Foiled AGAIN Starts AGAIN

[Lily&Me]

Re new Avatar......I vote for Roller Girl.

I'm betting you made headline news in Southern Illinois.


Maggie.

[switz]

I have been through several vehicle "incidents", both two wheel and four wheel. As it started, I think my brain figured out this was not going to be pretty and suggested turning of the mental camera during the "activities" so I do not remember the details.

I am glad you were not seriously hurt. As mentioned earlier, "Stuff" can be replaced, but you are not replaceable for friendsand family.

But having said that, that was sure a heck of a way to remodel the trailer....

All the best searching for the the next TT and TV.

[Becky B.]

I'm glad you're ok. Sorry about your roll--kinda freaks me out! I'm going to have words with my son-in-law who towed their 34' still whorehoused Avion to the Indiana Dunes at 70 mph! It was his 1st time towing it & he said it towed like crap. WONDER WHY?!! I'm going to make my limit 60 mph after your experience. It was 65....good luck on your search. I kinda did what you're planning to do. Got an Avion for close trips & a Bambi II for traveling. The "dewhorehousifying" comment cracked me up!

[jcanavera]

Wow Paula what a story. Interesting that you really didn't know what was the trigger. That probably with bother you the most. I know it would me. We all have things that we would do differently as you noted.

As much as I like to spend less time on the road and more at my destination, the speed thing is something I try to be cognitive of. I hold my speeds to 55-60 mph. Most of that came from a situation years ago where I had a tractor trailer in front of me that blew two trailer tires at the same time. Thank goodness I had plenty of distance between him and I (we were both traveling the same speed), and I had time to do some significant maneuvers to avoid the hunks of tire tread and side wall that were being flung in the air in front of me. At the time I was pulling a 21' Hi-Lo trailer behind my van. I didn't tow with anti-sway equipment. I whipped that trailer so hard that the items in the cabinets pushed the doors open flinging the contents all over the floor of the trailer. Thankfully because the Hi-Lo presented a very low profile and the fact that the Hi-Lo had the same exact suspension and axle system that my Airstream uses, we got one counter yaw and the trailer fell back into line with the van. Needless to say I pulled over on the shoulder of the road with me shaking from the suddenness and the pumping adrenaline. If I had been traveling the posted 70 mph limit, I doubt I could have reacted fast enough or could have had a much more violent yaw situation.

Driving a little slower I believe can be the difference in being able to avoid or staying in control in an adverse situation.

Glad you are all right. Thanks for sharing your story.

Jack

[Minno]

Foiled again still works - you've definitely been "foiled".
We travel 60 max. Limit goes down if it's windy. "the Joy is in the Journey".
So glad you are ok! Scary story!!

Kay

[eljay]

I vote roller girl. Glad you can maintain your sense of humor!

[handn]

Originally Posted by slowmover

I just hated reading this (and the earlier thread just now). One of our guys rolled a loaded tractor-trailer when the shoulder disappeared out from under him and he had to move over for an oncoming big load . . the trailer wanted to go down the slope and (he regrets) he didn't let the tractor "follow" it. Tried to correct, but that 2" height difference between pavement and soft grade was too much. A man with 40-years experience. It takes so little, relatively.

Keep us up to date. I'd like to help if I could.

.

That seems to be the cause of many tractor trailer rollovers.
How many times have I looked back and seen a puff of dust where the trailer tire hit the shoulder?
If the shoulder was muddy mush or if there was no shoulder, I could be sorting all my stuff by the side of road at best or others could be sorting it at worst.
Thank you for sharing Paula. If all of us are a little more alert, some good will come out of all of this.

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by carl2591

wonder if it was a rouge gust of wind.? I drove a tractor trailer some years ago, 20 + and got pushed over by wind gust myself. It was more noticeable when lightly loaded,, ie 25,000 lbs vs 79,000.

i have seen the wind come through opening in the trees blowing some 10 to 15 miles an hr faster.. my guess is a wind blast that catchs you off guard..


tough luck,, glad you are Ok for the most part... AS's come and AS's go.. but people are hard to replace..

if you don't mind my asking what was the hitch used... you mention getting a hensley or pro pride so i guess it was not one of them..??


so let the search begain.. good luck..

Reese Dual Cam

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Heart's desire - 27 FB in either a Serenity or Eddie Bauer.

Why not hold out for one? But what's the odds of getting either used?

Alternate plan - get that big honkin' 34 Avion for sale in NC. and use it as a park model/move two or three times a year. Eventually take it to Colin Hyde to "de-whorehouseify" the interior. Also get a teenie Airstream - or Oliver - or Casita and take it out on my favorite two day trips. I could get a much smaller tow vehicle and save gas using it as a daily driver.

Two generous members have volunteered to let me use their "Sparestreams". Thank you from the bottom of my heart. But that might encourage me to delay getting one of my own.

