Close call today

[2dabeach]

darlingbooks.....Another reason that you were having such a problem braking your rig is that you are very close to or exceeding the tow limits of your Ford 350 van. Your 34' Airstream with a 8,247 lb UBW and 11,500 lb GVWR is just below or exceeding the limits of your Ford 350 van which has a tow limit between 8,800 lbs and 10,000 lbs. If you were carrying a lot of gear in your trailer you were probably exceeding the tow capacity of your van.

[az-streamer]

there are a lot of good suggestions already made and a few less good]

personally, i use my childhood cub/boy scout lesson - after a stop and before i drive off i start my truck, turn on the vehicle lights and hit the turn signal [left or right] and then do a "walk-around".

on the truck and AS check: running/brake/turn lights, plugs, chains, windows, steps, the whole ball of wax. takes only seconds and could save you a major headache down the road.

oh yeah - last thing to check - is the wife back from the restroom. you definitely do NOT want to drive off without THAT final check.

safe motoring to all

az-streamer

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by az-streamer

there are a lot of good suggestions already made and a few less good]

oh yeah - last thing to check - is the wife back from the restroom. you definitely do NOT want to drive off without THAT final check.

safe motoring to all

az-streamer

Hi, check list, item number 47, is my wife back yet? I didn't have that one on my check list; It will be added tonight.

[CanoeStream]

Posts by a new member have been removed that were contrary to our policies on those with an interest in other websites. (link to Community Rules) A number of responsible replies by longstanding members were removed to clean up that hijack. I apologize .. and will pass out karma to each of you.

We now return you to the thread already in progress.

[StreamNTyme]

When we are about to leave from anywhere, the last thing we do, is one of us gets behind the trailer and the other turns on the turn signals and the brakes. We check the door to the trailer and take another last minute look around as we get into the truck. It only takes a minute.
One time we found a storage door still open. It pays to take a second last minute look. Be safe.

[Nuvite-F]

Originally Posted by Cracker

For the record, I secure the plug in the TV receptacle with a plastic tie cinched up tight around the trailer plug and the lid of the TV receptacle, holding the cam of the lid tightly against the knob on the plug. I know that quite a few others do the same thing. It wouldn't prevent the specific scenario that started this thread - but it does insure against an accidental "unplugging." I just don't trust the spring-loaded cam catch on the TV's receptacle lid.

Not a bad idea.

I had my trailer plug come out recently and didn't notice the NC light on the brake controller, which is visible, but kind of out of the way. At the next rest stop, doing a walk-around inspection before departing, I was horrified to see the plug lying on the ground, with enough of it ground away to see it had been dragging for a while. Fortunately it was still serviceable and I secured it back in the socket with a bungee cord. (I replaced the plug when we got home.)

Now I double check to make sure the plug is seated all the way and the cover has latched onto the plug. I think I will rig up a safety lanyard to the plug and a suitable attachment point on the rear bumper.

[moosetags]

If Lucy is underway, her clearance are on. These are readily visible in the rear view mirror. If I lost my connection, I would notice it within a minute.

Brian

[reggiemon]

Originally Posted by Nuvite-F

Not a bad idea.

I had my trailer plug come out recently and didn't notice the NC light on the brake controller, which is visible, but kind of out of the way. At the next rest stop, doing a walk-around inspection before departing, I was horrified to see the plug lying on the ground, with enough of it ground away to see it had been dragging for a while. Fortunately it was still serviceable and I secured it back in the socket with a bungee cord. (I replaced the plug when we got home.)

Now I double check to make sure the plug is seated all the way and the cover has latched onto the plug. I think I will rig up a safety lanyard to the plug and a suitable attachment point on the rear bumper.

This will get attention from me also. The last leg home, at night, my plug came out of the recepticle just enough to lose the lights but not the brake controller. I had one trucker try to let me know by flashing his lights when passing but I checked the controller & thought everything was allright. I will figure out a way to secure the lid cam & plug together to prevent this from happening again.

[darlingbooks]

The soft white noise that was in our van has something to do with the rear air conditioning. When the weather is hot, and the rear air is in use, ice or condensation gathers in the rear air unit. When the vehicle is turned off, the fan continues to run in the air unit for a few minutes, to blow off condensation and hold off unwanted culture growths in the unit. This seems to be noticed only because of the wooden wardrobes that filled the back of the van, and is only noticeable when the back door is open at other times.

Since the drive without the trailer plugged in, we have driven with the headlights on, and the running lights are a constant reminder that things are happy with the trailer cable.

A question was made about the trailer being at the upper limits of the capacity of our tow vehicle, and yes it is. We knew this going in with a vehicle with single wheel axel instead of dual wheels, and a gasoline powered engine instead of a diesel engine.

I have called around questioning breaking capacity of our van, and have always been asked “Don’t you have trailer brakes when pulling a trailer of that size?”. I guess that the van brakes won’t last all day all by them selves.

Last week I ordered the best whiz-bang front brake rotors available, the ones with the cooling slots or grooves cut into them, from the Quigley folks. I think that stopping will be the same, but there will be more stops before fade happens again.

Remember, passionate people with a cause, have the energy make changes happen in the world. Some energy with noble intentions was a bit misguided early on with this thread, thank you, to Bob.

We’ve been busy with home remodel stuff with a tight deadline, and I haven’t had much time for computer stuff lately.

Steve