when your trailer gets away from you

[John Linck]

That awkward thing that happens when your trailer gets away from you. Click here for video.

[Wayne Collins]

Obviously a home made contraption in some third world country where they drive on the left.

[Eggcentric]

Having a trailer get away from you can be quite exciting. Had a stinger break off about 4" in front of the ball. On a 4 lane hwy in rush hour, you should have seen the cars trying to get away from the trailer as it lashed side to side. No one hurt & no damage to the trailer except had to re wire the connection to the bus. Trailer was 16' box with a car inside, took a bit to get the tongue raised but after about 40 minutes we were on our way.

[k0wtz]

tony I cannot imagine that happening but I did pull up to a stop light one time and our a-liner came off the hitch. I never did figure out why and it happened only one time.

bob

[garycarolyn]

Originally Posted by Eggie

Having a trailer get away from you can be quite exciting. Had a stinger break off about 4" in front of the ball. On a 4 lane hwy in rush hour, you should have seen the cars trying to get away from the trailer as it lashed side to side. No one hurt & no damage to the trailer except had to re wire the connection to the bus. Trailer was 16' box with a car inside, took a bit to get the tongue raised but after about 40 minutes we were on our way.

We were on SR 1 in Indiana with all the multiple rail road crossings and our pop up popped up off the hitch and the tongue dragged in the gravel along the side of the road. The chains held just fine. We were told that sometimes too many bumps will jog the hitch clamp out of track. We were lucky, no traffic so we could pull along the side of the road.
We lock it down on our Casita now. Things you learn.

[k0wtz]

well ours had a lock on it but it still popped off when it did traffic backed up and here came the cops. a strong guy just lifted it up and that was that of course the cop had to get involved. people call the police for the strangest things!

[ehoepner]

Was East Bound on I 80 in Nebraska when a tandem axle flat bed trailer came loose, snapping the safety chains. The trailer crossed the West bound lanes without hitting a vehicle and into the ditch. Most of the time when this happens the trailers tongue is sitting on top of the ball, it was never properly connected. I always connect mine to the ball and then raise the jack to be sure it is properly connected.

[CA Douglas]

We had a 13 foot Boler roll over some rough road and that's when we found out it hadn't latched onto the ball correctly. Thank goodness for chains. We were able to lift it back onto the ball and this time it was locked on. We were lucky that it happened on a gravel road and no traffic either way. We always triple check to make sure that doesn't happen again with any trailer we tow.

[Mike_L]

I stopped for fuel on a camping trip some years ago. After I went inside to pay for my purchase I noticed some kids around the rear of my tug. I went to see what they were doing. They ran off. The pin was missing from the latch that holds the tongue to the ball and the latch was in the upright position. I closed the latch and used a spare pin I always carry in my tug. Some people's kids!

[Jon in AZ]

I use a locking pin to hold the stinger in the receiver and a small padlock on the coupler latch. Cheap insurance against petty vandalism.

Another forum member had his stinger stolen when he was unhitched and parked attending an event. It was several hours' round trip late at night to buy a new stinger so he could check out and continue his trip the next day.

I let a youth group use my utility trailer at a camp out. At the end of the week, I led the way out 3 miles of dirt road pulling the Scamp. They followed in a van pulling the gear trailer. We got to the main highway and I looked and said, "Where's the trailer?" As we discussed the situation, another group in a pickup truck came up behind. They were all laughing as the window came down and the driver said, "Lose something?" It was hitched (and properly secured) to their truck.

Moral- trust, and verify...