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Airstream Roll-Over

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HHamp5246

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Apr 6, 2003, 11:39:11 AM4/6/03
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A friend of mine just posted this sad story to my list last night... I got his
permission to relay it...... it's why I have a Hensley.

"Fellow Airstreamers,

So that others may learn from my misfortune, I must relate
some sad news. Yesterday April 4,about noon as we were
traveling north on I-24 just a few miles out of Murfreesboro,
TN. I had to make a sudden lane change to avoid another
vehicle. This induced a yaw motion in our trailer. The 8
thousand pound trailer was pushing our 6 thousand pound
Suburban around like a toy. When it appeared we might
collide with another vehicle I tapped the brakes. This
caused the trailer to roll and then flip the Suburban.
When everything stopped we found that both Sandy and
I were OK. Just scrapes, bruises and a few glass cuts.

I'm sure the Airstream and Suburban are both totaled.
Sandy and I were checked out at the local hospital and
are now staying with our daughter near Shellbyville, TN.

Since we are full-timers nearly everything we own is in
the truck and trailer at some impound lot. I have borrowed
a pick-up truck from my brother to salvage what I can
of our stuff.

For the record: I was using a Reese dual-cam hitch with
one friction sway control. Trailer weight, tongue weight,
tire pressure, etc. were all within specifications. I was
driving about 60 MPH. I had never had a yaw (trailer
sway) problem with this hitch.

What have I learned? Just because your rig is well
behaved in strong winds and not bothered by passing
semis doesn't mean all is well. If I ever tow a large trailer
again it will be with a Hensley or Pull-rite hitch!

We are currently looking at a B190 van. I know, too small
to full-time in. Lets just say it's a timid first step towards
motorhomeing. I don't feel like towing anything right now.

One more thing, the forged steel hooks on the ends of our
safety chains both snapped in two. The broken ends look
like tiny bobbles in the metal. Hydrogen imbrittlement?
If I need safety chains in the future I'll use screw type
carabineers as I have in the past.

For now we feel lucky (or blessed) that no other person or
vehicle was damaged and we walked away with only minor
scratches. Just shows how tough the Suburban is.
The ER doctor said she had seen the accident site on her
way in to work and thought the victims must have been "life
lined" away and would surely be in intensive care.

As has been said here in the past, if yaw starts accelerate
if you can safely, tap the trailer brakes but avoid using the
tow vehicle brakes to bring the trailer back under control.
Easier said then done! Once an increasing yaw begins
it's most likely too late for that to help.

Sorry to be so negative, it's been a bummer the last couple
of days.

Tony"

Will Sill

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Apr 6, 2003, 12:41:37 PM4/6/03
to
hham...@aol.com (HHamp5246) recently published still more proof that
it is possible to get into serious trouble towing. I repost the
following for the benefit of those who are sure their "sway control
hitch" is Just Fine:

>I had to make a sudden lane change to avoid another
>vehicle. This induced a yaw motion in our trailer. The 8
>thousand pound trailer was pushing our 6 thousand pound
>Suburban around like a toy. When it appeared we might
>collide with another vehicle I tapped the brakes. This
>caused the trailer to roll and then flip the Suburban.

<snip>

>For the record: I was using a [brand X] hitch with
>one friction sway control.

<another snip>

>What have I learned? Just because your rig is well
>behaved in strong winds and not bothered by passing
>semis doesn't mean all is well. If I ever tow a large trailer
>again it will be with a Hensley or Pull-rite hitch!

Thanx to Hunter for posting that. I've repeatedly noted that:

:"SWAY CONTROL" gadgets are little more than bandaids, with minimal
:effectiveness. If everything else is right they are unnecessary. At
:best they introduce some small resistance to sway, and at worst they
:can cause you a crisis under slippery conditions. I do NOT recommend
:them. Instead, of you are serious about towing, check all the other
:stuff and get a good hitch.

Caution: that said, even a "good hitch" (Hensley or Pull-rite are the
only two in that catgory for TT's, IMO) cannot _prevent_ loss of
control if the driver does something dumb. I'm aware of at least two
cases in which wrecks occurred even with the Hensley.

Will Sill


Lone Haranguer

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Apr 6, 2003, 2:54:07 PM4/6/03
to

Glad to hear they survived in one piece. In our travels we have seen a
number of
travel trailer accidents but only one motorhome in the ditch. That was
an old Winnebago cracker
box which had been blown off the road by high winds.
LZ

>
>
>

Flo Cala

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Apr 6, 2003, 4:00:39 PM4/6/03
to
"HHamp5246" <hham...@aol.com> relayed a bad accident story by RVers on
her A/S list...

> So that others may learn from my misfortune, I must relate
> some sad news. Yesterday April 4,about noon as we were
> traveling north on I-24 just a few miles out of Murfreesboro,
> TN. I had to make a sudden lane change to avoid another
snipped

> I'm sure the Airstream and Suburban are both totaled.
snipped

Please extend my sympathy to the RVers who had that devastating
accident. I'm glad they are OK and hope they adjust well in their RVing
lives -- to whatever new situations arise.

That road must not like Airstreams. A few summers ago on a boiling hot
Saturday, a few miles south of Murfreesboro on I-24, an Airstream
motorhome. (our first MH) lost its water pump belt and, subsequently,
other belts, also, due to the heat. We were 12 miles from the nearest
exit and had no cell phone. It was a very bad experience for us and our
pets. They had to be caged because the dog house was open to pavement
below. My DH burned his arm, covered with socks I cut to cover them,
trying to replace the first belt with one I bought at an auto parts
store many miles into a town. It was the wrong belt, and the parts store
had no other belt to fit. Using our toad I drove back to contact road
service, which was unable to come to our aid for hours because of other
RV breakdowns in the area. ...and that's the short version! <g>
--
Flo


HHamp5246

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Apr 6, 2003, 8:18:50 PM4/6/03
to
In article <b6q11c$7r0pb$1...@ID-186277.news.dfncis.de>, "Flo Cala"
<flo...@earthlink.net> writes:

> It was a very bad experience for us and our
>pets. They had to be caged because the dog house was open to pavement
>below.

