Please tell me I didn't see it!

[Foiled Again]

But I know I did. An SOB that is a story and a half HIGH.

Accident Coming
Dead Man Rolling

http://www.tcsrvs.com/2011-riverside...ler-vt-i215677

Sorry I couldn't get my cell phone out fast enough to get a picture but there it was a bumper pull trailer about 25 - 27 feet long, with a roof that slanted upward to a LOFT in the back of the RV - oh plus at least one slide on the roadside. I didn't get to see the curbside. The thing was at least as high as a big MOHO, and it was not being towed by a dually, not that it mattered. Dual Axle, high axles - turned left to get onto I-264 and points west. I almost expected to see it tip over on it's side in the turn!

I'm sure it's got a lot of space, but why oh why didn't they just steal some design ideas from HI-LO? and make the loft a pop up, slide up or anything but an Foul-up waiting to happen.

I'd heard about this type of trailer on an RV special, but seeing it first hand? Well if you watch the British version of Top Gear and have seen the three story RV that the host cobbled together you'd understand the problem.

What really struck me was ALL that height put toward the REAR of the axles? Wouldn't it be less suicidal to have it over or forward of the axles?

Paula

[Skatiero]

Isn't it astonishing? We did recently see a pop up roof kind of hi-lo style, a loft which cranked up like the roof of a popup. I can't imagine wanting a permanent loft but a popup would be wonderful!!! I wish I could add one!

[prudencepb]

It kinda looks like a backwards 5th wheel and I think you're right, it's a roll over waiting to happen.

[Airtandem]

several years ago, Outback had a trailer that had a "pop-up" on the rear half that had seating and table. this was over a hauler style body. Would been good to take to events ie NASCAR.

[Foiled Again]

A friend who owns a campground less than 100 miles from here JUST called me - he knows I can find him anyone from an Israeli bagpiper to a farrier who will shoe a zebra - but this time he was almost ready to puke.
He wanted a referral to a good affordable lawyer and believe it or not I know one! (Family money - so he takes "interesting" cases for reasonable fees.)

A brand new Riverside "loft camper" with temporary tags pulled in to his campground and went up the dirt road to his campsite - hit a rut and flopped sideways into a tree. The trailer also popped off the ball so the tow vehicle stayed upright, thank goodness. I can't help wondering if it wasn't the same one I just saw at lunch.

He's upset because the RV owner is threatening to sue him over the potholes, but the campground owner was smart enough to know to say "your camper - your job to know what kind of roads it's safe on, and the other 90 campers here made it down this road just FINE"

I sent him scampering to take pictures of the trailer, the tow vehicle and most important the ball to see there was some obvious reason it popped off. I know his receipts will have all of the disclaimers about damage or loss of stuff on the campground, but if it's campground owner negligence, he's still going to be found liable. He's reputable and insured but I bet the deductible is high.

The pictures on the company's website don't show a rear view of this RV - from the back they are jaw droppingly high.

EERIE DAY, Paula

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by prudencepb

It kinda looks like a backwards 5th wheel and I think you're right, it's a roll over waiting to happen.

That was my first thought... like a really cheap 5th wheel put together by teenagers taking interesting drugs, half of the blindfolded and the other half working in the mirror.

[newroswell]

I dunno Paula, it's just another big white box. Checkout how they did it back in 1953!

1953 Lighthouse

[slowmover]

That thing is ugly, Paula, from any design point. And from an aerodynamic perspective, couldn't be worse: enormous sail area and terrible front/rear entry/egress. Literarlly would be better if reversed.

Too bad for the driver that he/she didn't slow down enough on the access road and more carefully navigate. An obviously top-heavy trailer with high road clearance will be susceptible to problems on a suspension without much travel.

I don't have to wonder about the suspension type: susceptible to a minor tripping hazard means it is likely no more than leaf sprung, possibly even without shock absorbers. Very high (and badly centered) COG to make it worse. I wouldn't be surprised to find stress problems at the suspension attach points during that accident.

If the access road is "bad" then we would expect some other trailers to have "dragged" on it (loss of ground clearance). Was there a posted speed limit? (May not mean much, but many folks don't understand diddly about using 10-mph or 15-mph speeds; e.g., coming to full stop at pavement end and starting again from zero onto the unpaved).

It takes even less imagination to "know" the hitch rigging was probably composed of either or both worst hitch design and improper set-up; possibly one would want to disconnect anti-sway bars on a bad road.

And a cheap brake controller, also improperly set is likely (IOW, the usual 90% of all rigs are improperly hitched [which would include brake controls] as with at any time the past 50-years). One should want to know the proper brake controller set-up for loose surfaces as it won't be the same as for paved.

That thing (like the toyhaulers) is always a problem waiting to happen due to design flaws, not just compromises, IMO. Putting the cart before the horse is central when one sees such a lousy set of ideas cobbled together and set on an axle pair. FF/RR balance is likely bad, and port/starboard may also be contributory.

The owners should be glad their inexperience + crap trailer "accident" was at a very low speed and not at 60+ mph.

.

[Skater]

My eyes! The goggles do nothing!

That thing is ugly and dated on the outside (not that I'm a fan of SOBs, but isn't fiberglass standard now? the aluminum siding ones look very 90s and dated to me now), and the inside looks dated and cheap. It reminds me of the 21' Invader we had from the early 70s - slightly updated but still not good.

It does look a bit top heavy, but I hate to pass judgement just on looks. Rolling it, though, makes the top heavy theory much stronger. Meanwhile I bounced our Airstream up over a curb yesterday (sigh - I'm an idiot, I know) and it seems no worse for the wear.

[MrUKToad]

Just looking at the photos, the loft doesn't add a whole lot of height and there doesn't appear to be much stuff in that high area other than some mattresses. That said, the whole darn trailer is tall, sitting well above the axles (to allow the slideout to work) and you've no idea what the guy who tipped over had stored in his loft; probably all his heavy gear!

Like Skater, these trailers do nothing for me; they're just plain ugly inside and out.

[newroswell]

Originally Posted by Skater

Meanwhile I bounced our Airstream up over a curb yesterday (sigh - I'm an idiot, I know) and it seems no worse for the wear.

Skater, sorry to briefly go off thread topic, but tire blowouts sometimes follow this type of thing even though the tire looks good. Check those tires closely and be careful!

[Jaxon]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

A brand new Riverside "loft camper" with temporary tags pulled in to his campground and went up the dirt road to his campsite - hit a rut and flopped sideways into a tree. The trailer also popped off the ball so the tow vehicle stayed upright, thank goodness. I can't help wondering if it wasn't the same one I just saw at lunch.

He's upset because the RV owner is threatening to sue him over the potholes, but the campground owner was smart enough to know to say "your camper - your job to know what kind of roads it's safe on, and the other 90 campers here made it down this road just FINE"
EERIE DAY, Paula

No telling how the guy loaded the interior with his stuff before taking off down the road. You can’t ignore physics with shifting gear inside the box.

[Skater]

Originally Posted by newroswell

Skater, sorry to briefly go off thread topic, but tire blowouts sometimes follow this type of thing even though the tire looks good. Check those tires closely and be careful!

Yeah, I know. I already keep a close eye on them. Gotta learn how NOT to do that before I get aluminum wheels. (To be fair that's only the second time I've done it, and the first time was on our first trip with the camper, on the same type of turn - one where the road meets at more than a 90-degree turn. I was pretty sure was clear of the curb and...well, I wasn't.) Thanks.

[slowmover]

Was reading elsewhere and came across a great set of videos on

Tripping Hazards

The Hidden Dangers of Driving Over Manholes - Commute - The Atlantic Cities