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mbutts's avatar
mbutts
Explorer
Aug 24, 2014

Jackknife with Hensley

Saw this today in I-96 outside of Grand Rapids, MI today. No ambulance so hopefully everyone was OK.

Hensley

69 Replies

  • TXiceman wrote:

    Where can you see that the trailer brakes failed? Ken


    You only need to look at the picture to see that that trailer pushed that Ford SUV around like a toy. maybe the trailer brakes did not fail, maybe they were simply set wrong, either way, that trailer pushed that TV around into a jack knife and it will not do that if the brakes are working as they should.

    Had he a dually we would not have this thread. that's my humble opinion.
  • Where is it that people are seeing trailer brakes are designed to stop the weight of a trailer? I have never seen this, I have read they are designed for the assistance of stopping but they are not designed to bring a trailer to a stop per industry safty standards on their own.
  • mich800 wrote:
    Again, no article or cause. They could have swerved to miss a squirrel in the road. There a many drivers that make poor decisions in a panic situation. How we can interject the adequacy of an Expeditions brakes at this point just seems odd.

    I cannot count the number of big rigs in the ditch I have seen. If I took pictures of each and posted here would the first response be not enough brakes on the tractor to control the trailer.

    Exactly! All too often people think they know the facts without even knowing the details. More R&R in the campground would do a world of good.
  • Point is that a HA does not ensure that the driver becomes an expert. Is this post intended to give the HA a bad name? For what? For a jack knife situation as evidenced in the picture but with no other explanation? A lot of assumptions are being made where there shouldn't be. Whatever the situation, any good piece of towing equipment will not prevent an accident in an out of control situation and I'm not saying that's what happened here.
  • Tom/Barb wrote:
    Not enough truck to control the trailer when the trailer brakes fail. Towing is not about how much you can pull or carry. It is all about how much you can stop in a panic.
    Just my humble opinion after nearly 50 years of towing.


    Where can you see that the trailer brakes failed? Also, the truck is rated to stop the GVWR of the truck. The trailer has brakes that are to stop the trailer. If you want brakes rated to stop the truck as well s the loaded RV trailer, you need to be looking at a class 8 tractor.

    Ken
  • Again, no article or cause. They could have swerved to miss a squirrel in the road. There a many drivers that make poor decisions in a panic situation. How we can interject the adequacy of an Expeditions brakes at this point just seems odd.

    I cannot count the number of big rigs in the ditch I have seen. If I took pictures of each and posted here would the first response be not enough brakes on the tractor to control the trailer.
  • Obviously jack knifed...the dent on the trailer from the TV's rear says that

    More than in a panic stop, which is just one of the 'ability to manhandle'
    the setup during an emergency situation

    "Control" is synonym for 'manhandle' in towing

    Too many think it's all about getup&go (AKA HP or weight to power
    ratio). That is just one aspect of 'performance'...as is braking that
    so many say is NOT part of performance...

    Yes...to those who thin having a HA/Pro is the end all...just one
    of the better WD systems, but still a band-aid for a bad setup




    mich800 wrote:
    Tom/Barb wrote:
    Not enough truck to control the trailer when the trailer brakes fail. Towing is not about how much you can pull or carry. It is all about how much you can stop in a panic.
    Just my humble opinion after nearly 50 years of towing.


    I didn't see the article. Where did you read that?
  • Tom/Barb wrote:
    Not enough truck to control the trailer when the trailer brakes fail. Towing is not about how much you can pull or carry. It is all about how much you can stop in a panic.
    Just my humble opinion after nearly 50 years of towing.


    I didn't see the article. Where did you read that?
  • Not enough truck to control the trailer when the trailer brakes fail. Towing is not about how much you can pull or carry. It is all about how much you can stop in a panic.
    Just my humble opinion after nearly 50 years of towing.

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