# Don't Let This Happen To You!!



## kyoutback (Jul 12, 2004)

The only clue in the article is that he was pulling with an Explorer. I'm guessing no sway control either. There are people who say " I don't have sway control and I've never had a problem". I bet Henry said that too until yesterday!

Ooops


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

I wonder why they were pulling a _motor_home. Don't motorhomes drive themselves?

Or, maybe it was a typo.

Mark


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Gee, I was wondering the same thing Mark.....then again, it is the press. They can't seem to get anything right.

I would say that even with a sway control, an evasive move like avoiding someone who swerved in front of you can up set the delicate balance that we call our tow rigs, especially with a short WB TV like the Explorer. Just ask kjp1969, he had an Explorer, with a Reese Dual Cam sway, and things worked out just a little worse then Henry.

Tim


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

good time to clean the roof


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## kyoutback (Jul 12, 2004)

mswalt said:


> I wonder why they were pulling a _motor_home. Don't motorhomes drive themselves?
> 
> Or, maybe it was a typo.
> 
> ...


That's just local new people not having a clue what they are talking about. I saw a different picture on the news and it was a Hornet.


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

> That's just local new people not having a clue what they are talking about


Surely you jest! The press not knowing what they're talking about! What's this world coming to?









I'm just glad it wasn't me in that picture.

Mark


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## 7heaven (Jun 4, 2005)

Looks way too big to be towing with an Explorer.







I would think that anything bigger than a pop-up would be.


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## MaeJae (May 12, 2005)

Maybe he was _driving_ the motorhome and _pulling_ the explorer...
He could have had an improper set-up for towing a vehicle.









MaeJae


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## CamperDC (Oct 30, 2003)

One of the real important things to take away from this accident is the fact that no matter how safe you are, or how safe your setup is, you cannot control the other drivers. I spend almost 2 hours a day on I-65 and people with TT's fly past me all the time easily doing 75 or 80 mph. All it takes is one crazy driver to put you into an emergency stopping situation. This worries me evey time I pull my Outback.

Slow down, be safe, and Happy Camping.


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## madmaccm (Oct 7, 2005)

Well look at it this way, atleast it landed awning side up!!!!

C-Mac


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## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

"Baker, a former Marine who fought at Guadalcanal during World War II, said the crash was more frightening that combat."

Thats just hard to believe -- especially with the fierce fighting of Guadacanal --

If you took all the bad and scary things that has happened in my life and put them in a pile and then took the sound of bullets whizing by my head in Baghdad... I am going to have to say that the "whizing of bullets" far exceeded anything "scary" I have or will ever go through again... heck I'm Protestant but i swear I was praying in 14 languages just to cover my bases...

I;m sure though that the newpaper writer just misquoted him....


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## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

I will say that this is the most unique perspective I have ever viewed a trailer roof from though.

Reverie


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## Highlander96 (Mar 1, 2005)

Two things........

First- I wonder if those shades had anything to do with the wreck. Those are the kind they give you after Cataract Surgery????









Second- Look at the skid marks. This guy was in the fast lane on I-75 towing with an Explorer.............









This is a perfect example of not enough brakes. Please don't flame me, but THIS is why we do not tow with our Explorer.

Glad nobody was killed!

Happy Outbacking!

Tim


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Highlander96 said:


> First- I wonder if those shades had anything to do with the wreck. Those are the kind they give you after Cataract Surgery????
> 
> 
> 
> ...


LOL....I'm sure they didn't help.



Highlander96 said:


> Second- Look at the skid marks. This guy was in the fast lane on I-75 towing with an Explorer.............
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What was he thinking? I'm guessing the motorhome wasn't working and he was towing it to be repaired.

[snapback]103548[/snapback]​[/quote]

This is a perfect example of not enough brakes. Please don't flame me, but THIS is why we do not tow with our Explorer.

