Please check your trailer hitches before the season !!
03-12-2009, 07:24 PM
#1
Senior Member
SENIOR BUILDER
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: delaware
Posts: 115
Please check your trailer hitches before the season !!
We went to the IHRA race last weekend.Stopped Sunday night just outside of Mobile, Al. to sleep. When I pull in for gas or to rest I always check everything over. Looked everything over saw no issues and got some rest. Pulled out of Mobile and made it to the Other side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in Va.(which is still 3 hours from home). Decided to stay there last night instead of risking falling asleep that close to home. Get up Mon. morning, check everything out and headed for home. Got within 10 miles from home and a traffic light changed and had to hit the breaks a little, but not to hard. As soon as I did the hitch broke on the Motorhome and the trailer started to slide down the road. I was able to use the motorhome to slow the trailer down and guide it to the shoulder of the road. The rear ladder was crushed but saved the back of the motorhome, the front of the trailer will need all new sheet metal.
I had the frame beefed up and it didnt bend at all, the hitch broke straight down where the mounting tabs are bent to mount to the frame. It isnt even close to being overweight. The chains ,breakaway cable and everything were on the road still attached to the box tubing of the hitch. I was very lucky it didnt hit another car or anything else. I was able to keep it on the shoulder and if you went by you wouldnt even have known anything was wrong.over 2400 miles traveled and had a problem that close to home.The big man upstairs was watching over me for sure !!
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I had the frame beefed up and it didnt bend at all, the hitch broke straight down where the mounting tabs are bent to mount to the frame. It isnt even close to being overweight. The chains ,breakaway cable and everything were on the road still attached to the box tubing of the hitch. I was very lucky it didnt hit another car or anything else. I was able to keep it on the shoulder and if you went by you wouldnt even have known anything was wrong.over 2400 miles traveled and had a problem that close to home.The big man upstairs was watching over me for sure !!
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03-12-2009, 07:53 PM
#3
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MASTER BUILDER
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 237
Your very lucky, I was on the interstate years ago and almost the same thing happened to me. Only difference was I was on a long bridge and I tried to stop it but I was doing about 70 mph. The trailer passed me up spun around hit the guard rail and just stopped on the shoulder of the road about 100 yards from me. It was a open car trailer and the only thing that happened was the tongue and one fender was destroyed. The car on the trailer had no damage. I think of that every time I tow now. I guess the man upstairs was watching out for me too because at that speed it could have killed some people and went over the guard rail.
03-13-2009, 03:13 PM
#6
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RACING JUNKIE
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Emmett, Idaho
Posts: 7,334
Daddy,
Post some pics of the failure and repair job. It'd give all of us a better idea of what broke so we can beef our own units up. Was it a metal fatigue issue caused be side to side action ?
VERY quick action on your part in the driver's seat. Too many folks are totally unawares of their rigs's seat of the pants feeling. God WAS with ya as it could've happened at night !
I can't tell ya how many times schitt has happened to me, car wise, that could have turned out with catastrophic results, but did not.....A lot of them due to dumb schitt moves by myself, others just luck of the draw. I deem myself as obsessive in preparation and definetly get a wake up every now and then anyway !
Post some pics of the failure and repair job. It'd give all of us a better idea of what broke so we can beef our own units up. Was it a metal fatigue issue caused be side to side action ?
VERY quick action on your part in the driver's seat. Too many folks are totally unawares of their rigs's seat of the pants feeling. God WAS with ya as it could've happened at night !
I can't tell ya how many times schitt has happened to me, car wise, that could have turned out with catastrophic results, but did not.....A lot of them due to dumb schitt moves by myself, others just luck of the draw. I deem myself as obsessive in preparation and definetly get a wake up every now and then anyway !
03-13-2009, 03:32 PM
#7
Senior Member
SENIOR BUILDER
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: delaware
Posts: 115
I do have some pics I took with my cell phone I can send somebody if they will post them. I arent dat smarts !! :shock: The Insurance Co. will be here on Mon to look at everything.
03-13-2009, 04:46 PM
#9
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DYNO OPERATOR
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: florence ky
Posts: 498
That does happen more than people think most all the hitches that comes on vehicles from the factory is class three and those are rated at 6000 lbs it sure don't take much to get over 6000 pounds i just put on a 12000 lb on my truck .
I have seen that three times in my life and sure don't want it to happen to me.
Glad to hear everybody is OK every thing else can be replaced.
I have seen that three times in my life and sure don't want it to happen to me.
Glad to hear everybody is OK every thing else can be replaced.
03-13-2009, 05:40 PM
#10
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RACING JUNKIE
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Emmett, Idaho
Posts: 7,334
Yeah, nuthin like getting to your destination,(to the top of a mountain in this case for a pavement hillclimb) and finding that you FORGOT to secure the coupler latch. I'd towed 40 miles with just enough tongue weight to keep things hooked up............Dumba Schitt Move 3,591 
ops: ops: ops: :shock: :shock: :shock:
ops: ops: ops: :shock: :shock: :shock:
