Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

by **Larwyn** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:40 pm

This thread is for the posting of VERIFIABLE accounts of accidents involving teardrop trailers without brakes. And specifically those that might have been prevented if there were brakes on the TD.

No opinions.

No guesses.

No estimates.

No near misses.

Just accounts of actual accidents caused because someone chose not to put brakes on their TD.

I'll start;

I know of none.

by **Wimperdink** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:11 pm

nuttin but crickets in here :lol:

by **Larwyn** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:27 pm

yep, still waiting for the tales of carnage...... :roll:

by **emiller** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:43 pm

I got rear ended once and had to replace my hatch.

by **asianflava** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:57 pm

My tongue broke off in Jackson Mississippi. Trailer was overloaded (we were moving) and the highway expansion joints were hammering everything. A trailer repair place replaced the 2x2x1/8 tongue with 2x4x1/4 because it's all they could get on short notice.

No injury (luckily) no other damage. I haven't done a thing to it since.

by **Larwyn** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:58 pm

emiller wrote:I got rear ended once and had to replace my hatch.

I would hate that, the hatch was the toughest parts of my TD construction.

Do you have trailer brakes? If not do you think that they could somehow have helped you avoid the accident? Probably not, since you were hit from behind. Thanks for the input.

by **Larwyn** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:08 pm

asianflava wrote:My tongue broke off in Jackson Mississippi. Trailer was overloaded (we were moving) and the highway expansion joints were hammering everything. A trailer repair place replaced the 2x2x1/8 tongue with 2x4x1/4 because it's all they could get on short notice.

No injury (luckily) no other damage. I haven't done a thing to it since.

Thanks Rocky, sounds like trailer brakes could have done nothing to prevent that one either. Did your safety chains hold? Do you think trailer brakes could have helped prevent the event?

http://s26.photobucket.com/user/len1907 · by **len19070** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:23 pm

Very Good Post! This Topic needs a little Mythbusting.

Kinda like the "Exploding Harbor Freight Trailer" Paranoia Story from a while back.

Hope everyone sticks to Just the Facts about real accidents!

Happy Trails

Len

by **Larwyn** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:29 pm

This thread is for teardrop trailers involved in accidents. It is not a physics question.

If your TD was not involved in an accident please do not post opinions here.

by **Larwyn** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 6:59 am

There is no attempt to be scientifically or statistically significant. Laws, rules and personal feelings have no place here. I just want to hear accounts of accidents involving TD trailers and the thoughts of the owner/driver/passengers on what effect brakes did or could have played in preventing the accident in their own words. Bystanders and witnesses feel free to post, but not if you just heard about an accident that may have involved a trailer of some kind. It is not beating a dead horse, it is an attempt to scoop up and dispose of the dead horse.

If your TD trailer has not been involved in an accident you have nothing to contribute here. Oh and those who died in the accident are more than welcome to post their thoughts as long as it involved a TD trailer.

by **Steve F** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 7:17 am

Hmmm, I had a close call, most other tow vehicles and it would of been an accident, but I cant tell you why it wasn't? I'm putting brakes on mine when time and money allows.

Cheers
Steve

by **planovet** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 8:32 am

by **Dusty82** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 11:22 am

I haven't had an accident involving a trailer, but I witnessed a swaying accident involving about a 14' TT (I was the car right behind him when he flipped the trailer.) Does that count? If so, I'll tell the story (and yes, trailer brakes would have prevented the accident.) If not - nebbermind...

by **Larwyn** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 1:50 pm

Dusty82 wrote:I haven't had an accident involving a trailer, but I witnessed a swaying accident involving about a 14' TT (I was the car right behind him when he flipped the trailer.) Does that count? If so, I'll tell the story (and yes, trailer brakes would have prevented the accident.) If not - nebbermind...

Well it was not a teardrop trailer so really does not apply, but how can you know that trailer brakes would have prevented the accident? How would the brakes have saved day?

by **madjack** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 2:23 pm

Larwyn wrote:
Dusty82 wrote:I haven't had an accident involving a trailer, but I witnessed a swaying accident involving about a 14' TT (I was the car right behind him when he flipped the trailer.) Does that count? If so, I'll tell the story (and yes, trailer brakes would have prevented the accident.) If not - nebbermind...

Well it was not a teardrop trailer so really does not apply, but how can you know that trailer brakes would have prevented the accident? How would the brakes have saved day?

...I'll take this one...trailer sway is usually caused by a combination of improper loading Vs. speed(which doesn't havvta be fast)...the only way to stop trailer sway at that point is to slow down...hitting the brakes(an often uncontrollable impulse) will generally cause a jackknife situation to occur...a jackknife at speed will often cause a flip...trailer brakes, manually applied would have slowed the trailer, anchoring it in place straight behind the tow vehicle, eliminating the sway and it's consequences...I have both seen and been involved in this situation with utility trailers, TTT's and 48' semi trailers, so I know it is so...as to brakes on a TD, they can often be very helpful in an emergency situation, downhill in the mountains and 4-wheeling down hill is loose material(rocks/sand/mud)...almost as often, a good case of situational awareness would have helped just as much or allowed the driver to avoid the situation in the first place...brakes or not, awareness by the driver of his/her situation is the first defense against accidents and mayhem.............
madjack

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