Heartbroken

[Gina D.]

Today was my "Maiden Voyage" in full tow with the Jeep and the Leocraft.

I am headed to the Portland area to work this summer. A lot of work and $$$ went into the trailer getting it safe to tow and pretty much leakless..(It rains a tad tup north). It is now both, with brand new brakes and drums and bearings etc, and a nice Weight Distribution system and sway control.

The trailer tows and tracks well, (And stops LOL) I have no concerns about chassis issues now.

I went north from Sacramento, headed to Red Bluff for the nite. About 10 miles south of Red Bluff on I-5, I am toodling along at 55 went I hear a "Pop" and feel the tiniest "Bump" from the back end of the car. I look in the rearview to see if I have a flat or something, nothing, but I do note that I can see out of the back window out of the trailer. "Thats nice" I think to myself and keep driving.

About a minute later, my brain sounds the idiot alarm.."You SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SE OUT YOUR BACK WINDOW, DOPE!)

My Rockgaurd is..GONE!.. vansihed, not there and MIA. I pull over to see that one arm has completely ripped out of the body, the lower half of the other arm is flapping in the wind..all is is missing. I frantically jump back into the car and try to get to the next exit quickly so I can backtrack. Not as easy as it sounds..the next exit I can loop around in is in Redbluff itself AND I am low on gas.

I pop 25 bucks into the tank and scamble south. Its getting dark and they lock the gates to the campground here at 7? I am thinking..it's 6:15 now. I have to go almost to Corning to make a loop beyond where I heard it fly off. Emergency flashers on, I crawl along side of the freeway and peel my eyes for it, hoping a truck has not smooshed it beyond recognition. I find the arm, which was mangled.. but no sign of the 6 foot wide and 2 1/2 tall yellow rockgaurd with the Leocraft Logo on it.

It pretty much a flat stretch of road there. The grass is not tall. If it was there, it would have been easily visible.

All I know is its not on my roof, and it's irreplaceable. I will go back again tomorrow when not towing and have another look, but I don't have high hopes.

It looks like the PO siliconed it in at the rail instead of fixing the rotted wood the screws went into. I guess I will be filling holes tomorrow or I am in big trouble with the weather coming up ahead of me.

Sigh. I LOVED the privacy that thing gave me when I needed it. And I am tiring of fiberglass repair.

[ScampBum]

Gina...The bad news...yes you lost (maybe) you're rock guard.But the good news is that you or nobody else was hurt.

[BCDave]

The old story about "if it wasn't for bad luck....."

You are OK.

The Jeep is OK

The Trailer is (functionally) OK

A new rock guard can be made. Yes it won't be original - it will be GINA'S!!

I feel for you, but - that don't help you right now.

[Gina D.]

yes, it could have been a big liability claim. No one chased me down, so I guess it didn't bonk anyone. It broke a lense on one of my running lights to. Thats not a big deal. Standard Bargman.

I actually think it was riveted in, now that I have a look. Those holes are awfully clean for screw holes. I will know more when it is not so... dark.

[David Tilston]

Was the fiberglass damaged?

[Gina D.]

no, it looks like the rivets just pulled straight out from the coach, probably starting at the base of the arm that ripped out.

I know it was closed and locked, but that arm base was on my "To seal" list when I get settled. It was a bit wobbly.

Have no idea why it went.. gust of wind or it was wobbling its way out all the way from Sac.. it must just have been its time.

[Daniel A.]

That sucks, I think in daylight you will find it.

[ScampBum]

Gina...Do you C.G host?...Nat Forest or Nat Park?

[Frederick L. Simson]

Oh, geez... you don't need any more crap...

[RRJR]

Hey Gina
Sorry for your incident.
Just goes to show all that before and every time we stop we have to do a walk around to make sure all is secure and then there are those things that are just going to go wrong. Glad the damage is minimal and can be fixed without too much cost.
Ron

[mary and bob]

Hope you can find it. We lost two kayaks off the top of our Honda while towing our camper. Heard a noise and saw them slide off into the highway. Managed to retrieve them with only a few scratches. That wind has more force than we realize.

[reeves99]

Gina,
I understand perfectly why you are heartbroken, and the frustration you feel. I would feel the same.
Let's keep hope that somewhere out there in RVland a replacement can be found.
Best wishes,
Phil

[Thomas G.]

Bummer. I'm glad that nothing worse happened, though.

[Greg H]

That really does suck. I lost a door off of the reefer unit (not the kind you smoke) between Indy and St.Louis on I-70 and found it in the median the next week, unharmed and it even somehow survived the state mowers. Good luck.

[Gina D.]

it was daylight still when I searched. Its light like a sail..probaly some cow is using it as a nice bed liner now.

I can make lemonaid out of it, I guess. I need to mount a mast of some sort for my Jack Antenna and my cell booster antenna. The lower part of the remaining arm is still firmly there. I can fashion something to slide onto it and then it can stow low for travel.

I have to get better window coverings for that window now tho. I dropped the guard at night for light filtration and privacy, with only some light curtains inside. I was rudely awakened this morning by a giant flaming orb in the sky.

Oddly enough, the stuff you EXPECT to go wrong on a first tug did not happen. Everything stayed stowed where I put it in the cupboards and on the floor, nothing broke and it was an easy load out when I got to camp. The fridge lit the first time, my temporary heating (Buddy Heater) worked great in 35 degree temps and the ll new Led Lighting I installed throughout the entire coach is working well. (It seemed no different from just the nite before last when they were running off the convertor. Just like "home"

[Gina D.]

not pretty. Lots of non leveling Dicor will do the trick temporarily, then some glass work. Its too cold to glass now, and in a campground.. without a good ladder.. not easy!

I need to get a decorative strip of some sort to cover up the damage after its been sealed. Maybe an aluminum flat bit, a couple inches wide. Could paint a decoration on it or something.

Doggy in the window not for sale. The one in Jail could be for the right price

[goosler]

gina, if you absolutely cannot find a replacement, any sign shop should be able to make you a blank aluminum sign with a 1x1" aluminum tubing frame in any size you need. Riveted to a nice new piano hinge and some new hydraulic lifts, you should be good as new.....either way, I suggest better tie downs or latches than you had on there before.......good luck!! Pat

[Per Walthinsen]

Sorry for the trouble you're having. That stub looks identical to the one on ours, so at least part of the setup is Hehr stuff.

Happy to hear the rest of it is going OK.

[BCDave]

Unless there was a lot of wind (in addition to that caused by your forward speed), I just don't think it will have wandered too far away. It will likely have blown UP and then, having spent its momentum, had an aerodynamic stall and came wafting back down in much the same fashion as a falling leaf.

It does not have a lot of mass and it has little aerodynamic lift properties, so - unless a lotta wind took it way to one side or t'other when it abandoned ship last night - it actually ain't all THAT far way from where you hear it it pop off!

However - it could be as much as 100 feet or so off the edge of the highway, on either side!

[Darwin Maring]

Be thankful. A couple of years ago here in Virginia the top of a BarBQ that was in the back of a pickup flew off and caused a multiple accident that killed several people.