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Old 07-28-2009, 12:46 AM   #1
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Close call today



On our trip to Salt Lake City today, I made a bad mistake. I drove for 3 hours and we had stopped for lunch and a nap at a rest area 129 miles out of Salt Lake City on I84, in Southern Idaho.

Something about the trailer causes the back of the van to have a buzzing noise when the cable is attached, and the van is turned off. I have found that if I unplug the cable from the van, the buzzing quits, and I don’t worry about draining the batteries on either the trailer or the van. I will check this out when we empty the back of the van of the furniture.

After lunch and a nap Anne-Marie and I decided to change driving positions, and I groggy headed walked straight to the passenger side of the van and got in, and Anne-Marie walked around the front of the van and got into the drivers seat. Had I been the driver I would have stepped over the trailer hitch and seen the cable unplugged. She had no clue.

Anne-Marie drove 129 miles with no lights, and no brakes on the 34 foot trailer, clear to the RV park in Salt Lake City. Anne-Marie was complaining that it felt as if the van was skidding or on ICE when she was turning off of the freeway, and she barely stopped at the first light. She said that she felt the van sliding at the turn into the RV park, and barely stopped at the registration area. I looked and listened but could not hear the tires sliding. I looked at the hitch, and saw the trailer cable neatly coiled just like I left it.

The cable could have drug for 129 miles and ware off the plug-in head or wore the cable in to 2. Brake fade and brake fade. We could have had a horrible accident with 10,000 pounds of trailer pushing our van into any thing. The brakes seem to have recovered on the van. Now, I shall check the trailer cable every time we stop for anything.

We have talked about making a check list for things to do when stopping and setting up, and hooking up, and I think the time has arrived.

Steve
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Old 07-28-2009, 01:26 AM   #2
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Hi, glad to hear that nothing really bad happened to you or anyone else. You really need to find out what that buzzing noise is and why it has happened so you never have to disconnect you umbelical cord while on the road. The buzzing could be one of the relays for the trailer tow package on the van.
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Old 07-28-2009, 06:18 AM   #3
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You are fortunate, to say the least, and I agree you need to find the buzzing and correct it. That is not normal.

However, I have done a simular thing...left the electrical connector unplugged after a short nights stay at a KOA while traveling. We had gone thru an immigration check point on IH10, and a trucker behind me called on the CB and told me my brake lights were not working, and I knew instantly what I had done. Seems I did notice it not stopping as good as normal.
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Old 07-28-2009, 08:16 AM   #4
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A Prodigy brake controller will show "NC" on the screen if you are Not Connected, a good feature. I also try to remember to always activate the manual trailer brake feature when starting out, just to make sure they are working right. I used to pull a 2,000 lb pop-up camper with a Sienna mini-van, no brake controller, and realize now I was somewhat lucky that my van brakes stopped that whole package. You were lucky too!
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Old 07-28-2009, 08:27 AM   #5
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My brake controller lights up with the adjusted numerical setting each time the brakes are applied. Yours should also. If you have yours mounted out of your line of sight move it. When my does not light the trailer lights are not activated either. Occasionally I have to replug the cable but never (yet) before I move.
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Old 07-28-2009, 08:52 AM   #6
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Our Prodigy brake controller shows two dots in the display when not connected, and C when connected, then a number display when brakes are applied while connected.

The buzzing noise could very likely be a relay that is a part of the trailer wiring package, and maybe a relay, in the rear of the van. I noticed this noise when refueling, and it sounded similar to a bass speaker when a radio is off station, just white noise, and at a very low volume. I remember our dealer saying to be cautious of leaving the umbilical cord plugged in for extended amounts of time, hours or overnight, with the vehicle not running, because it could drain the vehicles battery.

Steve
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Old 07-28-2009, 08:59 AM   #7
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Whenever we hook up, Anne-Marie insists on doing a walk-around check on all of the lights. This is a hold over from 12 years as a bus driver. This one time, it just wasn’t questioned.

The brake controller is positioned so that the steering wheel just blocks the view of it, barely.

Steve
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Old 07-28-2009, 09:42 AM   #8
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I am sure glad to hear that everything turned out OK.

