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Offline Carlriddle

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Check your nuts
« on: October 26, 2011, 10:25:19 AM »
Copied from GD, but thought it was important enough for all of us.


Trailer ball nuts.

I had a very unfortunate incident happen to me on the way home from Glamis on Sunday. About 10 miles past the immigration checkpoint on the 86, as I was making the drive home from a great weekend of duning, my 26' enclosed trailer with my buggy inside in tow, I heard and felt the trailer comming disconnected from the Suburban. It immediately pitched the Suburban hard left, then a complete 180. As I was sliding backwards with the trailer right next to me, it entered the dirt in the center median. Luckily the safety chains snapped and the trailer continued on straight thru the oncoming lanes and came to a rest on the southbound shoulder. The Suburban didn't fair as well, flipping once before coming to a stop on all four wheels. An ambulance ride and 7 hours later, I was on my way home. My back is pretty jacked up, but thinking about what could have happened, I'm on lucky SOB. The trailer came away with only a few scuff marks from making contact with the truck as I was sliding backwards right next to it, and stayed completely upright throughout the wild ride. Everything inside including the buggy didn't move one bit. The ball was still in the coupler, leading me to believe the nut came loose and the ball came out when I hit a bump in the road.

I have to give a big thank you to Steve aka Deanasuaras, for all that he did. I called Steve, who was dropping his stuff at storage and told him what happened. He made all the calls to my family at home and with the towing companies to find out where they would be taking my stuff. He watied for hours at the hospital for me to get released, bought new safety chains and wiring to tow the trailer home and arranged to have my wife meet us in Westmorland to take me home. Duner of the month stuff for sure.

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Online fabr

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Re: Check your nuts
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2011, 10:37:22 AM »
Good samaritans lurk around many corners.
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Offline Nutz4sand

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Re: Check your nuts
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2011, 12:31:27 PM »
Something to check for sure.

I have been on the highway right near my house and saw a small boat on a trialer fall of the back of the truck pulling it and slide down the road for a long ways before heading into the median.

The Problem? There was no pin in the Reese 2 inch reciver. It had fallen out somehow somewhere.

Amazingly the boat did not flip and no harm was done other than a little paint loss and some metal scrapes on the hitch reciever insert.

I asked the guy why the safety chains were not hooked up and he says to me "We were only going a few miles from the lake to my house...."



Which brings me to ask. Is it good that the safety chains snapped on the scene that Carl posted?

They SHOULD be able to hold the load and keep it close to where the ball and hitch is/was. 
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Online fabr

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Re: Check your nuts
« Reply #3 on: October 26, 2011, 02:00:39 PM »
Legally you are right. Morally I feel we have a responsibility to have adequate chains. Damn! I gotta get that done now!Not really a laughing matter but,ya,I gotta get my chains installed.
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"There can be no divided allegiance here.  Any man who says he is an American,
but something else also, isn't an American at all.  We have room for but one
flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is
the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a
loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907

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 " You have all the right in the world to believe any damn thing you'd like, but you don't have the right to demand that I agree with your fantasy"

Offline Carlriddle

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Re: Check your nuts
« Reply #4 on: October 26, 2011, 02:11:44 PM »
Chains?  Should have been able to stay attached to tow vehicle, might have kept it from flipping.  Could have made it much worse.   Luckiest part was that trailer didnt hit oncoming traffic, and all contents stayed in place.  Good strapping. 

Fabr did you have chains on BBQ trailer?

Part I've seen that looks weakest to me are usually the hooks.  And whats your thought on twisting chains to take up slack?
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Online fabr

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Re: Check your nuts
« Reply #5 on: October 26, 2011, 02:33:15 PM »
Yes on BBQ. No ,on current. Law says I am to have them. All my other trailers have safety chains. Properly setup chains are supposed to be of equal length ,crossed under tongue and of adequate length to allow freedom to make full turns without binding yet preventing tongue from contacting pavement if trailer should come unhitched. So much for theory tho. Twisting to take up slack is not a good idea since maintaining equal lengths is difficult at best. Unequal lengths = sharp turns if comes uncoupled. Likely what occurred to this unhappy motorist.
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"There can be no divided allegiance here.  Any man who says he is an American,
but something else also, isn't an American at all.  We have room for but one
flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is
the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a
loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907

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 " You have all the right in the world to believe any damn thing you'd like, but you don't have the right to demand that I agree with your fantasy"

Offline Carlriddle

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Re: Check your nuts
« Reply #6 on: October 26, 2011, 02:48:02 PM »
This reminds me, after I got home realized one of my trailer wheels sure was leaning a bunch, but hey I was jack kniving it up to garage.  So I get out wheel covered with grease, crap.  Outer wheel bearing GONE, dust cap GONE.  No damage to spindle or hub, lucky, so only $15 for parts.  Still need to check rest of them. 


