Learnt a big lesson today...

[apapada]

Driving my Tahoe on the interstate, I was towing the shell of a 1998 CR-V I've used to make my AWD civic project. While on the road to the junk yard to dispose of the CR-V body, I suddenly felt like a crosswind hit us. Then it went the other way ! and then back the first way but the movement got amplifyied !!! At that time I thought it must be a flat tire on the trailer or something ! While looking in the mirrors, with horror I see the trailer swinging left to right and pulls the Tahoe with it ! Then it's back the other way except that I now have to countersteer because trailer + Tahoe are getting sideways. I'm like "oh $%1T, oh $%1T, no !!!". I instinctevely ease on the throttle and slowly apply the brakes while trying no to completely loose it, by countersteering in the process. With every swing, the trailer wants to jackknife on us and I have to give even more input to correct. In the mean time, I'm now using the 3 lanes of the highway and everybody behind us have slowed down waiting for us to somehow stop !!!

As the speed goes down to 20 mph the amplitude of the back and forth movement decreases and I manage to slow down. Geeezzzz ! I had to catch my breath for a few minutes and then started to look at my setup. I then realized that I didn't have the tongue weight near where I should. As it turns out, the balance of the CR-V must shift waaaaay back when there is no more engine and tranny in it. I got the hitch out and pulled the CR-V a foot and a half forward and retightened everything down. I slowly got back up to speed and that was it. No more problems...

I had never experienced something like that in my life, let alone since the 2 years I've been towing vehicles with my trailer and Tahoe. If I was a cat, I certainly used one life or two right there. :redface:

This could have had a very different ending, a very bad one. I looked at the trailer tires while I was checking my setup and saw pavement scratches going across the thread

If I was in a car on a track I would have gotten both feet in waiting to stop waaaayyy earlier than that. In this case there wasn't any such option and would have bet that it is impossible to recover control when anyone is so much sideways...

I'm counting my blessings and thanking the Lord for sparing us on that one...

 

[zahntech]

Glad to hear nobody was hurt...that sounds like a wicked scary ride!

 

[Autophile]

I know exactly the feeling. I've experienced similar behavior while trying to tow a car on the highway using a two-wheel dolly style rig. If you go faster than, say, 55 mph, those crazy oscillations can start and they can become real scary, quick. Full car-haulers for me now, thanks. :smile:

 

[Shumdit]

Alex, as soon as I started reading that, I thought: Weight too far rearward (even before I got to where you disclosed that). I have been there before, although not nearly to the degree you described. Glad it is just a story to tell with no bad consequences.


By the way, how about PM'ing me whenever you are going to be towing something again with your route and time schedule so I can avoid that section of town:biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: :wink:

 

[steveny]

Be sure to check the welds on the tounge of the trailer where the tounge meets the frame of the trailer. I had a similiar experience happen to me. I got everything under control but about a month later had the trailer tounge break right off and the trailer went flipping off into the woods. I was on my way to pick up a car. Thank goodness I did not have a car on the trailer! Check your welds.

 

[ChopsJazz]

Learnt?

 

[apapada]

Learnt?

An alternative form of the past tense and past participle of the verb learn. Learnt is more common in British English, and learned in American English. There are a number of verbs of this type (burn, dream, kneel, lean, leap, spell, spill, spoil etc.). They are all irregular verbs, and this is a part of their irregularity.