TOW VEHICLE

I'm going back to a gasser - the performance issues between the two aren't that great any more nor is the price of diesel fuel low enough to save real money. Also if I get a 27 FB, It'll be a 2500 Suburban. It's lower, I don't have to buy a bed cover, and I've got access from the side doors as well as the tail gate.

If I get a little trailer, it's a Tahoe or something in the half ton class.

So input and advice - and if you know someone who wants to unload a 27 for cheap.... you know where to find me.

Any ideas for a modified Avatar?
[*]Toiled Again - Again[*]Deja VuVu[*]Roller Girl


And there'll never be another "mother truck" so what will I do there?

Sincerely, Paula

First - I am so sorry for what you've experienced! But I have to say, I was laughing out loud at your resilient sense of humor and admiring your "get back on the horseitude" (if I can coin that as a phrase). I think you're probably tougher than me. I LOVE my Airstream and the traveling. But don't know if I'd be thinking about my next one so soon. Then again, thinking about being without one feels like a big mistake too....

Heal well and stay safe. Thanks for the inspiration!!

[Fly at Night]

Boy, there's nothing like an accident when it comes to confronting any swiss cheese in our method of operation.

I have occasionally gone over 55 mph when towing, but will no longer do this. Will also review the placement of cargo in TV and trailer. Your cargo-net recommendation is a good one. I have seen how they load and net a cargo plane. They do that for a reason!

Anyway, glad you survived this ordeal.

[Janet H]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Any ideas for a modified Avatar?

• Toiled Again - Again
• Deja VuVu
• Roller Girl

ReFoiled
Foiled Again Redux
Thrice Foiled
Triple Foiler

[Foiled Again]

Think beautiful thoughts for me... I think I found a "new to me" Airstream.

I had an epiphany - I do not want a bigger trailer. A 27 seemed like a good idea but it's just room for more sh** to accumulate. I'm getting rid of IT.

So it's a 25 FB. Don't want to say more until I've gotten approved.

Paula

[Lily&Me]

Sadly, this is a perfect opportunity to rid yourself of unneeded items!


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by Janet

ReFoiled
Foiled Again Redux
Thrice Foiled
Triple Foiler

I like ReFoiled, too.


Maggie

[TBRich]

Glad you are OK, Paula...thanks for sharing your experience. You are a seasoned traveler/tower ... and this reminds us all that we need to be constantly vigilant ... and even then it doesn't always matter. We are all happy and relieved you were not hurt. Your stoic and level-headed approach to a devastating event is inspiring ...

[moosetags]

Hey Paula. Glad to hear that you're getting back in the game. I agree that a 25 is the way to go. it's just the right size, without any extra space to accumulate junk. You may also be on the right track with the 2500 Suburban TV. As you know, we have pulled Lucy many thousands of miles with one. It's a good fit, and a Suburban is a very versatile vehicle.

We hope that your situation continues to improve, and that you will be back on the road real soon.

Warmest regards, SuEllyn and Brian

[Tom Nugler]

Paula. Glad to learn you survived the incident with minimal injuries.
Having wrecked a trailer after skidding into a soft shoulder I can fully empathize with you. Your description of the event sounds remarkably similar to mine.

The Fates obviously have more in store for you, as they did for me.

If that little caned ham hadn’t been totaled I never would have found that forlorn Globetrotter behind that barn. Never become involved with the Airstream life style. And never met such a diverse and interesting group of people who are the core of the Airstream Community.

It seems as if you can already feel the positive emerging from a bad experience.
Good luck and Godspeed with your next trailer and TV.

Tom

[Goal15]

I'm thinking "foil by the roll"

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, I just read both threads tonight, as I was half way around the world, on a cruise ship, without WIFI. So sorry to hear about your accident, but happy to hear that you're OK. You have helped, and given great advise, to so many on this forum. I think you should not change your name, for this is what everyone knows you by.

[Coloradobus]

Paula, glad your ok for sure. We had a peculiar thing happen to us last weekend on way back from hot springs Arkansas. Rough Oklahoma hwy 412 evidently caused our hitch pin keeper to remove itself from the pin itself by rotating resulting from the slop in our receiver. After crossing a bridge with rough seams, we had a jarring jolt at 62 mph. We glanced at each other, then I kicked off the cruise and slowly went the shoulder to stop. What we saw, was surprising that the entire ballmount, bars, and sway friction plate was resting on the safety chains. The ballmount shank was completely out of the receiver. That was our jolt. We disassembled everything and placed a new spare hitch pin to hold ballmount in and connected the trailer. If we hadn't stopped when we did reacting from the jarring jolt, we would have lost the trailer at a minimum. We hadn't stopped anywhere so rig was not left unattended Could someone have tampered with your hitch while you were snoozing? We have heard stories from friends who have had the car they towed messed with. Glad you will be back on the road soon