DS is still pissed, he cant get away with shit without it bitting him.   rofl rofl  Thinks I'm lucky, but must not be cause damn lotto ### not hit yet.
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Offline fastcorvairs

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Re: Check your nuts
« Reply #7 on: October 26, 2011, 03:27:25 PM »
Why do they recommend chain's on gooses necks but not on fith wheels?
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Re: Check your nuts
« Reply #8 on: October 26, 2011, 04:46:18 PM »
I don't know but it might have to do with a fifth wheel(RV) would fall 15-18" or so,trailer would likely drag roadway,trailer would fall on most bedsides,kingpin would puncture bed when it drops, ,,,,,,,,,hell I don't know.  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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"There can be no divided allegiance here.  Any man who says he is an American,
but something else also, isn't an American at all.  We have room for but one
flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is
the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a
loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907

-----------------------------------------------------------
 " You have all the right in the world to believe any damn thing you'd like, but you don't have the right to demand that I agree with your fantasy"

Offline fastcorvairs

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Re: Check your nuts
« Reply #9 on: October 26, 2011, 06:16:44 PM »
Just wondering. Always see the chain's on the gooses neck trailers but never see them on a fiver.  Eighteen wheelers don't have chain's.
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Offline Carlriddle

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Re: Check your nuts
« Reply #10 on: October 26, 2011, 06:41:27 PM »
Fabr yours is a fiver right?  I'm with fast only goosers have I seen chains. Not fives. Always figured on eighteen wheelers it was air brake thing kept from needing chains.
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beastybronco

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Re: Check your nuts
« Reply #11 on: October 26, 2011, 07:19:07 PM »
The spring brakes on a 18 wheeler is why.  When the air lines come undone it sets them and stops the trailer,  but thats after the landing gear digs into the pavement lol.  And they don't make a chain heavy enough in a small enough size to handle the twisting of it when he jack knifed.  they are only suppose to handle tongue weight if ball comes off.
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Online fabr

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Re: Check your nuts
« Reply #12 on: October 26, 2011, 08:25:11 PM »
Quote from: beastybronco on October 26, 2011, 07:19:07 PM
The spring brakes on a 18 wheeler is why.  When the air lines come undone it sets them and stops the trailer,  but thats after the landing gear digs into the pavement lol.  And they don't make a chain heavy enough in a small enough size to handle the twisting of it when he jack knifed.  they are only suppose to handle tongue weight if ball comes off.
[/color]yup
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"There can be no divided allegiance here.  Any man who says he is an American,
but something else also, isn't an American at all.  We have room for but one
flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is
the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a
loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907

-----------------------------------------------------------
 " You have all the right in the world to believe any damn thing you'd like, but you don't have the right to demand that I agree with your fantasy"

Online fabr

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Re: Check your nuts
« Reply #13 on: October 26, 2011, 08:29:51 PM »
Quote from: Carlriddle on October 26, 2011, 06:41:27 PM
Fabr yours is a fiver right?  I'm with fast only goosers have I seen chains. Not fives. Always figured on eighteen wheelers it was air brake thing kept from needing chains.
yes,it is.I agree on the 18 wheelers not using chains due to the air brakes but that doesn't apply to electrics.WAIT! Yes it does since we're required to have an electric breakaway device to set brakes if uncoupled. WAIT! Most are inoperative. rofl rofl rofl rofl Anyone know of any reason chains SHOULDN'T be used on a fith wheel? BEFORE I do something totally wrong? ;D ;D ;D
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"There can be no divided allegiance here.  Any man who says he is an American,
but something else also, isn't an American at all.  We have room for but one
flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is
the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a
loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907

-----------------------------------------------------------
 " You have all the right in the world to believe any damn thing you'd like, but you don't have the right to demand that I agree with your fantasy"

Offline Nutz4sand

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Re: Check your nuts
« Reply #14 on: October 26, 2011, 08:32:59 PM »
Where would you hookem on a fifth wheel to cross over under the front and support it??  ;)
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