[snapback]103548[/snapback]​[/quote]

No flames here. He is lucky he didn't hurt anyone during this crash. His insurance compnay would have been paying BIG bucks o settle that claim.


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

CamperDC said:


> One of the real important things to take away from this accident is the fact that no matter how safe you are, or how safe your setup is, you cannot control the other drivers. I spend almost 2 hours a day on I-65 and people with TT's fly past me all the time easily doing 75 or 80 mph. All it takes is one crazy driver to put you into an emergency stopping situation. This worries me evey time I pull my Outback.
> 
> Slow down, be safe, and Happy Camping.
> [snapback]103514[/snapback]​


CamperDC

You are so right.

Thor


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

yuck....did something change and now we can have mult quotes in a post? My previous post looks horrible.


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

Highlander96 said:


> Two things........
> 
> First- I wonder if those shades had anything to do with the wreck. Those are the kind they give you after Cataract Surgery????
> 
> ...


LMAO!!!

Those are just the classic 'senior citizen' sunglasses!!

They were returning from wintering in Florida.....









Steve


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## campmg (Dec 24, 2005)

You all crack me up. From the roof cleaning, the cataract shades, to bullets. There's too much good stuff here to quote.

The article said Explorer but with the other mistakes maybe it was an Excursion. You just don't know. At least he was in the slow lane


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## kjp1969 (Apr 25, 2004)

Ah, memories. . . Clicky for artsey b&w photo

Kevin P.


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## campmg (Dec 24, 2005)

Kevin, sure you you made it out ok from the wreck. I've got to ask, what type of hitch were you using?


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

> Second, look at the skid marks.


I can't.....He's still got his shorts on!







That kind of wreck would cause me to have skid marks for sure!

Mark


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## RizFam (Feb 25, 2006)

> yuck....did something change and now we can have mult quotes in a post? My previous post looks horrible.


Maybe some peole just don't know how to post more then 1 quote at a time








Sorry, couldn't help myself!

Glad to hear the no one was hurt in the accident.

Tami


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## RLW7302 (Feb 27, 2005)

kyoutback said:


> The only clue in the article is that he was pulling with an Explorer. I'm guessing no sway control either. There are people who say " I don't have sway control and I've never had a problem". I bet Henry said that too until yesterday!
> 
> Ooops
> [snapback]103481[/snapback]​


Thanks for posting this ... I was trying to find pics of this, as I was STUCK in that traffic jam yesterday!







Got off the highway before I actually got to the accident. Had not heard until this morning that an RV was involved.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Ghosty said:


> "Baker, a former Marine who fought at Guadalcanal during World War II, said the crash was more frightening that combat."
> 
> Thats just hard to believe -- especially with the fierce fighting of Guadacanal --
> 
> ...


Guadalcanal was 63 years ago. That makes this guy 81+ years young. Maybe he forgot what was happening or even where he was 63 years ago.


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## kjp1969 (Apr 25, 2004)

campmg said:


> Kevin, sure you you made it out ok from the wreck. I've got to ask, what type of hitch were you using?
> [snapback]103589[/snapback]​


Well, physically yes. My wife and I and our two daughters were pretty shaken up- although the Explorer didn't roll over, the trailer broke off the hitch ball and tumbled around on both sides. You *don't* want to look out your side window and see your trailer there, on its side, pulling you down the highway sideways. (Trust me on this one)

We gritted our teeth, and after a lot of consideration, bought new gear (including a Hensley). We got back out there, trying to replace those bad memories with good ones. Towing anything was pretty stressful for a while, but I quickly became confident in the Sequoia/Hensley/23rs combo. We ended up camping every other weekend that summer, going everywhere we could think of.

At the time, we were using a Reese dual cam WD hitch. I let a "professional" set it up, and I'm convinced it wasn't done right. I couldn't prove anything, and frankly didn't care, given that our insurance company stepped up and paid us well. It would have been bad karma to sue someone after walking away unscathed from something like that. Plus, I wasn't going to tow with an Explorer or dual cam any time soon, so I didn't really care to learn the intricacies of that kind of hitch.

