What are you guys towing?

[P. A. Schilke]

It felt weird pulling the camper out, putting it back together, and packing it up today. Not only because it's February and winter, but because it only got up to -8F today. That was the high temp. Started the day at -28F. But luckily we're hitting the road for warmer places. Even though those places may only end up being in the 40s or 50s, that's still 50-60deg warmer than it has been here all week during the day (it hasn't gotten above 0F in over 7 days). Anyways, it's going to be sad to see the clean, shiny, and waxed camper get all dirty and salty. But such is life. haha

Hi Matt,

You MN polar bears enjoy the "warmer" climate. We here in SW Arizona are hunkered down in 73°F cold weather.... Have not seen an ice dam on my house here ever! In Michigan...I battled Ice Dams all the time....Lousy insulation job by the house builder!!

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

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[JrRanger]

Coachmen 34’...
Towed from Miami to Orlando no problems at all...

 

[Leftcoast]

Few nights ago, I hauled a rental vehicle transporter trailer from a local 7-Eleven / YX gas station.

Hauled it like a champ! They’re great to transport pallets of firewood on, since they have a massive flat bottom and high payload capacity.

No safety chains in Norway?

 

[Bsenecal]

Coachmen 34’...
Towed from Miami to Orlando no problems at all...

Wow that’s a little over the 7500 pound towing capacity. Glad it towed well.
Brian

 

[Leftcoast]

Most of Europe did away with the safety chain a long time ago. It's actually illegal to have one. They want the trailer to detach from the vehicle in case of an emergency.

If you look at the picture, there’s a steel wire coated in red protective rubber. It’s attached to the truck with a steel carabine hook, hanging of a steel shackle.

That wire is connected to the underside of the parking brake on the trailer, so the trailer comes off the truck. The wire gets pulled or yanked, and it pulls the parking brake on the trailer on full. Meaning it’ll lock the wheels up entirely.

So the wire is made strong enough to be able to get yanked, and pull the brakes on for full. But once the brakes are on for full, it'll simply snap.

So in one way it's kind of a good design, cause then if you loose the trailer. It'll detatch itself from the truck, then stop on its own.

If we simply had chains, it would just jump off.. Then rear end your truck as you stop.

The only trailers that are allowed to use a chain instead of an emergency brake wire, are trailers without brakes. These use a simple chain, but that’s because unbraked trailers over here are really small. You can’t get a big trailer without having brakes.

Hope this answers your question or concern!

I found a video on YouTube that explains it well, and shows it a bit better.

I’m familiar with the operation. I didn’t know Europe did away with the chains.

 

[Obijack]

I am taking the bikes to Jennings GP. 93 octane, stock tune. Truck is basically stock except for FP Exhaust by Borla.

 

[viperwolf]

I am taking the bikes to Jennings GP. 93 octane, stock tune. Truck is basically stock except for FP Exhaust by Borla.

You cant beat those Pit Bulls, I use with them with all my bikes.

 

[Arly]

We did a 4 hour trip yesterday (one way) to central WI to pick up a used snow implement we bought down there.... It was quite cool for much of the trip and at times -15 when we left when we got away from the lake. We stay lots warmer!! But it was much warmer for the trip north. Got about 16mpg and drove quite fast.

 

[Lucky2013]

Most of Europe did away with the safety chain a long time ago. It's actually illegal to have one. They want the trailer to detach from the vehicle in case of an emergency.

If you look at the picture, there’s a steel wire coated in red protective rubber. It’s attached to the truck with a steel carabine hook, hanging of a steel shackle.

That wire is connected to the underside of the parking brake on the trailer, so the trailer comes off the truck. The wire gets pulled or yanked, and it pulls the parking brake on the trailer on full. Meaning it’ll lock the wheels up entirely.

So the wire is made strong enough to be able to get yanked, and pull the brakes on for full. But once the brakes are on for full, it'll simply snap.

So in one way it's kind of a good design, cause then if you loose the trailer. It'll detatch itself from the truck, then stop on its own.

If we simply had chains, it would just jump off.. Then rear end your truck as you stop.

The only trailers that are allowed to use a chain instead of an emergency brake wire, are trailers without brakes. These use a simple chain, but that’s because unbraked trailers over here are really small. You can’t get a big trailer without having brakes.

Hope this answers your question or concern!

I found a video on YouTube that explains it well, and shows it a bit better.

If you see older trailer out of the 50's here in the US then you will see that most of them had hydraulic brakes with a similar set up to activate the brakes in the case of a brake away. Sadly all of that changed with the first gooseneck / 5th wheel trailer. Now electric brakes are the standard. Only on some of the boat trailers you can find hydraulic brake systems. Born and raised in Europe and towing trailers all my life I can only say that electric brakes are the worst invention ever !!! That's why I use European horse trailers with inertia brakes.

 

[DHH]

If we simply had chains, it would just jump off.. Then rear end your truck as you stop.

I can confirm this.

 

[DHH]

Ouch, yeah.

That's why its better to not have the safety chains, the emergency brake wire is a better option. Cause then it just stops after falling off.. Instead of smashing into your truck like that, yikes.

You seemed to be lucky though, it damaged 'just' the tailgate. Isn't that a 'cheap' fix? Could be worse, it could have hit the bumper and damaged your frame.

Yeh, but chains are mandatory. Also have the brake wire, but the damaged happened when I was stopping. It was a bad coupler and luckily it happened in a parking lot when I went over a speed bump.
The part that really hurt was that I had just bought the truck and had put less than a 1000k on it.
At least it only cost a few hundred to repair.

 

[DT444T]

You cant beat those Pit Bulls, I use with them with all my bikes.

Wait til you get some TRS for your trailer. You'll never tie at the handle bars again.

 

[t4thfavor]

I can confirm this.

Yes, but it won't cross the median and skewer a minivan full of children on their way to Grandmas house. The point of the chains is to keep the trailer under control and able to stop, not save your truck from it.

 

[Byngsboys]

Give a good hard look at a 04 K23BH. We need something just for the next few years and then it'll just be my wife and I and we'll get a couples trailer.

 

[JimG_AZ]

Ouch, yeah.

That's why its better to not have the safety chains, the emergency brake wire is a better option. Cause then it just stops after falling off.. Instead of smashing into your truck like that, yikes.

You seemed to be lucky though, it damaged 'just' the tailgate. Isn't that a 'cheap' fix? Could be worse, it could have hit the bumper and damaged your frame.

I can agree with you that having an emergency wire to activate the brakes in the case of the trailer becoming disconnected from the tow vehicle being a good idea. The trailers with brakes in the USA all have that. Where I disagree with you is on safety chains. In the event that the trailer becomes accidentally disconnected from the hitch ball, it is way better to keep it attached to the tow vehicle than hoping that it just stays in the lane and comes to a stop. So what happens if the trailer pops off the hitch ball in a curve and goes straight, right into the oncoming traffic?

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