Braking situations that fill your Underpants

[Francesca Knowles]

Jacknifeing on trailers of any size is most often caused by inadequate/nonexistent trailer brakes.

It's also common when towing in the snow, even on adequately braked units. This since many folks fail to understand the necessity to use "drag chains"- that is, chains on the towed unit.

Francesca

[Ice-breaker]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

.... It's also common when towing in the snow, even on adequately braked units. This since many folks fail to understand the necessity to use "drag chains"- that is, chains on the towed unit.

Francesca

Not just snow. Ice is a killer also. Would much rather drive in snow than on icy roads. Seen many many trailers (not necessarily travel trailers) jackknifed on the highways around here in the cold winter months.

[glamourpets]

Originally Posted by Ice-breaker

Not just snow. Ice is a killer also. Would much rather drive in snow than on icy roads. Seen many many trailers (not necessarily travel trailers) jackknifed on the highways around here in the cold winter months.

Perhaps in a way, ice causes the brakes to fail also. Brakes may be functioning normally but because the tires can't grip the roat surface you end up with no stopping power.

[Jon Vermilye]

My most "interesting" braking took place when my Escape was 3 days old. I was driving down 101 in Washington State in a light rain, came over a hill and found a wall of hail with a inch on the pavement. The RAV4 & trailer each wanted to go their own way. On top of that, there was a loaded log truck behind me who, because of his weight, didn't have any problems. With a combination of careful braking of the RAV & gentle use of the manual controller on the trailer, it ended up well, but the feeling of complete detachment from the pavement sure was exciting!

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by glamourpets

Would it be reasonable to say that on rigs the size of those owned here, jackknifing is primarily caused by inadequate trailer brakes? Perhaps they don't work, or perhaps they don't exist in the first place. Thoughts?

Derek, I would suggest that an equally as common cause of jackknifing is sway. We have had a few trailers lost or seriously damaged here due to sway. You can have a trailer with working brakes get itself into a sway which results in a jackknife if the party driving doesnt know how or is to scared to take their hands off the wheel to use the controller to stop the sway.

[Jared J]

Yep.



Caused by an idiot Nissan dealer that didn't tighten the lugnuts after a rotate and balance. I got a hard shimmy going down the road, barely had time to tap the brakes, and off the wheel went. It went under the rear pickup bumper, launching the left side of the pickup in the air, then went under the trailer, severing the wiring harness, and rolled right under the trailer tires, launching the trailer 3' in the air.

It was one hell of a ride.

The other time was pulling my race car and trailer with my '89 nissan (back when I was 16). I was driving down the left lane (45 mph, 4 lane, center turn), when a lady in a a minivan pulled out of a parking lot only two businesses from the stop light, drove at a 45* angle across the street, and stopped to make a left turn, covering both the center turn lane, and the left lane. I left 8 black marks, but still totally smoked her car. My bumper was above hers, so I pushed the hatch inside the car, and against the back seat. I always wondered how the body shop got that thing out of there. It was a good thing I had trailer brakes, kids were in the back seat.

[glamourpets]

Originally Posted by Jared J

Yep.
Caused by an idiot Nissan dealer that didn't tighten the lugnuts after a rotate and balance. I got a hard shimmy going down the road, barely had time to tap the brakes, and off the wheel went. It went under the rear pickup bumper, launching the left side of the pickup in the air, then went under the trailer, severing the wiring harness, and rolled right under the trailer tires, launching the trailer 3' in the air.

Its amazing how often this happens. This week I saw a mercedes at the roadside, resting on its right front brake rotor at the side of the road.

In my own case, I had a tire shop fail to tighten the rear wheels on the truck. The holes in the rims were enlarged, requiring new rims.

In another situation, I had a shop reinstall rear tires incorrectly after a brake job. The following day, I looked out my mirror to see the rear rims wobbling. After a tow to the shop, I learned that they had reinstalled the rims incorectly and warped them. They replaced the rims at their expense.

None of these experiences were as "exciting" as the one above, but they certainly could have been. Although these aren't brake situations, the vehicle will come to an abrupt stop if you are a wheel short of a full set. Should we be rechecking our wheel studs after every time we go to the shop? *sigh*

Derek

PS. I rather suspect that the vehicle with the rear hatch pushed inside went to the bone yard. I doubt a reasonable repair was even possible.

[Glenn Baglo]

I was advised that tires on aluminum rims need to be re-torqued, a couple hundred kilometers after installation, rotation. So, it might not be the shop's fault, although most don't advise you to return in a few days to have the nuts tightened up.

[Darrell in Al]

I was pulling a 14 ft boat loaded with stuff with 91 Comanche pickup fast red light change starting to rain wet pavement with oil and rain.. full brake and horn right threw light. a white knuckle one. few days ago, a "gifted person" pulled out in front of me and then stops to turn in about 100 feet from where pulled out at. I've just got a low cost Hoppy brake controller it works well with the red button, the speed limit in that area is 55 MPH
As said before: check tires pressure and lug nuts after anyone done anything to a vehicle...I've had a shop strip locking lug tool out with a Impact wrench and then call me and say the tires didn't fit, and that they rotated my tires for me and I've been told the tire pressure set at 35 PSI ?? and found any thing from 20 to 50 PSI in them. I have found lug nuts missing and so loose you could take them off with your hand.

[Jim Bennett]

I (almost) always check the torque on installed tires after a short distance. Three times before I have found extremely loose lug nuts (and once it was me who put it on ). Many other times a few lug nuts took a bit more tightening.

[honda03842]

Jim,

The first time we bought tires for our motorhome the dealer had us drive 25 miles and return to have the bolts re-tightened. Your's is a good rule.