Having been caravaning for a couple of years now, I consider myself not to be a novice. BUT, I can still pull the occasional newby mistake.
When I'm feeling not quite so completely embarrassed by what could have been an expensive potentially dangerous mistake I'll give you the whole story. But for now let me advise you to
"CHOCK your WHEELS" on the Van (camper, trailer, etc) before unhitching from the Tug. DO NOT! assume the ground is level and the hand brake will hold!
We see many Peeing contests in these forums how "My Tug can pull the Queen Mary!", well unhitching anything (let alone the Queen Mary) from the Tug on the most modest of slopes without chocking the wheels can be catastrophic!
I recon you get the picture
I'm sure I'm not the only one to have done this. Fortunately our van isn't the Queen Mary, the slope wasn't too great, and I did manage to stop it before anything other than my pride was damaged.
Jeff
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Live Long and Prosper
MN Triton auto diesel 4x4 & 20' 6" Kokoda Tribute II XL Platinum
I could tell you a story too, but I'm not going to.
Always make sure you have your handbrake on in your motorhomes, coasters or campervans. Very important.
A good friend of mine had a habit of writing and singing songs about comments he heard arount the campfire. He did a CD of them and here is one relevant to the current discussion as long as my link works.
A good friend of mine had a habit of writing and singing songs about comments he heard arount the campfire. He did a CD of them and here is one relevant to the current discussion as long as my link works.
I made the opposite mistake of driving off with the hanfbrake on - yep....had dropped the towball onto the towbar, tkane off the jockey wheel, put on the two safety chains and hooked up the 3 sets of electric plugs between the 2 vehicles and still managed to not take off the brake.
Fortunately I picked up how slow we were driving forward within about 5 metres and stopped to check - DUH !!
Blamed the BOSS, then got an earful, so shut up and meekly drove off - haven't done it since lol
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
I made the opposite mistake of driving off with the hanfbrake on - yep....had dropped the towball onto the towbar, tkane off the jockey wheel, put on the two safety chains and hooked up the 3 sets of electric plugs between the 2 vehicles and still managed to not take off the brake.
Fortunately I picked up how slow we were driving forward within about 5 metres and stopped to check - DUH !!
Blamed the BOSS, then got an earful, so shut up and meekly drove off - haven't done it since lol
The Transit may have its faults, however, the hand brake is not one of them, won't budge if the hand brake is firmly applied.
I love making the silliest of mistakes, it shows we are human.
The other night leaving our daughters home in Brisbane suburbs with greats amount of street lighting, I drove off towing our caravan on the first leg of our 3 month trip when I got out where I could run the high beam with you bute long range driving lights on the new ute the dimmer switch would not stay on high beam.
I thought to myself I get it look at when we stop for a week or two at Gosford in couple of weeks.
Pulling into Maryvale rest area near Warwick I turned the switch down to parker lights only so I would not disturb the other parked trucks and caravans, to my horrors the lights went out all together. I then woke up that I had drove about 90 minutes with only the parking lights on down 3 toll roads, along one of the busy highways up over the Cummingham Gap.
I reckon my parking lights are pretty good, not once did anyone flick there lights at me to warn me I did not have my head lights on.
About 55 years ago when I was a trainee Technician in a rather large Town near Brisbane, I parked the work Holden van in the main street & went to attend a fault in the local fire station.
When I returned a bit later to get some spare parts, the van was missing.
It had reversed backwards down the street before turning across the road & down the gradual sloping driveway into one of the local pubs.
Very little damage except to where it came to rest on the rather large pole that supported the roof of the lean to garage.
My accident report suggested that some nasty person had reached in & released the hand break.
Would you believe that?
Must have given some clerk a good laugh as I was not reprimanded over the incident.
ps.. I never rely on the van's handbreak. I use chocks on both sides to stop the van slewing to one side if it chooses to run forward or backwards.
