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A driver and dog miraculously walked away from this out-of-control camper accident on a highway outside Newton Abbot, UK. Dashcam video shows the car pulling a camper wobbling before flipping over twice. “Everyone was fine. Some small cuts from flying glass,” the trucker driving behind the wreck reported.
No sway control bars on the trailer, too much tongue weight for the tow vehicle and no equalizer hitch, driving too fast, or all of the above.
Glad the driver and dog survived. Very lucky indeed.
No sway control bars on the trailer, too much tongue weight for the tow vehicle and no equalizer hitch, driving too fast, or all of the above.
Glad the driver and dog survived. Very lucky indeed.
Ahhh...so that's what let the camper start swaying out of control. I didn't see that the driver had hit anything, or any big cause for the swaying.
A reminder to get experts to help a person get set up with traveling pulling a trailer, camper, or anything.
I was afraid the dog would survive, but not the owner, and the dog would run around there and get hit. So I was glad the driver was okay and could get his dog.
Ahhh...so that's what let the camper start swaying out of control. I didn't see that the driver had hit anything, or any big cause for the swaying.
A reminder to get experts to help a person get set up with traveling pulling a trailer, camper, or anything.
I was afraid the dog would survive, but not the owner, and the dog would run around there and get hit. So I was glad the driver was okay and could get his dog.
That was my take from what little bit I could see. Too much tongue weight with a flat bottom trailer will take weight off of the front wheels of the tow vehicle, making it unstable. If and when the trailer starts to sway (the draft from passing another vehicle for example), the vehicle towing won't have the ability to overcome it. A sway control will reduce that tendency somewhat, but proper tongue weight for the tow vehicle is even more important. I don't know the size of the truck being passed in the video, but I'm guessing the draft/suction involved set the trailer to swaying.
Most RV dealerships will install the proper devices, and instruct the buyer on proper pulling procedures. I imagine it's much the same in the UK. I don't think they were followed here.
I don't know much about towing trailers, how does the sway control bar work and why wouldn't every camper be equipped with one?
The sway control bar is actually a two-piece affair that works similar to a shock absorber on your car. One end is attached to one side of the trailers tongue, and the other end is fastened to the center hitch receiver on the tow vehicle. The two parts of the sway bar are under friction pressure and dampen the side to side movement of the trailer. In most cases it prevents the swaying of the trailer under normal circumstances, if everything else is as it should be. Also, the tow vehicle should always be properly matched with the trailer it's pulling (meaning heavy enough). If it's lighter weight than it should be, all of the towing devices installed may not be enough to handle a swaying event f it occurs.
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