Scary, life threatening, mistake

[MossRoad]

I've used several different trailers over 40 years of driving and never had a similar incident, so yeah, they are over rated, you just need to consider the physics of what's going on. Trailer parking brakes would be more parts to fail or maintain plus would add to trailer cost.

Truck and trailer should have been on level ground, Truck could have been put in 4WD if it had it, Trailer tires could have been chocked, trailer could have had rear jackstands. Several ways to have prevented what happened.

Even if the trailer could have had parking brakes, the operator could just as easily have failed to engage it. It just comes down to situational awareness.

All you'd have to do is pull the breakaway cable and if the trailer battery is charged (like it should be) your trailer brakes should lock.

While it's not a good substitute for an actual mechanical parking brake, it works in a pinch.

 

[dodge man]

Of course everybody has the breakaway setup right? I added it to my trailer several years ago.

 

[Fixastuff]

If it happens keep backing the machine off, don't stop or pull forward.

 

[grsthegreat]

my old flatbed trailer had 2 rear jacks i added to prevent this from happening.

my current trailer is a tilt bed so i dont have to worry any more.

 

[notaz3]

Of course everybody has the breakaway setup right? I added it to my trailer several years ago.

I would hope so

49 CFR § 393.43​

If trailer has breaks it is required to have breakaway system.

 

[mjonesnh]

I would hope so

49 CFR § 393.43​

If trailer has breaks it is required to have breakaway sys

Not me this time.

Drove about an hour from home with son-in-law to pick up a tiller and box blade he had purchased. Just like his tractor he bought them sight unseen over the Internet from a dealer in Tennessee. While he was inside settling the bill I helped the guy loading the equipment and strapped things down. Guy loading said he had a Ford F150 like mine. A few weeks before he had delivered a large tractor when the incident happened.

So he parked on a noticeable incline with the truck pointed uphill. Unchained the tractor and started backing off the trailer. He never said what size, type tractor it was, just that it was large and heavy and didn't have a cab. Just as the back tires were about to go on the ramp, right at the end of the trailer, the the weight difference was enough that the front of the trailer lifted up and the truck's rear tires came off the ground. I had never thought of this happening and apparently this guy hadn't either. Said he had been delivering equipment for many years. Luckily the front wheels were straight and the truck, trailer, tractor, and scared motionless man rolled straight down the hill and into a ditch at the turnoff from the busy main road. According to the man the whole rig rolled about fifty yards scraping gravel with the back of the trailer. A few yards to either side and it would have either gone into a deep gully or out the driveway into a busy road. Don't know how he finally got it off the trailer, Don't know why it didn't happen when loading the tractor. But the guy's voice quivered when he told the story.

Just something to think about.

RSKY

Jackstands on back of trailer, put truck in 4wd so front axle is in park also. Learned that lesson the hard way when I had a car hauler with ramps.

3 ton jackstands at rear edge of trailer. use them everytime when loading and unloading

 

[ruffdog]

The two trailer loading fails I was looking for in one video!

 

[MossRoad]

YIKES!

I've seen them before, but not in one clip! Thanks.

 

[duramaxsky]

The two trailer loading fails I was looking for in one video!

Ouch! I am glad I have a tilt deck. I added hydraulic lift to it so I can actually push down on the back of the tow rig. Although the Reason I added the hydraulic setup is I can drive pallets up on the deck one at a time with my tractor without the front dropping.

 

[Alan W.]

All you'd have to do is pull the breakaway cable and if the trailer battery is charged (like it should be) your trailer brakes should lock.

While it's not a good substitute for an actual mechanical parking brake, it works in a pinch.

Not all electric trailer brakes work well in reverse. Most are designed for forward stopping. I was thinking some of the Dexter axles had a better design.
This could be a false sense of security and get someone hurt.
Back up your trailer and slide the controller to full brake and see if the trailer wheels lock before trusting this method.

 

[Hay Dude]

So US trailer manufacturers still consider parking brakes on trailers to be overrated? I would've thought that by now that they would've taken care of that since this incidents are way more frequent than it should.

We have them, but only on air brake truck/trailers.

 

[dodge man]

I power wash and coat the deck of my trailer once a year. I move it up to my shop and disconnected from it. The pic below shows how my trailer was sitting when I got on the back of it to power wash it off. My weight on the back was enough to unload the front enough to allow the Jack to start sliding. I got off of it and it kept going, in slow motion. I just grabbed it to stop it, but yes, there is a balancing act you don’t want to be on the wrong side of.

 

[ponytug]

This type of dual wheel chock is nice and keep you covered both directions.

https://www.amazon.com/Maxchock-X-Shaped-Stabilizer-Trailer-Camping/dp/B09PR9G9G4

All the best,

Peter

 

[oosik]

I have a tandem axle trailer that was only used to haul firewood on my property. Many times - going over a bump with a full load on the trailer - the rear wheels on the tractor would lift off the ground. But I was always on flat ground and being in 4WD the front tires pulled everything back down. I haven't used this trailer in 25 years.

One of the first times with a full load of rocks on my new farm wagon. I lost control going into the valley on my driveway. I was lucky - everything went straight and I was able to stop without any damage. Because of the design of the farm wagon tongue - nothing was lifted. But the push from the loaded wagon was unbelievable and unexpected.

That thought me - 4WD when pulling a loaded farm wagon. At least when going down my driveway.

 

[ultrarunner]

Does the farm wagon have independent brakes?

 

[oosik]

Ultrarunner - unfortunately, my farm wagon has NO brakes - of any kind. All my property, where I use the wagon, is flat. Except the valley on my driveway.