In hindsight, it was my own fault, really, for not doing the research and learning the mechanics myself. I should have questioned those who said "don't worry, everything would be fine" with that or any setup. Lesson learned, the hard way. Hopefully someone will read this and go out to check their own setup, discovering and fixing any problems before they get ugly. Be safe out there!

Kevin P.


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## Camping Fan (Dec 18, 2005)

CamperDC said:


> One of the real important things to take away from this accident is the fact that no matter how safe you are, or how safe your setup is, you cannot control the other drivers. I spend almost 2 hours a day on I-65 and people with TT's fly past me all the time easily doing 75 or 80 mph. All it takes is one crazy driver to put you into an emergency stopping situation. This worries me evey time I pull my Outback.
> 
> Slow down, be safe, and Happy Camping.
> [snapback]103514[/snapback]​


I couldn't agree with you more. I'll admit to having a lead foot when not towing - let's just say cruise control is a necessary speeding ticket avoidance device.







But pulling an extra 3 - 3 1/2 tons of trailer behind you is a different matter altogether. Although my AV can easily pull my Outback at 75-80 mph, I try to keep my actual towing speed to between 60-65 mph. I'm not worried about how fast I can go down the road, it's how quickly (and safely) I can stop my TV and all that extra weight behind it that worries me. Having a good brake controller, good sway control set-up and a properly matched TV and TT certainly helps a lot in emergency stop situations, but even the best set-up in the world has its limitations and will be unable to prevent an out of control trailer if you're going too fast to start with. Anyone who has done any amount of towing can tell you, it's not a matter of IF, but WHEN, something will happen (idiot driver cutting you off, tire blow out, vehicle on road ahead of you loses control, etc.) that will require you to stop very quickly. Whether you can do so safely and in control or not will be greatly impacted by your towing speed.

Sorry to sound preachy, but like CamperDC I often see TTs flying down the highway, and I cringe every time. OK, hopping off the soap box now.


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## mountainlady56 (Feb 13, 2006)

Well, there was more than ONE TT/TV combo that bit the dust, this week. Visited my brother, last night, and they were on I-10, near Monticello, FL, and were held up in traffic FRIDAY by a TT/TV that flipped. NOTHING landed right-side-up on that accident, and people were life-flighted out. 
Just another reminder to be safe!!
Darlene action


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## Sluggo54 (Jun 15, 2005)

Ghosty said:


> If you took all the bad and scary things that has happened in my life and put them in a pile and then took the sound of bullets whizing by my head in Baghdad... I am going to have to say that the "whizing of bullets" far exceeded anything "scary" I have or will ever go through again... heck I'm Protestant but i swear I was praying in 14 languages just to cover my bases...
> 
> [snapback]103518[/snapback]​


Ghosty, I spent more than my year in RVN, including Tet '68. It was no garden party, but for sheer terror - just to widen your horizons - picture bopping into the house from outside to find your seriously deranged mother in law, armed, promising loudly to blow your tertiary body parts off.









Sluggo


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## Txcamper (Apr 3, 2006)

If the crash was bad enough it is even harder watching wreckers pulling a vehicle upright. That is not a damage free act.


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## Remove_B4_Flight (Apr 2, 2006)

That's kind of the image I had in my mind on my first towing experience. Fortunately, my combat experience told me to slow down and get off the interstate before anything bad happened! I knew nothing of WD hitches, sway control or anything else. I picked up a used TT with an Expedition and hooked it up to a plain ole' ball and tried to take it down I-10 at 60mph. It was an eye opener. Even after I invested money into a proper towing package, I still felt like I was only partially in control. The Expi's wheel base was just too short to compensate for such a long TT effectively. As long as I didn't have to perform any evasive manuevers, it was fine. Now that we have stepped up to a 5er, I will never tow from the bumper again!


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