Top 18 trailer & Tow vehicle failures

[64 M151]

To all
This may save you, your family as well as others lives on the road. Happy trailering and arrive safely.

The top 18 trailer & tow vehicle failures are:
1. Tow vehicle doesn't weigh the same or exceed the towed weight.
2. Too much or not enough tongue weight on tow vehicle.
3. Excess speed over 65 MPH while towing empty or loaded trailer.
4. Unbalanced/unstable trailer for the load when flat occurs.
5. No trailer brakes on trailer and no trailer brake control box on tow vehicle.
6. Bad, severely weather cracked, under/over inflated tires.
7. Improper tie down devices for the load eg overkill or inadequate.
8. Non- working lights, improper lighting and no or improper reflectors.
9. Top heavy, sloppy & unsecured loads.
10. Improper tongue-hitch height on trailer to tow vehicle.
11. No or inadequate safety chains/securing pins.
12. Improper load in the tow vehicle.
13. No inspection/correcting problems at stops and rest.
14. No break-away switch or a dead battery for the break-away brakes. (see #5)
15. Do not use any communication device while towing a trailer eg cell phone, laptop ect ect...
16. Not looking between the mirrors every so many seconds.
17. Not paying attention to details.
18. Failure to perform PMCS prior to use, during and after use.

I have seen many of these failures/accidents on the road and in the media. It has no pretty ending in the end and most generally someone dies from this. The rule of thumb is that you stay back at least one vehicle length for every 10 MPH of the vehicle ahead of you. If you have a trailer then the distance is greatly increased to 20 + feet .

When I'm pulling my rig which is about 45 feet total length so I follow traffic at about 25 feet for every 10 MPH @ 65 MPH that ='s to about 162 feet. If a motorist looks like they are goin to pull into my lane then I adjust and the same on approaching a slow moving motorist.

This goes for tractor & trailers as well as the smallest utility trailer. Just remember to perform PMCS even when the trailer is not in use.

Later Joe

[Spike]

Thirteen is an unlucky number, that can be dangerous, very very dangerous. I find this totally inadiquit.

14.No break-away switch or a dead battery for the break-away brakes.

[64 M151]

Thirteen is an unlucky number, that can be dangerous, very very dangerous. I find this totally inadiquit.

14.No break-away switch or a dead battery for the break-away brakes.

Spike

Thanks for number 14. I knew I was missing one other important problem area. As I think of something else I will edit my post as I did with yours.

Thanks Joe

[64 M151]

Guys

Keeping this at the top and well do so everytime I see a potental accident that could happen.

The other day I seen a trailer being so over loaded that the tires was riding half way on the sidewalls and tread and loosing his load bit by bit and fish tailing to boot, I backed off.

Later Joe