeal and people started honking and pointing at my toad.

I stupidly had left my toad's parking brake on and the left rear wheel locked and shredded the tire. Fortunately this happened just as I left my neighborhood and my spare was in good shape. Other than the tire, there's no apparent damage. To add insult to injury, I hadn't turned on my TPMS. After all, I was only going a couple of miles. It probably wouldn't have warned me early enough to prevent the damage but, had it been on, I might have had a little warning. Fortunately it didn't cause a fire. In retrospect, the toad did seem a little "heavier" than usual.

There was absolutely no reason for me to have activated the toad's parking brake while hooking up and I almost never use it (it's flat here).

Kudos to America's Tire who was not only able to install a new tire on a busy Friday afternoon, but they gave me an $88 road hazard credit towards the new Michelin tire even though I was the road hazard.
Old saying You can’t fix stupid, that’s the reason I have a check list for each part of departure AND arrival because I know I’ll forget something and make a stupid mistake. Don’t know what kind of toad you have but it must be one powerful engine to overcome the brakes and drag a tire to destruction. My 2 year old Equinox wouldn’t have that much, WOW!
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Old 07-01-2019, 07:59 AM   #73
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Dumb and dumber

I had a 2017 Fiesta. I disconnected the battery before I put it in neutral. I drove about 2 miles and the engine and transmission exploded parts came through the hood, front fenders and grill.
I have never seen an engine blow like this.
Word to the wise, make sure you read the fine print/footnotes when hooking up your toad. A simple 2 second mistake totaled my car.

I now have a 2013 MKX and wonder what happens if the battery dies while going down the Highway.
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Old 07-01-2019, 08:42 AM   #74
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You are not alone, and not stupid! You actually got off easy compared to some of these stories.

Just like a motorcyclist, there are those that have been down and those that will.

We stayed in Babler State Park this spring.
Upon checking in, I wanted to purchase firewood. Well the Flex has to be in PARK to raise the tailgate. You know what happened next...... got back in the coach released the parking brake and put it in drive. We did not move....HUH!!! Added a bit more throttle, and just a bit more. Finally we moved,. I went about a foot and a half when my mind finally put it all together. Yup, still in park.
I broke my SOP and learned a lesson from that.
I also won’t let anyone interrupt me while hooking up. If I am, I start over.

Travel safe.
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Old 07-01-2019, 09:16 AM   #75
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Guilty as charged. First trip this year and I fried the parking brake shoes on our GX 460 remembered after about an hour and a half that I had set the brake when I pulled it onto the tow dolly. Fortunately it doesn’t have a real strong parking brake. I honestly don’t know why I set it in the first place.
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Old 07-01-2019, 04:24 PM   #76
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Yup, we did exactly the same thing. We probably dragged our Honda CR-V a mile or two with the parking brake engaged before two things happened simultaneously: a passing motorist pulled up and waved frantically, yelling that our left rear tire was billowing smoke; and our TPMS alarmed, saying that tire had suddenly lost all pressure.

The upshot was we replaced all four tires (we could have replaced just the rear ones, but we decided that keeping all four at the same tread depth was a better option for us). Thank goodness for Big O Tires in Wickenburg, AZ being able to order new tires and get them in and installed the very next day.

And, yes, we had a checklist but we'd evidently grown a little complacent about checking it carefully, got distracted this time, and missed the parking brake. Lesson learned: don't get overly comfortable with going over our checklists.

(Regarding our checklists, we both have Android phones and we use Google Keep for our lists. We use the sharing feature so we both work with the same lists as we check off completed tasks, and Keep allows for quick and easy updates to our lists as needed.)
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Old 07-01-2019, 07:23 PM   #77
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No need to release the parking brake in a Fusion Hybrid

Four of the advantages of towing a Ford Fusion Hybrid:

(1) There is no separate transmission. The electric motor is the transmission so it isn't an impediment to flat towing.
(2) Prior to towing the car must be put into tow mode. This process will not let the driver leave the emergency brake on. My bike did come off of my bike rack once though and I dragged it for about a mile before someone flagged me to pull over. It was destroyed.
(3) You don't need to disconnect any fuses.
(4) If the driver forgets to release the parking brake it releases automatically when the car is shifted into drive and the seat belt is connected

I am averaging 45.5 mpg in combined city/highway driving and the car is a joy to drive.

