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Old 12-05-2009, 12:49 PM   #1
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So the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day (I was asleep, had to work Thanksgiving Eve, and Thanksgiving Night) I get a voicemail from the manager of the place that I store my trailer in/at, telling me to give her a call on her cellphone. Seemed a little odd to not leave me the office number for the place, but didn't think much of it at the time.
So I call her back the next day, and after playing some phone tag we finally connect, and she proceeds to tell me, in a very sorrowful voice, that she she was driving her husband's truck (stick-shift and she's not very good with it) her foot slipped off the clutch/she hit the gas instead of the brake/something like that, and she crashed into my trailer!!!!!!! It just so happens that my parking spot is right by their apartment on the property. When I started renting there, I thought this was a great spot, more watched so maybe even more secure/safe, now, I'm not so sure...lol
Anyway, so I drive by Sat for a quick look to survey the damage. The ball coupler part of the hitch is bent down at a 90 degree angle to what it should be, but the rest of the tongue looks okay/intact. Apparently her running into the trailer shoved it into the utility trailer that parks behind me, so my back bumper is bent, the bottom glass panel in the door is smashed, and the drivers side corner of the belly band has some cracking. Otherwise, the trailer looks fairly intact on the outside.
Of course anything that wasn't tied down inside was on the floor, but overall it didn't look like a whole lot of true damage.
So Stacey (The Trailer Smasher!hehe) tells me she'll turn it into her insurance company, which I'm fine with. After consulting with my Pop, I visited the local trailer service place, talked it over with the folks there, and decided that they're going to be the ones to at least give me an estimate.
So last night they came with their flatbed trailer (Can't tow it with the coupler wiped out like that!) loaded it up, and away it went... I'm expecting to hear from them sometime Monday.
My big concerns are that it get repaired correctly, and that everything gets checked out (Water system, propane system, etc.) to make sure nothing's leaking/broken that isn't readily apparent/viewable until later on, after things are supposedly 'settled'...
Anyway, I'll keep you all posted. Pics will follow...
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Old 12-05-2009, 12:55 PM   #2
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Hitch Pics...
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Old 12-05-2009, 12:57 PM   #3
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Door Pics...
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Old 12-05-2009, 01:36 PM   #4
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Joseph,

So sorry to hear what happened. It makes me sick when I hear of a trailer being damaged like that after we lost ours this past summer.

It would have taken a lot of force to bend the tongue like that. Since your fibreglass body was also damaged, I'd check the mounting bolts between the body and the chassis very carefully. I hope it all gets repaired to your satisfaction.

Look on the bright side...at least your trailer isn't out of commission during camping season and it didn't happen far from home.

Take care,

Phil
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Old 12-05-2009, 02:07 PM   #5
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OPP"S! But thankfully she was honest and called you, instead of just saying hmmmmmm, how did that happen when you returned to pick it up for a camp out. You are right to want to make sure that it's fixed correctly. Good Luck! Hang in there, hopefully they will have it fixed soon enough.


I am with you on thinking what a "great" storage spot, But you know what they say hind sight is 20/20
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Old 12-05-2009, 05:07 PM   #6
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I totally agree Phil, at least I'm not being held up from going on a trip, with this happening in the middle of winter...
I do remember discussing with Dana at the Lake Casitas Rally though, how hard it is to replace the door windowpanes. I remember thinking "oh I don't have to worry about that, mine are intact and just fine'... LOL Shows what happens if you get a little too cocky huh? hehe Oh well...
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Old 12-05-2009, 06:00 PM   #7
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Ouch, sorry to hear about that. Thank God there are still some honest people left in the world though.
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Old 12-05-2009, 09:23 PM   #8
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Think in the other direction...
Oh Boy! a new clean door window
Oh Boy! A better, stronger hitch
etc.....
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Old 12-06-2009, 06:20 AM   #9
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Oh dear Thank goodness for honesty. Had you parked the trailer in a different area of the RV lot, you may not have been so lucky. Smasher may have just walked off without giving notice of the damage done. Fortunately, everything looks repairable and should be better than before.
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Old 12-06-2009, 08:26 AM   #10
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Hey Joe maybe you can work this into a new frame, hitch and new cabinets too, In fact new old trailer and you did not pay for the rehab!

Hope it works out us girls are thinking about you!
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Old 12-06-2009, 08:38 AM   #11
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Unhappy

My concern would be for 'hidden' damage that may be present but not readily visible, bent frame, etc. that would affect towing/safety etc.

Be sure the repair place gives it a good once over.
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Old 12-06-2009, 06:55 PM   #12
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Hey Everybody,
Thanks for all the good thoughts and all, MUCH appreciated. I got a call from the 'Smashers' insurance company today, so far so good! And I have a good feeling about the repair place too, it's a small enough city that it turns out I know them, so I think they'll take good care of me...
I agree, damage looks minor, shouldn't be a huge deal, but at the same time, I agree with you Roger, that was my concern and main reason for going with a place that specializes in RV work, versus taking it all over town to the different places that could do each small repair for me (Welding place for the hitch, body shop for the 'glass work, etc.) My goal here is for them to be able to see for sure that the frame is or isn't bent/damaged, and/or fix it. And they can also check out the water, electrical, and propane systems and make sure that they're all okay as well...
I'm also curious to see how good their work is, and how reasonable their rates are, as there are some mods I'd love to do, but are at the edge of my skill level, like built-in leveling jacks on the back, and the spare tire mount on the front. So we'll see how it goes.
I should hear back from them sometime tomorrow with an estimate, so I'll letcha all know K?