Thank you for mentioning this incident. It is a very good reminder and lesson for us all.

Brian
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Old 07-28-2009, 10:07 AM   #9
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Good wake up for all of us. Thanks!
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Old 07-28-2009, 10:26 AM   #10
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We drove home without our sway control that first summer we had the trailer, and since then we have made a checklist and use it every time we hitch and unhitch. If we stop for food or gas along the way, I always stop and take a long slow look at the hitch, just to make sure no one has fiddled with anything. Someone on here had a story of stopping for gas and another driver took a shortcut and stepped over the hitch and knocked the plug out. I also just want to make sure nothing has come loose. I'm ultra paranoid, but so far it has paid off.
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Old 07-28-2009, 12:02 PM   #11
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You were very fortunate. It sounds like a good idea to relocate that controller so it is in line of sight while at the wheel. Thanks for posting as a reminder to us all to take extra precautions when heading down the road.

Be safe out there.

Bra
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Old 07-28-2009, 01:45 PM   #12
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You are sooooo lucky.
The van must have huge brakes
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Old 07-28-2009, 04:01 PM   #13
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Thanks for sharing!

I try to be just OCD enough to push the brake controller and turn on the parking lights every time we pull away from somewhere, but forgot once. Caught it before we got out of the park, but ...

Did get to check the anti-locks as a silver Focus ran a red light in front of us on our last trip. I guess the trailer brake controller was OK, as it didn't swap ends on us.
Missed by 6" but only that.
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Old 07-29-2009, 03:37 PM   #14
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glad you both are ok!

Steve,
Glad to hear that you both were ok. A check list is always a good idea, and because we are "The Airstream Knowledge Sharing Forums" I applaud you for sharing a mistake that will help us all be more careful!
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Old 07-29-2009, 03:48 PM   #15
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Thank you for sending in the post. This will help many of us, more so than someone castigating a clearly unintentional oversight.
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Old 07-29-2009, 06:53 PM   #16
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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.
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Old 07-29-2009, 07:59 PM   #17
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I need some reflective tape

Does anybody know where I can pick up some reflective tape in bulk? I'd like to put it all over the rear of my Airstream...you know, for the next time I decide to tow it without the lights and brakes. Naturally, I want to comply with Virginia State Law.

Randy
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Old 07-29-2009, 10:56 PM   #18
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And the learning moment here is don't ever share your mistake on forum or you will be cut. I'd rather folks share their mistakes so we can learn about it, instead of getting new laws about whats become illegal this hour.
Someone out there has an incident to tell about that could save my life or your life, but they'll never open up about it now.
Thanks sport


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Old 07-30-2009, 12:18 AM   #19
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Here's several of my favorite quotes that might have some bearing on this subject of our legislators and their continuing attempts to stick their noses in our business...

1. What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.

-- Edward Langley, Artist (1928-1995)



2. A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.

-- Thomas Jefferson


3. The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.

-- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)


Don't get me wrong, having the rear of a trailer being 'visible' to following vehicle drivers is a good idea, isn't that what reflective tail/stop light lenses are for (?)...but lets not go overboard and demand every trailer on the road go out and slap all kinds of reflectors back there...especially on vintage rigs...!

Using that 'logic'...do we now pass laws to slap this reflector tape all the way across the rear of ALL automobiles...! What's the difference, car's have rear bumpers, too, don't they?...hey, a car is 'smaller' than a trailer, and by that fact, should have a much more 'reflective' appearance than a large trailer...yeah, try to get that law shoved down the driving public's 'rumble seat'!

I guess we'll just have to pass all kinds of laws to 'protect' all the idiot drivers out on the roads that can't seem to keep out of other vehicle's ways...yeah, right!

I know how to cure this problem...pass laws requiring large caution labels to be attached to every auto's dashboard..."CAUTION do not drive into the rear bumper of the vehicle in front of you - it could be hazardous to you and your passengers health" Yeah, that ought to do it!
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Old 07-30-2009, 12:56 AM   #20
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I think that there should be a 'law' that revokes the driving priveliges of anyone that canNOT see the night time reflections of his own headlights in the rear of a SILVER unlit AIRSTREAM........Sorry.....it's late.
Neil.
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