Since I use an Air Force One and it uses a small amount of current, I installed a charge line from my RV to the battery. The charge line regulator automatically adjusts the charge when needed. My first Fusion Hybrid went into very frequent electrical system error modes and was a continuous drain on my batteries, both engine and Hybrid. Ford told me there was nothing wrong with the car and, by the way, they weren't going to give me any more replacement batteries under warranty. The binding arbitrator said otherwise and made Ford give me a new car. I installed the charge line in the replacement just for peace of mind, plus, since I had to mount a new baseplate and wiring it was a very simple install at the same time.
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Old 07-02-2019, 09:03 AM   #78
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I'm feeling better and better, thanks for the therapy.
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Old 07-02-2019, 01:40 PM   #79
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I did the same thing. I have a written procedure (but not an actual checklist) which details what I have to do to hitch up the toad, including the release of the emergency brake. I missed that step.
I discovered the issue when stopping for gas many miles later. I was doing a walk-around while the gas tank was filling, and I happened to look into the toad and saw the e-brake lever pulled up...!!!!
I felt the wheels, hubs, and drums (rear brakes are drums), and they were not even warm. The tires were in good shape, with no signs of being drug.
I think it's likely I did not have the e-brake handle pulled up very hard, and the brake shoes were able to somehow wear themselves clear before getting too hot. Otherwise I don't know how I escaped disaster. The first time I drove the car I noticed increased brake pedal travel, so I assume I used up some of the brake shoes. After the brakes adjusted, the car is driving normally.

I really feel dumb that this happened.
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Old 07-02-2019, 03:37 PM   #80
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To the OP... You are certainly not alone... Last year sometime we were at Hunting Island State Park. I decided to hook up while at the dump station which was wet from the previous nights rainstorm, so not a pleasant place to be. So I hooked up my Chevy Sonic, did everything I was supposed to do (or so I thought). Finished dumping the tanks, got into the MH and pulled off. As I was passing the camp store, a nice young man started banging on the MH, so I stopped and asked “What the Hay?”. His words were “Mister your wheels ain’t spinin”. I got out and checked the toad. Sure enough everything was done properly EXCEPT to release the parking brake. I released it, and was on my way.

When I got home, I unhooked the toad, and all seemed good. The next day, I went to the grocery store in the toad, and heard and felt a thump thump thump.... Four tires with flat spots! Fortunately there tires were due to be replaced, otherwise could have been a very expensive boo boo.
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Old 07-02-2019, 04:33 PM   #81
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JUST THIS PAST WEEKEND, the guy camped next to me started to pull out with his 50A cable still connected. His rear duals were running it over, and paying cable out of his electrical compartment forward of the duals. I was able to get him stopped after about 4-6 feet of travel, but before any damage was done.
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Old 07-03-2019, 06:02 AM   #82
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To the OP... You are certainly not alone... Last year sometime we were at Hunting Island State Park. I decided to hook up while at the dump station which was wet from the previous nights rainstorm, so not a pleasant place to be. So I hooked up my Chevy Sonic, did everything I was supposed to do (or so I thought). Finished dumping the tanks, got into the MH and pulled off. As I was passing the camp store, a nice young man started banging on the MH, so I stopped and asked “What the Hay?”. His words were “Mister your wheels ain’t spinin”. I got out and checked the toad. Sure enough everything was done properly EXCEPT to release the parking brake. I released it, and was on my way.

When I got home, I unhooked the toad, and all seemed good. The next day, I went to the grocery store in the toad, and heard and felt a thump thump thump.... Four tires with flat spots! Fortunately there tires were due to be replaced, otherwise could have been a very expensive boo boo.
How can you flat spot all four tires when the parking brake only locks up the rear wheels?
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Old 07-11-2019, 05:05 PM   #83
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Been there also and done that. On the way to Yellowstone, stopped in a RV park on the way and for some unknown reason put the emergency brake on after parking. After getting to my destination I noticed the emergency brake was on. Short story I ruined the brakes and the emergency brake however not the tires.
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Old 07-12-2019, 06:54 AM   #84
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If you lived in New York State you wouldn't have this problem with the parking brake. After a vehicle is 2-3 years old the brake either wouldn't work or release anyway thanks to the salt applied on the roads in the wintertime. You wouldn't dare to try using the parking brake.
If I was to hook up a vehicle behind my MH I would place a wood block (2 X 6") behind and in front of a wheel of the vehicle I'm hooking up. If you forget to remove the blocks it's no big deal. You'll just need more blocks the next time.
Another thing you can do if you do use the parking brake is to place an index card on the MH's instrument panel with "Parking Brake" written on it to serve as a reminder before you get underway.
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