Hi Flo,

I'm sorry I don't understand this... can you explain further?

hunter

Ron Tonneson

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Apr 6, 2003, 8:32:25 PM4/6/03
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I think she is referring to the cover over the engine in a class A,
called "the dog house".

Ron

HHamp5246

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Apr 6, 2003, 8:41:58 PM4/6/03
to
>I think she is referring to the cover over the engine in a class A,
>called "the dog house".

Ah, thanks Ron...

I couldn't for the life of me figure out what she meant....

Makes sense now that I know (c:

Hunter


Flo Cala

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Apr 7, 2003, 12:47:36 AM4/7/03
to
Yup, Ron's correct. The doghouse in a Class A MH is the engine cover. To
take the doghouse off and see the proximity of the highway below is...
yikes! An uncaged, frightened pet can easily leap to almost certain
death when pulled over on the side of an interstate with the doghouse
off to make repairs. On diesel pushers, too: lift the rear bed and
engine cover under it and see the engine and road below.

Guess we don't think about the low-to-the highway aspect in cars and
trucks because the "engine covers" are outside the passenger
compartment. Thankfully, some maintenance and repairs can be made behind
the exterior "hood" on a Class A MH. Oil draining and filter changes are
done from underneath. Thanks for the question. It's a reminder to change
air filter and check belts.
--
Flo


Frank Damp

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Apr 7, 2003, 1:29:50 AM4/7/03
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Sorry to hear of such a nasty accident but glad no more than minor
injuries resulted.

Many years ago, when I was in airplane handling qualities research, I
was surprised to hear that a friend's Holiday Rambler TT was equipped
with a yaw damper. I thought such devices were airplane systems, not
on a relatively mundane travel trailer. This was back before all the
clever digital stuff we take for granted these days was on the market,
even before PCs were introduced.

Apparently, a yaw acceleration sensor was mounted under the frame at
the back of the trailer. An electronic controller then applied brakes
on the appropriate side of the TT to straighten things out. I guess it
must have worked with electric brakes.

I'm surprised that an expensive rig like an Airstream didn't have such
a system, or have they disappeared from the marketplace? Since we're
MH owners, I've never thought about those kind of stability issues.


Frank Damp
Anacortes, WA

HHamp5246

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Apr 7, 2003, 9:23:48 AM4/7/03
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In article <aa9c5bf5.03040...@posting.google.com>,
thed...@earthlink.net (Frank Damp) writes:

>Apparently, a yaw acceleration sensor was mounted under the frame at the back
of the trailer. An electronic controller then applied brakes
>on the appropriate side of the TT to straighten things out. I guess it
>must have worked with electric brakes.
>
>I'm surprised that an expensive rig like an Airstream didn't have such
>a system, or have they disappeared from the marketplace? Since we're MH
owners, I've never thought about those kind of stability issues.>

Hi Frank,

Never heard of this thing...... but my guess is it didn't work. I'll ask on my
list and see if anyone else knows anything.

Hunter


HDinNY

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Apr 7, 2003, 7:02:06 PM4/7/03
to

I've heard about it before and apparently it did work. IIRC,
Holiday Rambler was the only make that had it as optional OEM.
HD in NY

HHamp5246

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Apr 7, 2003, 10:38:16 PM4/7/03
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In article <b6t01k$7t28i$1...@ID-84980.news.dfncis.de>, HDinNY
<huf...@earthlink.net> writes:

>I've heard about it before and apparently it did work. IIRC,
>Holiday Rambler was the only make that had it as optional OEM.
>HD in NY

I asked about it on my Airstream list.... got a few comments....

"I've heard of yaw sensor equipped RVs and why they are seldom found on RVs.
The sensors have to detect minor variations and deviations from straight ahead
travel to begin corrective application of the RV brakes in time to prevent a
potential problem with sway. The problem is the sensors are constantly
energizing the RV's brakes due to road irregularities, side winds, passing
vehicles, etc. and the brakes wear out very quickly trying to adjust minor
changes in trajectory which are insufficient to introduce loss of control of
the RV. A good idea which hasn't seemed to work out in practical applications."

Then:

"The service manual for my 1976 A/S has a section covering the "Tru Track Sway
Control System." This I assume was and option available in 1976 and I cannot
find any evidence that it was installed on my 76 Sovereign. The following are
excerpts from the manual about the Tru Track :

The device was wired to the 12V system and was mounted below the front of the
trailer. The system would momentarily apply the trailer brakes when sway
developed as a result of rapid maneuvers to avoid road obstacles, air
disturbance, etc. It was designed not to react to normal driving maneuvers.
There was an indicator light in the cab of the tow vehicle to indicate when the
system activated. Frequent operation of the Tru Track indicated that the
car-trailer comminations was unstable and prone to excess sway.

I have never heard anyone mention this device."

Finally...

"My "76" 31' Airstream had the anti-sway option that would activate
the electric brakes upon sudden movement but it was too sensitive so
I disabled it. It was an option and I don't recall ever seeing it as
a option on any years after "76". Guess it was supposed to work
similar to todays anti-lock brake systems."

Hunter


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