Joe
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Old 12-06-2009, 08:21 PM   #13
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... I do remember discussing with Dana at the Lake Casitas Rally though, how hard it is to replace the door windowpanes.
Hi Joe, sorry to hear about the damage to your trailer. That's two from the Lake Casitas rally that have been damaged since the rally -- Ouch!!

I did have a hard time replacing the glass in my door window, but that was before I learned how to do it.

The problem is/was that I thought I could cut out the die-cast zink corner pieces and replace them with new ones. I never found that particular size corner piece.

I now think the proper way to do it is to cut the two bottom pieces in such a way that the window can be reassembled with a couple of screws holding the corner pieces together. There is no need to take off the top rail.

But you have the advantage of a professional shop doing the repair! It will be interesting to learn how they handle the problem.
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Old 12-07-2009, 06:31 PM   #14
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I tell you Dana, I SO could hear us talking about the difficulty of replacing the window glass, when I saw mine was broken! That thought truly went through my head "HA, that's what I get for thinking 'But my windows are fine"... hehehe
I will definitely post how difficult or simple it is for them to repair the window.
Still waiting to hear the estimate for the whole ball of wax, we'll see what happens there...
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Old 12-07-2009, 07:34 PM   #15
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yup, I'm with James. a free tuneup just before spring is bonus. you could also talk to the bodyshop about a full re-paint while much of the cost is covered?
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Old 12-09-2009, 11:55 PM   #16
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Aww Joe! So sorry to hear about your Campster! Check out Callen Campers in San Diego. They sell lots of RV windows on Ebay and are quite reasonable. Frederick lives down the street from them and has also had positive things to say about them. I've personally purchased three windows from Callen Campers. Good luck!
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Old 12-24-2009, 02:00 AM   #17
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Hi Joe, do you have an estimate for the repair yet?

I see you're interested in adding a spare tire mount on the tongue (http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/index.ph...st&p=343162)

Have you looked at the spare tire mount on Hilliary's & Micheal's trailer? Here are links to pictures that Cliff took at the Lake Casitas Rally this year: (click on the picture to see a more detailed version)
http://www.salsaholics.com/trailer/gallery..._0025b.jpg.html
http://www.salsaholics.com/trailer/gallery...-33+PM.jpg.html
http://www.salsaholics.com/trailer/gallery...-24+PM.jpg.html
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Old 12-25-2009, 07:31 PM   #18
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Hi Joe,
Just saw this thread, though you told me about this mishap beforehand. Good that the lady was honest and that insurance will pay the damages. Looking on the bright side, you'll get a new hitch which will be better than what you had, and they'll check out all the systems so you'll have peace of mind.

Good luck!

Fran
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Old 12-27-2009, 07:03 AM   #19
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Quote:
So the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day (I was asleep, had to work Thanksgiving Eve, and Thanksgiving Night) I get a voicemail from the manager of the place that I store my trailer in/at, telling me to give her a call on her cellphone. Seemed a little odd to not leave me the office number for the place, but didn't think much of it at the time.
So I call her back the next day, and after playing some phone tag we finally connect, and she proceeds to tell me, in a very sorrowful voice, that she she was driving her husband's truck (stick-shift and she's not very good with it) her foot slipped off the clutch/she hit the gas instead of the brake/something like that, and she crashed into my trailer!!!!!!! It just so happens that my parking spot is right by their apartment on the property. When I started renting there, I thought this was a great spot, more watched so maybe even more secure/safe, now, I'm not so sure...lol
Anyway, so I drive by Sat for a quick look to survey the damage. The ball coupler part of the hitch is bent down at a 90 degree angle to what it should be, but the rest of the tongue looks okay/intact. Apparently her running into the trailer shoved it into the utility trailer that parks behind me, so my back bumper is bent, the bottom glass panel in the door is smashed, and the drivers side corner of the belly band has some cracking. Otherwise, the trailer looks fairly intact on the outside.
Of course anything that wasn't tied down inside was on the floor, but overall it didn't look like a whole lot of true damage.
So Stacey (The Trailer Smasher!hehe) tells me she'll turn it into her insurance company, which I'm fine with. After consulting with my Pop, I visited the local trailer service place, talked it over with the folks there, and decided that they're going to be the ones to at least give me an estimate.
So last night they came with their flatbed trailer (Can't tow it with the coupler wiped out like that!) loaded it up, and away it went... I'm expecting to hear from them sometime Monday.
My big concerns are that it get repaired correctly, and that everything gets checked out (Water system, propane system, etc.) to make sure nothing's leaking/broken that isn't readily apparent/viewable until later on, after things are supposedly 'settled'...
Anyway, I'll keep you all posted. Pics will follow...
WOW.. she must have hit it right on seeing the way it is bent....Looks like it can be fixed. I had my castia taken form a storage lot last summer . I always thought it was strange the camera there just happened no to work that day. take care.
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