Hi Sharon -- and all,
In May 2000, I left Lancaster, Calif., driving a big Ford Van, towing a 20 foot Kit travel trailer. I didn't get out of the state of California. On Interstate 40--in the desert--the trailer began to sway and I couldn't get it under control. In the blink of an eye, the Ford van was upside down and the Kit was kindling all over the Interstate. (The trailer and van were attached together with a Draw-Tight stabilizer and sway bar. When the trailer "flipped," it took the van, too!!) Yes, it can happen in an instant!!
I was hanging upside down. The glass had broken out of the driver's side window. I unhooked my seat belt and crawled out the window. I only had a few glass scratches. A miracle!! Furthermore, a big rig truck was not far behind me and was able to stop. If he had been on my bumper (like lots of truckers!!) he would have run over me!! Van and trailer were totaled!!
I don't know if tongue weight played a role in the accident. I wasn't aware of a problem prior....
Love my T@B!! Now, I'm very conscious of weight in my car and trailer!!
Lorraine (back in North Carolina!!)
On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 12:12 PM, Sharon Sigmon
<wsbswsbs@yahoo.com> wrote:
Mornin' Everyone...
This past week one of our Sisters (Sisters on the Fly) posted some pictures and told the story of completely losing her vintage trailer. It began to sway and in the blink of an eye, it lay destroyed, all over the road! The pictures were frightening to say the least.
This morning, another Sister posted an excellent article about sway...
http://www.title-3.com/Sway.htm
One of the points in the article was about tongue weight contributing to sway. What determines tongue weight? I know that it should be within a certain range of your T@B's weight, but I don't have a clue as to what and how that weight can go up or down!
I believe we are blessed with very stable towing T@Bs, but the pictures and story of that vintage Shasta strewn all over the road made an impact!
Sharon in NC
SplashT@B #2487
0 comments:
Post a Comment