laknox wrote:
WTP-GC wrote:
There was a very tragic story posted on here a while back where a family was towing a gooseneck horse trailer and they left the road to avoid an accident (I think). Unfortunately, the trailer came through the back of the truck and killed all but one person, or perhaps all of them.
That being said, I've never read a story or seen where a fifth wheel RV disconnected from the hitch and came through the back of the truck. In my mind, I would find it hard to believe that this could actually happen short of someone driving full speed into the back of immovable object. If this happened, the 5er coming through the back is probably the least of your concerns. Under any other imaginable circumstance, I believe the nose of the 5er would more/less self-implode upon impact and the frame would get caught up somewhere along the way.
The horse trailer mentioned above was probably built more rigid than the truck itself and likely weighed 20K-25K pounds.
Makes me wonder if this happened in a jurisdiction that doesn't require safety chains for a GN. Either that, or a semi rear-ended the rig. Sad, either way...
Lyle
I don't recall reading anything about the safety chains in that story. But from personal experience, we tow 16K-18K backhoes on a dual tandem GN trailer. While our safety chains connect to large welded clevis-style loops attached the frame, the standard B & W safety chain connections that comes with their TO ball kit is far less substantial. Much in the way that folks pass judgement on the AUH based on the "eye" test, I do the same with those safety chain connection points. In reality, though, in order for this to be an issue, they GN ball would have already ripped off...and I can only imagine what kind of force that would take!
