Separating your vehicles in an emergency
You may have read that we lost our truck and fifth wheel last week in a horrendous fire. Although the exact cause has not been identified yet, it appears to be from a diesel fuel leak near the top of...
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Hi Jim,
I've been running that scenario through my mind since first hearing about the fire the other week. When it is the tow vehicle on fire, I'm not sure there are any good options, especially if you fear that the fire could be caused by a fuel leak.
Fire in the trailer (5th wheel), if caught early enough, one *might* have a chance to drop the trailer and pull away, but even that move could put the operator at risk. It would require:
- landing gear with inner legs that could be quickly dropped and pinned
- tailgate lower down
- jaws on the hitch that will release without taking the time to raise the nose of the trailer and unweight the jaws / king pin
- grabbing the emergency brake wire and hoping current is still flowing to the magnets on the brakes (or hydraulic pump)
- pulling away.
You, your wife and your dog were successful in your escape. You did all you could. Maybe like a pilot who will say, "any landing I can walk away from, is a good landing!"
I'll continue to follow along, see if other find any other words of wisdom.
Take care.
Tom
I've been running that scenario through my mind since first hearing about the fire the other week. When it is the tow vehicle on fire, I'm not sure there are any good options, especially if you fear that the fire could be caused by a fuel leak.
Fire in the trailer (5th wheel), if caught early enough, one *might* have a chance to drop the trailer and pull away, but even that move could put the operator at risk. It would require:
- landing gear with inner legs that could be quickly dropped and pinned
- tailgate lower down
- jaws on the hitch that will release without taking the time to raise the nose of the trailer and unweight the jaws / king pin
- grabbing the emergency brake wire and hoping current is still flowing to the magnets on the brakes (or hydraulic pump)
- pulling away.
You, your wife and your dog were successful in your escape. You did all you could. Maybe like a pilot who will say, "any landing I can walk away from, is a good landing!"
I'll continue to follow along, see if other find any other words of wisdom.
Take care.
Tom
