Be careful with your trailers

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Danno77

Danno77

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
Oct 27, 2008
5,008
Hamilton, IL
I don't know the details of how/why this happened, but a child at my school was killed in an accident because a trailer detached from the truck pulling it. It doesn't appear to be a fluke, and the guy that did it has a shady history and even turned his truck around, saw the accident and then kept on driving. He's in custody and will likely be in a heap of trouble (although not likely enough for what he did).

if you look at one of the videos you can see a picture of the trailer and the car, the trailer appears to be a "truck bed conversion" and looks like it has chains, so I'm just not sure what went wrong. I've heard he was driving too fast, that he had passed another vehicle, etc. I've heard that he has no driver's license, and several other driving citations, maybe even another hit-and-run on his record.

(broken link removed to http://www.wgem.com/Global/story.asp?S=11752652)

more articles:
(broken link removed to http://www.wgem.com/Global/story.asp?S=11748831)
(broken link removed to http://www.thehawkeye.com/story/Fatal-hit--amp-amp--run-folo-010110)
(broken link removed to http://www.whig.com/story/news/Mason)
(broken link removed to http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1793469753/Iowa-man-jailed-on-charges-of-leaving-scene-of-fatal-wreck-in-Illinois)
http://dmjuice.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091230/NEWS/91229036


I don't think this would happen to the people here, there just seem to be so many factors that wouldn't be the case for us, but wouldn't you hate to be responsible for something so tragic because you overlooked something re: safety on your trailer.
 
So many ways a trailer can detach.. For example if you use a 2" trailer hitch on a 1 5/16" ball. Or sometimes the coupler doesn't sit all the way on the ball and you can lock it above the ball and its just sitting on top waiting to pop off. Some people forget to lock the coupler (ive done that once or twice). Safety chains sometimes are not even hooked up! I cant imagine not hooking up the chains. Sometimes idiots just dont have anything to hook them too, or the are hooking to a bumper mounted ball (dumb).

This is a really unfortunate and most likely avoidable tragedy. I dont usually have any problem with unlicensed drivers as long as they have insurance. (You can get insurance without a license in most states).
 
forgot to lock the coupler once or twice. Thank goodness for the safty chains.
 
I saw somewhere that you are supposed to cross the safety chains (in an X pattern). I never used to do that.
 
A sobering reminder to double triple check everything............................................
 
I have seen folks not even lock the coupler for short trips. i always point that out but they do not always listen.
 
Safety chains are supposed to be attached to the trailer and tow vehicle in such a way that they support the tongue/drawbar in case the trailer comes unhooked. At least that's what I was told during a safety inspection. I drive big trucks.

Most light duty trailers I've seen do not have chains attached correctly. I'll not even comment on how they are attached to the tow vehicle.
Sad how something so simple is treated as a nuisance, when it's there for everyone's safety. I had a guy tell me once that if his trailer ever came unhooked he didn't want it whipping around behind him on a couple of chains. Idiot.
 
watched a truck coming toward me on the highway hit an expansion joint, the coupler came off the ball, the coupler then caught the next joint or a pothole (mass. roads) the trailer started to pitch pole over the tongue, the chains then finally caught it (must have been extra long and dragging) and yanked the popup trailer back onto it's wheels, then the driver slammed on his brakes... and got rear ended by his trailer! happened in less time than you read it in, must have made a fun call to the insurance co.
 
rowerwet said:
watched a truck coming toward me on the highway hit an expansion joint, the coupler came off the ball, the coupler then caught the next joint or a pothole (mass. roads) the trailer started to pitch pole over the tongue, the chains then finally caught it (must have been extra long and dragging) and yanked the popup trailer back onto it's wheels, then the driver slammed on his brakes... and got rear ended by his trailer! happened in less time than you read it in, must have made a fun call to the insurance co.
Click to expand...
wow, that must have been something to watch. I'd take a trailer in the rear (of my vehicle) over having it kill someone in an oncoming vehicle any day. you can never have too many safeties in place, but it's good to see they sometimes prevent worse things from happening.
 
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