Casita Carnage

[Phil Underwood]

Although we have only owned our 84 Model Casita for a year now, we have taken it all over the place.
After spending the thanksgiving weekend at State Park in Lake Charles Louisiana, with our family "who is also a member of the Casita family"

Making our way towards Corpus Christi, just coming out of Houston, going over an overpass, i felt two tugs on the back our F-250 crew cab, and looked in the rear view mirror to see our Casita whipping back and forth sideways behind our truck. As soon as i left off the gas the safety chains broke, and our Casita, crashed into the guard rail, and then darted across the median heading towards the traffic on the other side of the freeway, thank god the guard rail stopped it before it hit anybody.. Nobody was hurt, and truck didn't suffer any damage.
The tow truck driver showed up and i asked him to pull it off the freeway to the Kmart parking lot, where i already had a flatbed trailer waiting. As soon as the tow truck hooked on to our Casita, he got stuck in the mud and told me it would cost ANOTHER $175.00 bucks if i couldn't pull him out..
So i hooked his chain to my truck and yanked the tow truck and our Casita out of mud.. loaded the Casita on the flatbed, headed to a friends shop and rewelded the hitch back on, and finally made it home, and have been looking for a replacement Casita while we totally remodel this one..
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[McClure]

Dang Phil glad everyone is OK, but that sure was a bummer.

Blair

[Gina D.]

so did the hitch actually break off or did that happen as a result of the sway?

[Phil Underwood]

so did the hitch actually break off or did that happen as a result of the sway?

no idea... the metal looks very thin.. and the roads in Louisiana were very bumpy...

[McClure]

Hey Phil, maybe you can find a Scamp! I will keep an eye out for ya.

Blair

[Phil Underwood]

Hey Phil, maybe you can find a Scamp! I will keep an eye out for ya.
Blair

i'll take anything i can afford.. but seriously do keep an eye out for me.. thanks

[Byron Kinnaman]

Were you using a WD hitch?

It looks like the coupler was riped up and off the trailer.

[McClure]

I will Phill. A month or so ago there was a guy that picked up a 1985 16' Scamp in NW Houston from the original owners family for $2,500. He is supposed to be in Matagorda at the gathering in a few weeks, cant wait to see it.

Blair

[brian m.]

WOW Phil! I'm glad nobody was hurt. I hope you are able to find a replacement and restore the '84.

[Frederick L. Simson]

(I) have been looking for a replacement Casita [b]while we totally remodel this one..

WOW!

That's a very determined thought. I'd be feeling lost about now...

[Phil Underwood]

Were you using a WD hitch?
It looks like the coupler was riped up and off the trailer.

No, just a regular class 5.
I have never had any problems towing it before, nice straight and smooth... most of the time i cant even tell its back there...

[Byron Kinnaman]

I'm sure glad nobody got hurt. Pretty scary experience.
Keep us posted. I'm sure many would like to see pictures as the repairs are progressing.

[Donna D.]

YEOW! I double the posts saying "Thank goodness no one was hurt"! Phil, just out of curiosity how fast do you think you were driving and was the trailer towed level?

[Cam A]

Whew!! Glad to hear you were OK; good thing you were using a large TV when this happened! Looks to me like the wrap of metal on top of the frame was the only thing that was holding it for some time. The edge of the two square tubes looks rusty, the only fresh metal is the rip on top. Was the frame extended at some time in the past?

[scott fraser]

Whew!! Glad to hear you were OK; good thing you were using a large TV when this happened! Looks to me like the wrap of metal on top of the frame was the only thing that was holding it for some time. The edge of the two square tubes looks rusty, the only fresh metal is the rip on top. Was the frame extended at some time in the past?

I'll echo Cam here...glad no-one was hurt! He is certainly right about the wrap being the only fresh tear, and the location would have made seeing the potential problem very unlikely in any inspection. I hope your repairs go well, best of luck!

[Mary F]

Yipes!

Glad it turned out "okay!" Thanks for sharing your story!

[Phil Underwood]

YEOW! I double the posts saying "Thank goodness no one was hurt"! Phil, just out of curiosity how fast do you think you were driving and was the trailer towed level?

65mph and towed 100% level..

[ConnieB]

How scarey! Glad no one was hurt. Would seem to be one more thing to look at during the pre-trip walk around inspection but as was previously pointed out, might not show up, at least on a casual look.
Hang in there!
Connie

[Phil Underwood]

Whew!! Glad to hear you were OK; good thing you were using a large TV when this happened! Looks to me like the wrap of metal on top of the frame was the only thing that was holding it for some time. The edge of the two square tubes looks rusty, the only fresh metal is the rip on top. Was the frame extended at some time in the past?

i could only imagine what the outcome would have been if we were towing with a small truck.. Not sure on the frame, but it looks like there has been some welding done on it in the past...
I for one will only use a Bull Dog clamp style hitch for now on, and I'll be sure and weld it on my self

[Brian B-P]

That's one scary looking failure, and it does appear to simply be the coupler which failed structurally (not the frame, or the attachment of the coupler to the frame, or the coupler latch, etc).

Since this is the only example I've seen of a coupler structurally failing (I'm sure there have been lots, but they're not so common that I've noticed any mention of them), I'm not jumping to the conclusion that I should use some particular style. The problem may have been caused in installation, in operation (at some point in the past), or in a manufacturing fault that doesn't affect other units of the same design or brand.... we just don't know. I may even already have a better coupler - mine is an Atwood with 2" ball socket, 5000 lb trailer capacity, and 700 lb tongue weight capacity; what was this one?