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Old 04-19-2023, 07:57 AM   #85
NXR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RH_RVer
FOR THOSE REFRRING TO THE USE OF SAFETY CHAINS AS THE FALLBACK SAFETY MECHANISM

When my truck separated from the motorhome, I of course had safety chains attached. However, they do no good unless they are attached to the frame. My safety chains were attached to the bumper which did no good since the failure occurred at the frame. Basically, the Demco mounting bolts attaching the system to the frame of the truck pulled through the frame.
Great point since all vehicles and baseplates are different in some respect. This is why I reviewed ETrailer installation videos for my Equinox before selecting a baseplate.

Internal safety cables, as opposed to the usual tow bar safety cables, are wrapped around the baseplate and the vehicle's frame so that if the baseplate tears completely away from the vehicle the internal safety cables keep the baseplate loosely attached to the vehicle. I saw pics of a failure where the internal safety cables saved the day after a failure like you had.

Roadmaster provides no internal safety cables for their Equinox baseplate and maybe not even others.

Blue Ox, at the time, only used thin flanges to attach the baseplate to the Equinox but had internal safety cables as standard. (Blue Ox later revised their Equinox baseplate to pick up some of the car's structure for additional strength.)

Demco not only provided internal safety cables as standard, they used a 1/4" steel plate on each side to add additional strength to the baseplate (in addition to the flange bolts). Those 1/4" steel plates use 1/2" bolts to hold them to the baseplate and they slip behind the impact beam (the bumper) on the other end. This is the baseplate I installed on my Equinox.


But none of that matters if the hitch itself separates from the motorhome. Attached are two pics of the same part number Buyers Products 5,000 lb hitch that failed, the one Forest River uses on some models.

Note that one has non-rusted clean and shiny metal at the tears indicating it was a sudden failure. Look for the white arrows on each side.

The other has a lot of rust in the crack indicating it was cracked for a while. (The latter owner had people pulling up beside them, beeping, and pointing. He did not see anything wrong so he started driving again. And then someone else pointed and beeped. That's when he found that crack but it wasn't 100% yet.)

Both of those are perfect examples of why attaching the breakaway cable at the motorhome end to the hitch instead of to a loop of cable wrapped around the motorhome's frame may not work as intended, and why safety cables attached to the hitch also may not work as intended...


When was the last time you checked the torque on your hitch attach bolts? And where did you find that torque setting?

Ray
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Old 04-19-2023, 05:23 PM   #86
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Toad Brakes

Many states require the vehicle or trailer being towed to have brakes. Just a note from experience, you want all the braking you can get at times!!!
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Old 04-20-2023, 07:33 AM   #87
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NXR View Post
When was the last time you checked the torque on your hitch attach bolts? And where did you find that torque setting?

Ray
Great points Ray. In my case, I had the installation shop inspect the mounting system and torque the bolts within a few hundred miles of the incident. I have a pretty solid idea of what caused it - traveling through Navajo Nation a few months before and I hit a really bad section of road coming out of Shiprock on 491 - undulating roadway at highway speeds had the RV front end seemingly coming off the ground and the bicycles in the bed of the truck bouncing around. I'm sure it yanked the front end of the truck off the ground and likely cracked the frame of the truck, which was why I had the system inspected.
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Old 04-21-2023, 07:54 AM   #88
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491 is TERRIBLE. Broke filaments in headlight bulbs . . . glass pie plate in microwave cracked, need more bubble wrap . . now That is bad, and I drove slow. No hitch issues.
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Old 04-22-2023, 02:54 PM   #89
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Bad Highways

Quote:
Originally Posted by RH_RVer View Post
Great points Ray. In my case, I had the installation shop inspect the mounting system and torque the bolts within a few hundred miles of the incident. I have a pretty solid idea of what caused it - traveling through Navajo Nation a few months before and I hit a really bad section of road coming out of Shiprock on 491 - undulating roadway at highway speeds had the RV front end seemingly coming off the ground and the bicycles in the bed of the truck bouncing around. I'm sure it yanked the front end of the truck off the ground and likely cracked the frame of the truck, which was why I had the system inspected.
The Northeast's highways are in particularly bad shape. I had to spend over two grand to replace bushings in my front leaf springs on my Class A after returning home to Florida from Maine. Coming out of Hershey Pennsylvania, for instance, I could not drive over 45 for a number of miles on the interstate going north. Stuff was falling out of my cabinets, and I saw semi-truck trailer wheels bouncing off the pavement in rough spots especially going over overpasses. I see more construction now on the highways. Hopefully our highways will get better in the next few years.
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Old 04-23-2023, 01:39 PM   #90
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Braking in a curve without a supplemental braking system the toad will push your rear
end to the outside. This can be a REAL problem on wet roads !
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Old 04-29-2023, 02:27 AM   #91
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No, not necessarily. In Calif the myth is tow vehicles require a brake assist. But in reality it applies only to trailers over 1500 lbs, but in states like Utah, it’s required. So check with your state, but of course putting some kind of brake assist wouldn’t hurt. It’s just very expensive. Personally, I use the NSA Ready-brake unit. No wiring required, it’s driven by kinetic energy. Check it out.
I have been looking at the NSA, we barely tow, our average trip is 135 miles one way then back home. Can not justify $1200 for an electric setup.
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Old 04-29-2023, 08:08 AM   #92
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Originally Posted by bowhunter72 View Post
I have been looking at the NSA, we barely tow, our average trip is 135 miles one way then back home. Can not justify $1200 for an electric setup.
I switched to a ReadyBrake from a Brake Buddy. Much nicer to use.
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