Passenger in your 5er

theoldwizard1 wrote:
Hmmmm. I guess a family with 4 kids no longer camps !

Not with these guys. :)

Hmmmm. I guess a family with 4 kids no longer camps !

My rule of thumb about riding in the 5er was "If It Has a Pulse it rides in the TV " we put a go pro camera back there once just to see how rough it could be, didn't look to bad but I still wouldn't want to ride back there.

N-Trouble wrote:

B.O. Plenty wrote:
Your tow vehicle has airbags, crush zones, seat belts, shoulder harnesses, and more all there to protect the occupants. Trailer has nothing. Couldn't pay me to ride in one.

B.O.

No more dangerous than riding a motorcycle.

Strongly disagree.

On a motorcycle you can see around you and, in many cases, control the situation. Smart riders will wear a helmet and all the proper safety gear.

In a trailer you have almost no vision around you and zero control over the vehicle. You probably aren't wearing anything other than street clothes.

A logical reason would be to avoid death in an accident.

There is only a trailer hitch between you and disaster. There is no frame to protect the occupants. It is illegal to ride back there for a reason.

B.O. Plenty wrote:
Your tow vehicle has airbags, crush zones, seat belts, shoulder harnesses, and more all there to protect the occupants. Trailer has nothing. Couldn't pay me to ride in one.

B.O.

No more dangerous than riding a motorcycle.

from experience i will share this. in the 1970's my sister and i rode in our family's TT many times..... until the one trip that dad was almost ran off the road by another vehicle which caused a "fishtailing" situation. we didn't crash but my sister and i bounced around like a couple of ping pong balls. after that we rode in the truck. with that being said i ride a motorcycle which is probably more dangerous than riding in a fiver. to each his own.

azdryheat wrote:
In Arizona it is legal to ride in a trailer so long as there is some sort of communicating device with the tow vehicle. My wife and granddaughters rode 60 miles in our toy hauler. The girls loved it, the wife hated it.

We're getting ready, as I write this, to get on our Harley and take a day-long ride. Being on a motorcycle has to be the worst form of transportation if crash-worthiness is your concern. If I was worried about crashing and the aftermath I wouldn't be on the road.

CAVEAT! This is only legal in a FIFTH WHEEL, not a TRAVEL TRAILER! Must have 2-way comm; must have emergency exits and main door can NOT be locked from the outside, and this means flipping over the fold-away grab handle! Last time I read the statute, there was no requirement for seat belts.

FWIW, we tried this on a trip to Mexico about 15 years ago. DW lasted from our home in Chandler until she called me and told me to pull over, which was right in front of the Mobile School, on the Mobile Rd. All-told, about 40 miles. I know that my mom and a friend rode in the friend's FW and friend was laying on the bed in front and got bounced right off the bed at one point. Mom, surprisingly, didn't get sick, but wasn't real happy. Was about a 4-5 hour ride, IIRC.

Lyle

I had passengers in both of my FW's and I rode in the second FW and it was as smooth if not smoother ride than the TV. Started because we had a single cab pickup and didn't want to take a second vehicle and then continued after the purchase of a four door pickup. Able to use all the features of the trailer going down the road just like a class A without the price.

In an accident would the results have been catastrophic, sure. No different than a train, plain, automobile, or motorcycle and I still use all of these to get around. Heck in this mornings paper were articles where pedestrians were killed so even walking down the street is dangerous.